You are on page 1of 6

INDUSTRY OUTLOOK

APRIL 2013

CMOs Lead the


Data Revolution

I N D US TRY O UTLO O K 20 13: CM Os Le ad t h e Data R e volu ti o n

Create a 720-degree plan that will help you turn data into insights to grow
your business, remove inefficiencies and meet your customers expectations.

ata is an information asset that leads to deeper insights into your markets
and customers. In the age of big data, the combination of unstructured and
structured data has multiplied the value of information. Use that data well and

you can grow your business, remove inefficiencies, and meet your customers needs and
expectations, while gaining a competitive advantage. But to extract the maximum value
from your big data riches, you will need a plan.

CMOs Take the Lead with Analytics


The chief marketing officer (CMO) stands out as the single largest successful user of
data, well ahead of nearly all other executive roles, according to a new study dubbed
The Data Directive commissioned by Wipro and conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit.1 Fifty percent of CMOs polled in the survey have seen a clear, positive
difference in using data to improve their understanding and segmentation of customers. And 40 percent of CMOs surveyed saw similar merit in using data to increase sales.
In the report, Philip Clement, global chief marketing officer at AON, called the scope of
how data can improve marketing absolutely huge. Earlier in his career, Clement used
analytics to try to identify the typical characteristics of consumers who might, say, be
interested in muscle cars. Now, its just the opposite. You literally know who the person
is that likes muscle cars, he said.
Customer analytics is not new, but with the emergence of predictive analytics and
big data, companies are finding new ways to deepen customer engagement and hone
their marketing. With data analytics, organizations can make predictions in otherwise
unpredictable markets and with unpredictable consumers.
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit study, CMOs believe that increasing
cross-selling efforts and optimizing the marketing mix are the top areas in which
data has the greatest potential to deliver results. Event contextual offers, or the nextbest offer, will help create true differentiation, as opposed to a traditional predefined,
campaign-based consumer approach or a mass marketing-led consumer approach,
says Nitesh Jain, general manager and global head of the Advanced Analytics Practice
at Wipro Technologies.

1. "The Data Directive: How data is driving corporate strategy and what still lies ahead," April 2013, conducted by
the Economist Intelligence Unit and commissioned by Wipro

2

April 2013

I N D US TRY O UTLO O K 20 13: CM Os Le ad t h e Data R e volu ti o n

We at Wipro believe
that event contextual
offers, or the next-best
offer, will help create
true differentiation, as
opposed to a traditional
predefined, campaignbased consumer approach
or a mass marketing-led
consumer approach.
Nitesh Jain, General
Manager and Global Head
of the Advanced Analytics
Practice, Wipro Technologies

Optimize the Marketing Mix


In todays connected world, the success of a brand often depends on the ability to reach
customers effectively. The optimal marketing mix balances return on investment (ROI),
brand equity and share of voice. Its essential to reach customers at the right time, using
the right channel, and with the right frequency. If you get any of these wrong, you may
erode consumer loyalty instead of increasing it.
The challenge of measuring marketing success is compounded by a complex mix
of brands and products, modern and traditional sales channels, fragmented media
and data-availability issues. Consumer behavior also varies across channels, regions,
cultures, rural and urban demographics and marketing strategies need to adapt to
those differences.
You need a comprehensive plan to meet these challenges and map out a strategy.
The first step is to get a 720-degree view of your customers.

Get a 720-Degree View of Customers


Organizations go to great lengths to understand their customers better from a business
perspective. Big data analytics can be used to provide a more complete picture of your
customers from both a business and a personal point of view, and this level of visibility
helps to better predict purchase habits. This insight enables you to meet your customers needs and expectations more precisely, which leads to greater satisfaction, stronger
loyalty and increased sales.
We believe that one of the newest and most effective ways to apply analytics and
uncover business opportunities is the 720-degree business view. As its name suggests,
a 720-degree review goes well beyond the traditional 360-degree view. Applying a
720-degree view to customers helps you understand how they use your products, which
in turn helps you to discover new opportunities to sell add-on products or services, or
develop new products or services. The insight can also be used to identify a customer
who is on the cusp of switching to a competitive product or service. Discovering this
shift in real time enables you to intervene before its too late.
A 720-degree view includes multiple views internal, external and personal of
your customers. The amount of valuable, usable data outside of your organization is
typically three times greater than what you have inside of your organization today.
Customer data sources and perspectives include:
Internal: Your view of the customer through your own sales data
External: Other companies views, which may be available through third parties
Transactional: Credit card company or bank view via transactions
Digital persona: Social media exposure, blogs, search data

3

April 2013

I N D US TRY O UTLO O K 20 13: CM Os Le ad t h e Data R e volu ti o n

The 720-degree business


view, which includes
internal, external and
personal views of your
customer, is an emerging
and unconquered way
to apply analytics
and uncover business
opportunities.

