In an average city on an average day, the average citizen runs into some 5,000 marketing messages. The volume is astonishing—and daunting. With each and every consumer taking in five messages per minute—from traditional marketing channels as well as from the Internet, iPods, and mobile phones—it has never been more difficult for direct marketers to keep in touch with their existing loyal customers. Simply put, today’s customers are harder to get, retain, and win back. And the task is not getting any easier: Markets are regularly becoming more competitive, growth curves are flattening, and it has never been more important for businesses to find new ways to make the best use of their existing customer portfolio for further growth. But in the middle of this critical challenge, the skills and science of direct marketing seem to be trapped in the 20th century.
2. Booz & Company is a leading global management consulting
firm, helping the world’s top businesses, governments,
and organizations.
Our founder, Edwin Booz, defined the profession when he
established the first management consulting firm in 1914.
Today, with more than 3,300 people in 57 offices around the
world, we bring foresight and knowledge, deep functional
expertise, and a practical approach to building capabilities
and delivering real impact. We work closely with our clients
to create and deliver essential advantage.
For our management magazine strategy+business, visit
www.strategy-business.com.
Visit www.booz.com to learn more about Booz & Company.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Vienna Frankfurt Berlin
Klaus Hölbling Olaf Acker Florian Gröne
Vice President Principal Associate
+43-1-518-22-907 +49-69-97167-453 +49-30-88705-844
klaus.hoelbling@booz.com olaf.acker@booz.com florian.groene@booz.com
Originally published as:
Beyond the Mass Mailing—Next-Generation Campaign Management in an Era of Saturated Markets,
by Klaus Hölbling, Olaf Acker, Florian Gröne, Booz Allen Hamilton, 2008.
3. Beyond the In an average city on an average
day, the average citizen runs into
Consumer-centric processes
and practices, such as more
Mass Mailing some 5,000 marketing messages. sophisticated behavior
The volume is astonishing—and analysis and tighter customer
Next-Generation daunting. With each and every segmentation, present an
consumer taking in five messages opportunity to redefine direct
Campaign Management per minute—from traditional marketing and make sure it
in an Era of Saturated marketing channels as well as becomes an integral part of
Markets from the Internet, iPods, and a new data-driven marketing
mobile phones—it has never experience.
been more difficult for direct
marketers to keep in touch with Realizing that goal will mandate
their existing loyal customers. changes that extend far beyond
Simply put, today’s customers databases and technology.
are harder to get, retain, and win Indeed, it will call for a full-
back. And the task is not getting fledged transformation exercise
any easier: Markets are regularly that will touch management
becoming more competitive, practice, operational skills, and
growth curves are flattening, and business processes, and will
it has never been more important reach into the core of corporate
for businesses to find new ways to IT system landscapes. Therefore,
make the best use of their existing it is nothing less than the
customer portfolio for further next generation of campaign
growth. But in the middle of this management (see Exhibit 1,
critical challenge, the skills and page 2).
science of direct marketing seem
to be trapped in the 20th century. Knowledge—the ability to
understand consumers and
address their particular needs
and interests—really is power.
And, at long last, practices that
capitalize on such knowledge,
including loyalty management,
customer retention, churn
management, cross-selling,
and up-selling, are getting as
much attention as traditional
customer-acquisition programs.
Booz & Company 1
4. Exhibit 1
Campaigning Capability Levels
Current-Generation Campaigning Next-Generation Campaigning Mass-Customized Campaigning
• Customer segmentation • Customer behavior analysis and • Individual customer behavior
• Batch allocation of (potentially) micro-segmentation detection (“segment of 1”)
relevant offers, messages • Dynamic, rule-based matching of • Dynamic, rule-based configuration of
• Channel-specific outbound relevant offers, messages custom offers, messages fit to
campaigns to target groups • Channel-agnostic, personalized individual need
– Direct mail campaigns
– Outbound calls – Classic outbound
– E-mail campaigns – Triggered outbound
– Inbound
Source: Booz & Company
Current-generation campaigns Current-Generation must begin moving toward two-
(CGC) consist of mass- Campaigns: The Way We way solutions that do not just
marketing initiatives to distinct Were address but actually engage the
audience segments. This With the advent of newly consumer.
