Quality data is vital

Findings published in your article about direct marketing (MW19 November) will be welcomed by the direct marketing community. But to engage consumers and gain strong ongoing ROI, marketers need to use accurate customer data and insight to underpin campaigns. Research we conducted in January found that only 45% of UK firms have a documented data quality strategy, suggesting that many marketers are still having to fight to get data quality taken seriously by the business.

The good news is that this year we have seen a noticeable increase in data governance initiatives, bringing together the data needs across the organisation. While these initiatives mean that marketing doesn’t always have to be in the driving seat, marketers should still make sure they have significant input. Efforts will be richly rewarded; the opportunity to develop a far more engaging communications strategy that reaches the right customer at the right time and takes in to account their needs and preferences.

While data quality might not be the only way to improve direct marketing, it is definitely a good starting point for creating a successful campaign.

Stuart Johnston, UK managing director, Experian QAS