MarketIntell

The marketing industry can't live without data, the "continuous marketing intelligence" stream we have all come to depend upon to do our jobs. Everyone participates in the production of information culture, everytime we use a credit card, access the internet, move (and tell people about it), make a phone call... almost any public and many private actions triggers a database somewhere to record it.

Then it must be shared. Data yearns to be shared. Thousands of databases routinely connect and share data. We build API's into our data products to make that easier. Quite a few companies make more money from selling their customer lists and data about customers than they do from marketing their own products or services.

At the same time, individuals are terrorized by identity theft. So easy to do, so damaging, and so difficult to prosecute that people's lives can be quickly ruined by just one thief armed with a little of their data.

Bank of America. T-Mobile. Axciom. Lexis-Nexis. ChoicePoint. When computer security at each of these billion-dollar organizations was breached, customer data was exposed. A lot of customer data. According to The Washington Post, at least 50 million customer accounts have been exposed to the possibility of identity fraud since the beginning of this year.

But individuals aren't protected against the repercussions of these massive heists. Nor is it likely to happen soon. Why? Because without the easy, unrestricted flow of data the marketing industry, and business as we know it, would just stop.

For almost 20 years I've worked in, and studied, information businesses. I am simultaneously fascinated and repelled by the inner workings of the data and research industries. Data flow is the core of the so-called "information economy" with all its rewards and risks. This journal is intended to be the spot where I can share my informal thoughts, observations, musings, and speculations and hear from others with similar interests. Welcome to "MarketIntel!"

posted by Cheryl @ 7:42 AM