“push” marketing is basic in empowered consumers who
comparison with the “pull” expect tailored messages Next-Generation Campaigns:
dynamics of next-generation that address their particular A Dialogue with the
campaigns (NGC), in which concerns, classic advertising and Consumer
marketing messages and direct-marketing instruments NGC management offers an
offers are constantly refined, are becoming overly expensive unprecedented opportunity:
depending on the consumer and imprecise in their targeting the chance to build a direct-
touch point, to create the most capabilities. These consumers marketing capability that drives
effective dialogue with the perceive mass-market superior customer lifetime value
target audience. Ultimately—a advertising as being irrelevant, by responding to individual
prospect for direct marketers intrusive, and, in many cases, customer needs in a dynamic way.
who master NGC—mass- annoying.
customized campaigns There is no question that NGC is
(MCC) will spontaneously CGC relies on targeting a major shift in not just methods
incorporate information customer segments with but also mind-set. It moves direct
supplied by consumers during outbound broadcast campaigns, marketing from a push approach,
communication not only for mostly through a single channel in which companies speak to their
message or offer matching, but such as direct mail or outbound audience, to a pull approach,
also for product and service calls. Such broad-stroke which encourages companies
configuration through on-the- approaches may build awareness to speak with consumers. NGC
spot packaging according to and generate new business from steps beyond CGC’s broad-stroke
individual customer needs. a minuscule portion of the target audience targeting, allowing it
segment, but they do not offer to match offers and messages
MCC can be regarded as a relevance to a customer who has to individuals with capabilities
vision that marks the end learned to expect much more such as rule-bound interactions,
point of a long journey. As from marketers. in which customer service
most real-world businesses are agents’ responses are based on
still working hard to come to It does not matter how many events triggered by customer
terms with CGC, NGC should people receive an advertising interactions.
be considered the first leg of message. What counts is
a journey that will lead to whether they are paying This one-to-one capability all
higher relevance, true customer attention and responding. As but shuts down the spam engine
interaction, greater effectiveness, marketers see the impact of that too often compromised
and improved efficiency. traditional media decline, they the integrity of CGC. Offers
2 Booz & Company
5. and messages are no longer Exhibit 2
Capability Requirements for NGC
simply forced onto customers;
message recipients either choose
to participate or opt out if the
Next-Generation
program does not speak to their
Campaigning
specific needs. That means that
the campaigns no longer have
start and end dates. In the most
Business Opportunity
efficient platforms, the consumer
actually becomes the driver; Capability-Building Agenda:
the campaign essentially sits • Mission, strategy and mind-set
change
patiently in the background until
• Skill development
the customer signals interest and
• Organization and process
provides an opening that allows redesign
the marketer to initiate dialogue. • System solution development
Current-Generation
Campaigning
It is an opportunity no
business can afford to ignore:
NGC is applicable in any
Capability Requirements
business-to-consumer service-
marketing context. From Source: Booz & Company
our experience working
with leading organizations,
NGC can improve campaign
effectiveness—as measured by for positive, constructive because the challenges of different
revenue contribution—by up to dialogue—or when a customer industries demand different
20 percent. Furthermore, NGC unknowingly signals a need— solutions, there is no cookie-
moves the marketing mix away for instance, by increasing his cutter standard for NGC.
from expensive channels such as use of a company’s products
direct mail or outbound calls. or services. In the latter The potential return on a NGC
Electronic channels, such as instance, a message or offer investment can be substantial,
e-mail and short message service can be a pleasant surprise both in terms of revenue upside
(SMS) or text messaging, can that reinforces the perception and cost efficiencies. In the
yield additional cost efficiencies of strong customer service, telecommunications industry,
of 15 to 20 percent on an average taking advantage of additional industry leaders have been able to
per-contact cost basis. opportunities to engage with achieve the following:
customers. In both instances,
The immediate benefits of building the customer is empowered to • Reduce churn by up to 20
NGC capabilities include: react immediately to specify percent as a result of early
other needs or even to move detection of churn probability.
• Relevance: Segmentation ahead to purchase. Companies presented the
means that offers and messages likely churner with better
are more targeted and, through • Efficiency: Fewer messages are matched, more compelling
rule-based matching and event communicated to more suitable retention offers.
triggers, more relevant. recipients. The better targeted
traffic translates directly into • Improve the likelihood of new-
• Timing and Opportunities: a more productive, revenue- service offer uptake by more
Because the customer is enhancing interaction instead than 25 percent.
engaged through interaction of just complaint management.
