Abstract:

The linkage approach offers the potential solution to the continuing challenge of better understanding the consumer; the ideal that we strive for -- the ability to identify, describe and track consumers at the individual level. The proliferation of new and improved technology makes our ideal more attainable. Interestingly however, even given the current state of sophisticated technology, many companies, because of the nature of their business, cannot meaningfully tap into certain available data sources. For example, UPC scanner data is not applicable to service providers. But as service providers, we still have the need to understand and track responses of our individual customers and "would be" customers. I am going to talk today about an approach that can be considered a variation on the single source concept — one that maximizes the impact of traditional research tools we all know and love and one that we have used successfully at American Express to maximize our targeting efforts.