Monday, April 11, 2011

Data Mining: Friend or Foe?

How was everyone's weekend? Did anyone watch the Masters? (Is that crickets I hear?)

Data is something that is important to us here at DMI. It is the backbone to what we do. I read an article today in a recent Time Magazine regarding Data Mining. Data mining is a way for companies to track details about you. "Data is collected in lots of way, such as tracking devices (like cookies) on websites that allow a company to identify you as you travel around the Web and apps you download on your cell that look at your contact list and location." This data allows companies to show the consumer targeted ads based on what they think the consumer's preferences are.

People have mixed reactions to data mining. It seems invasive that someone is spying on every move you make online. Others are okay with it because it allows you to only see ads that are pertinent to you and decreases the number of overall ads. 

This subject got me thinking about targeted direct marketing which is something we specialize in. We are able to find people who are most likely to respond to an organization/company's appeal. This cuts down on costs and allows the organization/company to concentrate their investment on a smaller group of individuals.

Although we don't track people the same way data miners do, we do believe in a similar principle. Targeting campaigns to those who are most likely to respond means that as a consumer, I will only get outreach for causes, products, etc. that most interest me.

What are your thoughts on data mining? What do you think about targeted direct marketing? Contact me for more information!

--L

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