Analysis of the different views of your customers is the basis of a more accurate model
for predictive analysis and decision making. But to create this view, you must match
your customers digital profiles through unique identifiers across different systems.
Probabilistic matching can be used to match name, address or other personal data.
Unique customer attributes, such as organization name, job function and corporate title,
are usually incorporated in this process. Demographics can also be leveraged to include
information about the market segments to which the customer belongs, as well as the
customers professional affiliations.
Different data stores may contain slightly different user profiles for the same person,
and software can be used to combine the different personas that may exist for a single
customer. Matching algorithms should be embedded into your business processes to
ensure the highest success rates.

The Emerging Role of Chief Data Scientist


One step that is critical to long-term success and accurate predictive analysis based on
big data analytics is to create a data sciences department, led by a Chief Data Scientist
who reports to the CEO.
You need the right mix of effective algorithms tailored to your business and goals,
automation of key processes, data filtering tools to weed out the noise, and smart people
involved at every step to identify and override errant data and conclusions.
With a data sciences department comes the creation of a new IT infrastructure thats
tailored for the needs of big data capture, storage and real-time analytics processing.
Careful planning and value-to-volume calculations should be performed to ensure that
a migration plan is put in place thats attainable and feasible both from a technology
and an economic point of view.

A Road Map for Analytics


Start your journey to analytics with a 90-day plan. Begin with an honest assessment of
your organizations IT abilities, what your company wants to accomplish with analytics,
and how to make changes to get there.
Next, you should identify the tools and skills required to turn your raw data into useful
information. Its important to ensure information quality and structure from the start,
as data is being collected or cultivated. Identify IT changes that are needed up front
so that you can filter the data according to your needs and define the migration paths
needed for clean and valuable data.
You can operate successfully at different levels of data-driven decision making, but
you should adopt a plan for continuous improvement. There are typically five levels of
decision making in which an organization can function. For instance, a Level 1 organization may be exploring analytics with few formal processes in place. In contrast,

4

April 2013

I N D US TRY O UTLO O K 20 13: CM Os Le ad t h e Data R e volu ti o n

Having a chief data


scientist is critical to
long-term success and
accurate predictive
analysis with big data
analytics.

a Level 5 organization has a closed-loop decision process, enabled by data analytics,


which allow it to:
View actions taken at a consumer level
Track responses
Launch new strategies through a well-defined test-and-learn approach
Reach out to its consumers at the moment of impact
At this highest level of maturity, organizations can tap into multiple channels for data,
run appropriate analytics continuously, and reliably predict events before they happen.
Analytics processing is a journey of continuous improvement that requires a supervised learning approach, rather than a destination that is achieved through automation.
Trusted advisors should be involved at each step, and analytics often requires leaps
of faith based on actual facts and data points. The cost of wrong analytics is hard to
measure, but it can be large. Therefore, its important that your data model evolves and
you continue to get business buy-in.
For almost any business, there are four phases to customer analytics processing
and adoption:

Customer prospecting: Using analytics to identify new markets to enter, new
products to develop, and new customers who want what youre selling.

Customer acquisition: Acquiring and applying data to enter new markets, and to
attract and persuade new customers to buy your products or services.

Maturing relationships: Mine your existing customers to identify new opportunities
with them.

Continuously measure: The goal is to never lose a customer relationship, and never
miss opportunities to grow existing relationships and form news ones.
Your customer analytics adoption plan should identify the right partners to work
with at each phase. This includes forming the right technology partnerships, as your
IT organization matures and your architecture migrates. The opportunity for big data
analytics is massive, and with the right plan and the right partners, you will be on the
road to gaining a competitive advantage.

5

April 2013

About Analytics and Information Management Services


Wipro is a leading provider of analytics and information management solutions
enabling customers to derive actionable business insights from data to drive growth,
enhance cost management and strengthen risk management. Wipro works with
customers to develop end-to-end analytics and information strategy, leveraging
process assets and solutions based on analytics, business intelligence, enterprise
performance management, and information management. For more information,
please visit www.wipro.com/aim.

About Wipro technologies


Wipro Technologies, the global IT business of Wipro Limited (NYSE:WIT), is a leading
information technology, consulting and outsourcing company that delivers solutions
to enable its clients do business better. Wipro Technologies delivers winning business
outcomes through its deep industry experience and a 360-degree view of business
through technology helping clients create successful and adaptive businesses.
A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, a practitioners approach to delivering innovation and an organizationwide commitment to
sustainability, Wipro Technologies has 140,000 employees and clients across 54 countries.

For more information, please visit www.wipro.com.

6

Copyright Wipro Technologies 2013

You might also like