News
 Data
Hygiene Poses Big Problem for Marketers
Direct marketers are showing their perky side.
According to an annual report released by database
marketing provider Alterian, direct marketers are
chipper about the industry this year, but are still
worried about some rough patches they might face.
What are those challenges? The survey reports that
those “DM-related headaches” will be in the form of
customer insight and analysis. Fifty-two percent of
respondents noted this would be one of the biggest
frustrations this year. Coming in at second was data
hygiene, with 46 percent of the vote. Data hygiene
is expected to pose a significant challenge for
direct marketers. Meanwhile, 55 percent of survey
respondents in the U.K. cite data hygiene as its
biggest problem.
Marketers are having a tough time dealing with data
quality issues and extracting value from their data
mostly because they don’t have the in-house
expertise or “aren’t empowered to interact with the
data themselves,” notes Alterian CEO David Eldridge.
Technical awareness and maximizing return on IT
investment also is high on the agenda. Almost half
(47 percent) say that despite access to a bevy of
technologies within the marketing department, the
technologies aren’t used to the best advantage. This
could be due to a lack of appropriate tools for
marketers or a shortage of skills in the marketing
department.
But despite some of these obstacles – direct
marketers are still optimistic about the industry.
The report reveals 63 percent of respondents expect
direct marketing spending to increase in the next 12
months. Only 5 percent said it would decrease.
Confidence in the U.S. was higher than in the U.K.
this year – 70 percent versus 53 percent.
The survey also notes that marketers expect to shell
out lots of money for their direct marketing
endeavors. How will the direct marketing budget be
divvied up? Forty-seven percent of direct marketers
will spend more than $1 million this year. And 27
percent indicated their direct marketing
expenditures fell into the highest budget category
of $5 million and more.
Alterian interviewed 700 marketers and marketing
services providers in the U.S. and the U.K for its
report.
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