It’s been a year since Digital Impact became part of Acxiom Corp. So what is the Acxiom Digital division up to?
The main focus now is on taking the existing Acxiom’s Personicx database and enhancing it for online marketing, said Kevin Johnson, former vice president of products and marketing at Digital Impact, and new chief of Acxiom Digital.
“Direct Marketers should no longer think of e-mail marketing in terms of campaigns,” Mr. Johnson said. “They should really be sending a series of e-mail communications which focus on the content level.
“The real estate of the e-mail offers five or six slots for announcing new deals, new products and keeping customers up-to-date on the company,” he said. “Layout and design are very important, with every corner of the letter being considered.”
Acxiom Digital divides the United States into 70 demographic segments that can be mixed and matched. This is intended to help users select better content as well as create a more refined pitch based on the target audience.
For example, a travel company can tailor an e-mail offer based on information about the previous destinations traveled by the consumer, purchase history, age and lifestyle trip.
The challenge that the e-mail marketer faces is weeding through the available information and choosing the relevant data. The second issue is to time the e-mail’s drop, touching the prospect with the right offer at the right time.
Another strategy pursued under Mr. Johnson’s leadership is including a lead generation option to Acxiom Digital’s search marketing offerings.
“Direct marketers should forget blasts and start thinking on the one-to-one level,” Mr. Johnson said. “The new product is designed to cut through the noise of mass e-mail and give our clients detailed information so that they can tailor e-mail especially towards their customers’ needs.”
