Had a good-natured debate recently with one of our editors about the phrase "data-based marketing." Normally I hate most neologisms, but there is a very real distinction between it and "database marketing." Unlike "database marketing," which focuses on hardware or software, I see "data-based marketing" as acknowledging the use of customer data in the marketing communication. The priority is shifted from the software to the message.
There are other industry phrases worth consideration: One data compilation executive uses the term "distance marketing" as opposed to "direct response marketing." It draws a distinction between, say, point-of-purchase-triggered loyalty programs, which may be part of direct marketing but aren’t distance marketing, and telemarketing, e-mail marketing and direct mail.
I’ve also nearly come to blows over "hand-raisers," which is a lot less cumbersome than saying "prospects who have expressed their interest with a minimum of solicitation – if any – and who may or may not be appropriate targets for future efforts." Hand-raisers seems clear to me – but our linguistic gatekeeper won’t let it cross the moat.
Each phrase evokes a tangible picture of the marketing process, and gets people within the industry to stop and reconsider basic practices. They’re also both clear – unlike some of the gobbledygook that often accompanies a new marketing software’s launch. A product described as "empowering information commerce, this solution manages complex business models" doesn’t paint a picture as to what it does – or how one can apply it to one’s business.
So now I’ve taken some internal dirty laundry and hung it out for the market. What do you think? Am I all wet, or are these useful phrases?
To respond to the opinions in this column, please contact mailto:rlevey@primediabusiness.com.