(in contrast to anonymous • Increase ongoing customer
broadcasting), offers and The NGC Business revenue by 10 to 20-plus
messages arrive only when Opportunity percent through targeted
a customer proactively has Every business has a unique processes and tools to stimulate
chosen to communicate with a starting point on its journey usage and through cross-selling
business—an ideal foundation to NGC (see Exhibit 2). And and up-selling campaigns, as
Booz & Company 3
6. well as processes and tools understand how to execute an then compile the findings—to
that stimulate customers to use interactive, analytics-based create a full profile. To enable
more products and services. approach to campaigns. NGC, single-stop customer data
must be available in real time.
• Decrease the volume of In the past, marketers needed With NGC, static data dumps,
outbound call/mailing volume to be creative, driven by batch loads, and complex data
by 20 to 50 percent by using considerations of brand, integration and replication will
more efficient, less expensive message, and emotional soon be statistical relics.
electronic channels and by customer perception. That is
decreasing the number of still the case in implementing The Journey Toward Next-
untargeted messages. NGC, but there’s an additional Generation Campaign
requirement: Marketers also Management
Similarly, NGC has helped retail need to be analytics-driven. They Stepping up to NGC doesn’t mean
banks, brokerage firms, and now need to think in terms of completely abandoning CGC. Nor
airlines realize these results: behavior patterns and structuring is it as simple—as some software
interactions so that a particular purveyors might suggest—as
• Double retention effectiveness action by a customer triggers making some investments in
by targeting potential churners an automatic response by an the technology that drives your
with rule-based “early agent. Campaigns are no longer programs. In fact, it is a multistep
warning” systems. sequential or one-off projects. capability-building process—
Under NGC, direct marketing along with a deliberate audit
• Improve cross- and up-selling becomes a continuous dialogue of a company’s current direct-
conversion rates by as much as with the consumer, not a series of marketing assets—that determines
75 percent. random encounters. which existing program elements
will help companies make the step
• Achieve direct-marketing To that end, NGC requires that from one tier to the next, moving
targets by tailoring a campaigns are planned and all the while to real-time customer
campaign’s messages to groups executed differently from the way interaction (see Exhibit 4, page 6).
as small as 10 percent of they have been in the past. It is a
their traditional advertising different kind of direct marketing Capability Level 1: Make the
audience. that requires a different kind of Most of CGC. Fully developing
direct marketer—someone with CGC capabilities involves
In the telecom, financial services, skills beyond CGC consumer improving campaign planning
travel, tourism, utility, and media marketing (see Exhibit 3). and coordination. It also calls for
services industries, plus a variety more sophisticated segmentation
of other consumer-facing service Another important difference and customer analysis, which
industries, the strength of NGC between CGC and NGC is that should pay for itself by generating
plays out over and over again. the latter relies on underlying an increase in revenue.
However, our experience shows data and channel infrastructure,
that the complexities of NGC which needs to be integrated Even more important than the
capability development call for a into everyday direct-marketing additional revenue, however, is
carefully planned journey. No one programs. NGC dialogue is the learning process that goes
should expect overnight results. channel agnostic; there is no hand in hand with the self-
longer a series of freestanding examination. Understanding
Laying the Foundation for channel silos of different people, and modeling customer
NGC organizations, processes, and behavior—your best prospect’s
Businesses already have the systems. NGC is a conversation needs, buying habits, and
essential building block of with the customer that is churn patterns—is an essential
NGC: customer data. To begin enriched by as many touch points precondition for stepping up to
to leverage this customer equity as possible. more sophisticated campaigns.
