Working towards a single customer view

I agree that at present ‘the single customer view (SCV) is unattainable’. In our experience, many companies have a long way to go in gathering data from established channels such as websites, mobile apps and social media and across devices. 

Unfortunately most seem to be trying to use data designed for other purposes to achieve this goal – until they have the individual-level data they need they’ll struggle to even get a partial SCV, let alone a complete one.

Every business has the potential to unlock the insights within their customer data and transform their digital marketing, as long as they have the right data foundations in place to understand their customers as individuals.

Katharine Hulls, vice-president of marketing, Celebrus Technologies

Marketers will never be able to capture 100 per cent of customers’ preferences and behaviours but this does not remove the requirement for an SCV strategy – organisations should focus on the data they can collect to be able to make better business decisions and improve the customer experience.

Marketers need to be agile, and must define their business vision and what they are trying to achieve clearly and pragmatically. Only with a high level view is it possible to identify and prioritise those core sets of data that impact their business. Many focus too much on the data itself instead of the questions they could answer. Marketers need to strive to identify and compile the right data and then deploy insights.

Debbie Oates, principal consultant, Experian Marketing Services

Media agencies’ evolution

In reply to ‘Why marketers need to embrace their media agency’, I would say digital media is like the evolution of building aeroplanes. 

The Wright brothers used their individual knowledge to build an extraordinary new machine. Today, building a high-spec final product involves a team with precise expertise on every detail – resulting in faster and more efficient planes and a deep understanding of how to improve them. 

Media agencies are at a point where one person cannot build a media strategy. Within the digital landscape, brands need a constant voice since consumers are exposed to brands over many touchpoints. Inconsistent messaging can confuse and alienate people. 

There needs to be a deep understanding on both sides: brands need to know themselves inside out and where they want to get to, and an agency needs to intrinsically understand how to transport them there.

Rebecca Muir, product marketing, Quantcast

Take a leaf out of aldi’s brand book

In response to your article about brands building love and loyalty, I believe that retailers, especially supermarkets, should stop trying to chase customer loyalty through tricksy retention schemes. Why is Tesco telling me that I could have saved £1.23 on my shop if I had gone elsewhere? Even if it gives me a coupon to save that amount next time, that is a negative brand message because it highlights how expensive it is in the first place.

Aldi and Poundland are leading the way in this, with no tricks and clear advertising.

Guy Norwell, new business director, Redworks