Live From DMI’s B-to-B Co-op: Acxiom Eyes Business Co-op DB
If broker recommendations, competitive conditions or client requests dictate, Acxiom Corp. could quickly roll out a business-to-business co-op database it has been considering for a year.
In opening remarks at the 24th Annual Business Mailers Co-op Conference and Hi-Tech Marketing Symposium yesterday, group leader Steve Brighton said that such a co-op would provide recency/frequency/monetary value data for B-to-B mailers as its SmartBase product does for consumer mailers. Acxiom’s Direct Media subsidiary currently manages 600 B-to-B lists owned by 150 different mailers.
Acxiom could have such a database running within six weeks, Brighton said. While plans are not final, he indicated that a likely initial list would be high-tech catalog mailers.
Brighton also hinted that Acxiom’s new alliance with Dun & Bradstreet could provide compiled data for the database.
Less certain is how such a new product would affect Acxiom’s relationship with Abacus Direct. The agreement for SmartBase would have no effect on Acxiom’s decision to launch the B-to-B product.
But the creation of the database isn’t the only configuration for which Acxiom is soliciting feedback. According to Brighton, brokers, managers and customers will all determine the ultimate shape, if any, of the relationship between DMI and American List Counsel. The two companies are currently in talks that may result in a merger or other strategic alliance. Last Friday, ALC president Donn Rappaport presented his vision of the proposed arrangement to 40 Acxiom executives. Details were not available at deadline.