for sustained performance This requires an integrated data
impact, however, they need With CGC, customer architecture that consolidates
to embrace the principles information is available, but customer and product
of NGC, which requires a marketer may have to go to information from customer
that management and teams three or four systems—and relationship management
4 Booz & Company
7. Exhibit 3
The Capability-Building Agenda: Key NGC Challenges
NGC Process NGC Organization NGC System Solution
Analytics Make this a default step in the Analytical NGC requires analytical Channel Service channels become sales
and campaign process, not an Skill Base marketing expertise that many Integration channels and vice versa—this
Propensity occasional ad hoc request. organizations do not have requires consistent and
Modeling Every campaign needs to be today; in many cases, seamless channel content
analytically grounded/justified. businesses have one or two management, dialogue
Decide/find out which customer analytics “gurus” they wish they management, uptake manage-
behavior patterns, events, etc., could clone (and so do the ment, and real-time
you can leverage for gurus, because they just can’t cross-channel synchronization.
campaigns. go on vacation); to some In many cases, this means
extent, training marketing getting rid of a zoo of channel-
people can help, but in the end specific silo solutions and
you will simply need to hire putting in a service-oriented,
some “quantitatively minded” channel-agnostic core with an
people, too—it is part of the adaptable API solution.
business case.
Channel Make sure that messages are Resource Manage resource base in terms Campaign Give marketers tools they can
Integration consistent across all channels Manage- of call center capacity, mailing Design handle/that fit their needs:
and and campaigns, and that you ment capacity, electronic channel Work- single-user interface,
Consis- do not annoy customers with across capacity, and—last but not bench intuitive/drag-and-drop
tency unnecessary duplicates. Depart- least—sales and marketing customer selection & campaign
ments personnel capacity; these rule design engine, and a
impose constraints on your comprehensive reporting &
campaign program, and are key analytics capability that
cost drivers that need to be combines a base set of
considered. standard reports with customiz-
able reports. Only if they get
what they need will they stop
bugging you with support and
change requests.
Closing Ensure continuous learning to Motivation Make sure people are aligned Marketing Provide managers with an
the optimize individual campaigns Structures to goals and benefit from Workflow end-to-end view across the
Campaign (e.g., business rules, target and campaign success. Put Work- campaign portfolio: across all
Cycle groups, offer designs), and Account- customer value (in terms of bench stages (plan/design/active/
Loop optimize across campaigns ability bottom-line impact) at the evaluation), channels
(e.g., combine center of everything- (retail/Web/ mail/SMS), and
messages/impact, align measuring and rewarding types (retention/
approaches, avoid conflicts). based on customer adds or cross-selling/loyalty, etc.). The
generated revenue doesn’t give workbench supports monitor-
you bottom-line transparency ing, resource management &
and goal alignment. staffing, decision & approval
processes, and reporting &
analytics.
Campaign Approach and manage Consistent Come up with a customer-data-
Portfolio campaigns as a portfolio and Customer management model that makes
Manage- make sure that messages are View/ consistent customer data
ment integrated/ consistent across Customer available at all system touch
campaigns. Many customers Data points; this requires discipline
need to hear a message several Integration (rigid, standardized data,
times before they are (CDI) taxonomy management), a
convinced. clever data architecture (i.e.,
metadata model), AND buy-in
and support from marketing.
Gover- Redesign/adapt/build standard (Near) Do not rely only on providing
nance business processes and Real-Time data through multiple data
Structures routines for campaign portfolio Data marts or ad hoc batch
and planning, campaign design, Feeds loads—the workload will
Workflow execution, and become unbearable once
post-review/learning, including marketing cranks up the NGC
clear decision rights and engine. Put everything on
approval procedures. regular feed schedules, but be
smart about true real-time
feeds—in many cases, frequent
updates will do.
Source: Booz & Company
Booz & Company 5
8. Exhibit 4
The Journey Toward NGC
Illustrative—actual impact
depends on business and
Effectiveness (Revenue)
Incremental Campaign
industry context
+10%
+5%
+5%
Time
Capability Capability Capability
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Real-Time
Campaign
Inbound Iterative Inbound
Capability Building Blocks
Portfolio
Campaigns Decision Campaigns
Optimization
Making
Campaign Rule-Based
Rule-Based Triggered Triggered
Portfolio Decision
Decisioning Campaigns Campaigns
Plan Making
Customer
Customer Customer Customer
Campaign- Recurring Campaign- Recurring Campaign- Recurring
Segmentation Segmentation Segmentation
Specific Outbound Specific Outbound Specific Outbound
& Behavior & Behavior & Behavior
Plans Analysis Campaigns
Analysis
Plans
Analysis
Campaigns Plans
Analysis
Campaigns
Planning Analytics Execution Planning Analytics Execution Planning Analytics Execution
Source: Booz & Company
(CRM) and enterprise resource automatically detected behavior on the most suitable behavioral
planning (ERP) databases, data pattern triggers (e.g., everything indicators or triggers.
warehouses, billing systems, and from birthdays and address
wherever else it may be hiding. updates to changes in service For example, at Level 1,
usage or spending patterns), companies send out a mass
Many marketers are already NGC enables companies to select mailing that is somewhat more
taking advantage of the insights and match offers and messages targeted than a completely
they have gained from a rich to fit customer-behavior profiles. anonymous program. The
variety of consumer touch points customer feedback—and
and applying that knowledge to This second capability level is the actionable campaigning
classic mass media marketing. largely about taking the insights feedback—is specific to that
Moreover, they are supporting from Level 1, automating them, mailing or that campaign.
that effort with analytics and and linking them to live systems Moving ahead to Level 2,
customer-focused market to create a seamless experience companies can also process
research. But only a few have across integrated channels. In customer-specific insight
extended the exercise to include doing so, it steps away from a provided via three or four
direct marketing. hardwired batch-type approach different channels (including
into a cleaner, automated customer-initiated dialogue)
Capability Level 2: Moving approach that is grounded and a variety of campaigns that
from Push to Pull Campaigning. in specific, predefined rules. apply to a particular customer.
Transferring knowledge of Marketers no longer push a That information, based on
customer behavior from CGC message or offer to a preselected the set of rules defined by the
into NGC is a bold move segment, however granular. They automated approach, provides
that begins by moving from a merely develop the logic and a much wider set of criteria to
push- to a pull-campaigning propensity models that define help create relevant messages
approach. By linking rule which customer should receive to capture attention on a per-
models to inbound channels or what offer or message based customer basis.
6 Booz & Company
9. Capability Level 3: Arriving at There is no tried and true way narrow, department-based
Next-Generation Campaigns. that works from one business to thinking that so thoroughly
The next step toward NGC the next. Some businesses will defined past direct-marketing
adds a real-time, always-on discover that they can reach 60 programs. NGC is more than a
component to campaigning, and percent of their full NGC upside commitment to learning how to
brings a portfolio perspective potential at Capability Level 1; use a new piece of software: It
to the direct-marketing effort. for others, comparable success is a top-to-bottom realignment
As information becomes will require moving all the way of missions and incentives that
available—be it in retail through to Capability Level 3. starts with management and
settings, on the telephone, includes campaign strategists in
or online—it is assimilated For a successful approach, a marketing and sales, business
in a decision engine with number of activities have to analysts, IT delivery experts,
iterative, real-time processing work in concert. These include and frontline staff in stores and
capability. Incoming customer understanding: call centers.
information—for example,
customer preferences mentioned • The full range of campaign Updating Skills and Processes.
in a call center conversation— types you want to be able The program drivers will need
can be incorporated to to run at every step of your to transition their organizations’
determine the best offer or program skills from creative marketing
activity based on constantly to analytically grounded
updated customer-specific • The revenue and cost-efficiency creative marketing—a
propensity ratings. targets you want to reach by nuanced difference, indeed,
every step but a necessary change if the
Individual campaign-level marketing strategists and
improvements are supported • The capabilities you need at campaign managers are to
by self-learning algorithms that every step to ensure that you interact seamlessly with their
allow for the optimization of are able to fully execute the peers in IT, sales, customer
campaigns across the entire campaigns service, and—last but definitely
portfolio—which, of course, not least—their customers.
requires that campaign-planning • The investments in people,
processes are geared toward procedures, and tools the full In addition to aligning
integrated campaign portfolio program will require. decision-making mechanisms,
management with formalized workflows, and tools under a
pipeline planning, resource and A road map for NGC provides cross-departmental campaign
capacity management, and key businesses the discipline to management framework, NGC
performance indicators that get down to the specifics of may well require new people
allow monitoring, analysis, and their capability transformation with fresh knowledge and
optimization. programs (see Exhibit 3, page 5): skills. In our experience, many
businesses approach NGC with
Making NGC Happen • Vision: the adoption of an existing strengths in generalized
NGC is not about a new NGC mission and mind-set; technology and traditional
piece of customer relationship marketing, but sometimes
management software. It is • Skills: a commitment to NGC significant gaps in other critical
not about simply refining skill development areas, such as consumer insight,
direct-marketing prospect lists. demand management, and
It is a full-fledged strategic • Processes: campaign system delivery (see Exhibit 5,
transformation exercise that organization and process page 8).
touches marketing, sales, customer redesign
service operations, and IT. And Building NGC IT Systems.
because it is so comprehensive, • IT: system-solution Similarly, the channel silos that
it demands a systematic development. dictated the IT structure of
transformation approach with a generations of direct-marketing
clear vision, financial targets, and Defining the Vision. The shift efforts will need to disappear.
broad, cross-functional ownership to NGC requires an integrated NGC is about defining business
and buy-in. approach, unhampered by the requirements centered on
Booz & Company 7
10. Exhibit 5
NGC Organizational Pain Points
Campaigning Process
Closed Loop
Customer Campaign
Campaign (Portfolio) Campaign Campaign
Intelligence & Analysis &
Strategy & Planning Design Execution
Analytics Review
Campaigning Organization
Illustrative
CMO CIO
Marketing Customer & Sales Customer Demand Architecture System Infrastructure
Market Insight Service Management Delivery
• Brand • Customer • Acquisition • Service & • Business • System • Design & • Infra-
Manage- Intelligence • Cross-/Up- Support Analysis Architec- Develop- structure
ment • Data Mining Selling • Require- ture ment Operations
• Product • Loyalty ment • Data • System • Mainte-
Manage- Manage- Architec- Manage- nance
ment ment ture ment
• Segment
Manage-
ment
NGC Awareness
NGC Skill
NGC Capacity
Low High
Source: Booz & Company
customers, not channels; about products and services, not on is equally essential. Simply
creating a seamless architecture developing software. Selecting handing a “pile of legacy” to
that integrates all channels and the right technology from a a vendor, or buying the biggest
customer data sources to build a tremendous variety of products and shiniest CRM suite in the
system solution that meets NGC that today’s CRM and enterprise store creates many things, but
functional, performance, and marketing software market has NGC capability is usually not
commercial objectives. to offer is not a trivial task. one of them.
By integrating legacy silos into What works will depend on NGC in a Nutshell
a seamless solution (see Exhibit strategic objectives, business From one organization to the
6), NGC can find a place to requirements, industry-specific next, the only constants of an
thrive within the typically factors, internal legacy, broader NGC transformation are the
complex context of companies’ architecture considerations, complexity of the exercise and
CRM and enterprise application and performance requirements, the number of parties involved
environments. not to mention value. To get (e.g., marketing, customer
it right, companies must have service, and IT). Done right, the
To make this difficult transition, a thorough understanding rewards are substantial.
businesses will need to shop for of the current and future
external solutions. After all, enterprise architecture; a highly Customer-centric direct-
businesses that go after NGC professional sourcing and marketing capability can
should focus on selling their vendor management approach drastically improve customer
8 Booz & Company
11. Exhibit 6
NGC System Vision–From Channel Silos to an Integrated Solution
Legacy Campaign System Map NGC System Vision
Marketer Marketer
UserUser
Silo
Silo SiloInterface A
Front-End Silo UserUser
Silo User Interface A Back-End Front-End Marketing Back-End
Channels/ Interface A Systems Channels/ Systems
Interface A A
Interface Workbench
Touch Points Touch Points
Silo A
Data Abstraction/Enterprise Application Integration
Data Data
Mail/Fax MW Mail/Fax
Warehouse Warehouse
Silo A
Channel Abstraction & Integration
Enterprise Enterprise
Voice Silo B Resource Voice Resource
DM Planning Planning
Customer
Customer
Customer Integrated Customer
Retail Silo C Data- Relationship Retail Campaigning Relationship
IT
IT
base Management Solution Management
Web Silo D Service Web Service
Platforms Platforms
E-Channels Silo E ... E-Channels ...
Source: Booz & Company
relevance, direct-marketing
timing, and operational
efficiency at the same time, and
create new opportunities to
interact with customers. Making
customers happier, boosting
customer value and revenues,
and streamlining costs are
strong arguments to embark
on the journey toward next-
generation campaigning.
Booz & Company 9