Meredith: Thanks to Good Marketing Information, Meredith Knows Women

Meredith Company Case Study Analysis Report

2. Can impersonal data points really result in meaningful relationships? Explain. (Zubaidah AbdulRahman # C00281812)Impersonal data points are part of their marketing information system. It helps in building and maintaining meaningful relationships by delivering what readers prefer during a particular publication issuance. The decisions that Merediths research is making are based on those data points. The higher the points are then the higher the scores will be to draft contents that are significant for their readers while maintaining significant relationships with women. Data points are the foundation of Meredith to build customer relationship. Quantitative data: The system consists of analytical and statistical parts based on data gathered through sales records and surveys fed into impersonal data points. It enables deeper knowledge with impersonal targeting strategy and transforming it into successful and effective relationship by Meredith. For example, there are 85 million customers and each having 700 data points and each consisting of information related to customer, their relatives and friends. Meredith is able to generate scores and numbers for possible highest category, interests and preferences.

Segmentation: Meredith truly knows their customer and they are able to target the segment of their potential customers due to information related to demographics, personal facts. Impersonal data points are the backbone for meaningful relationships. For example, due to impersonal data points that show overall basic information related to people in that particular demographic region.

Core categories: Based on what the customer interests are Meredith has developed core categories to meet different needs of customers. For example, the core categories are family, health, home and personal development. Not just one-person will be interested in single category but it would be combination of two or more showing positive impact on customer relationship. These core categories are decided based on impersonal data points so most of the customers prefer to read about family, health, home and personal development enabling good relationship with them.

Information gathering: It is influencing every person based on information gathered. This gathered information allows impersonal data point creation. For example, in a particular season, if most of the customers are buying more of health and beauty products then it is time that health core category comes into play to maintain meaningful relationship.

Compilation of customer information: Merediths research enables to know what their customers are shopping, where and when. The processing of information ensures that personal lives of customers are touched. For example, most of the customers are shopping for furniture then that information is collected to make content for home category.

Customer needs and wants: Meredith is offering what their customer needs and wants and it is ensuring loyalty of women to continue reading their publication for long-term relationship through impersonal data points.

Life events: Customers enjoy custom experience based on specific life event. Impersonal changes are taken into consideration and dozens of life events are studied for content drafting. Accordingly, Meredith is able to compile not just single life event but number of events gathered from impersonal data points. For example, the majority will be analyzed such as is it more of people getting married, enjoying graduation from college, or celebrating promotion and career growth. The progress of customers in their life and reading about those life events will benefit Meredith to maintain significant relationship with their customers.

Promotion and offers: This type of information attracts most of the women. They always look for enjoying shopping and doing some savings as well. When they get promotion and offers for their preferred products and services during a particular season then they become more satisfied to that particular source of information. For example, during back to school time, mother will look for promotions and offers in books, pencils, sharpeners, colors, etc. Meredith delivers promotions and offers during particular time and it builds consequential relationship with their potential customers. In order to affirm the above analysis, I have conducted secondary research whether impersonal data does influence in creating and maintaining meaningful relationships with customers and I have found that it is practical. The concepts presented in this case study are relevant to Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Amics, 2001, states that CRM is about bringing together customer satisfaction, interaction and value-added by means of targeting customers through use of technology and building deeper relationships with them. It applies the similar with Meredith because they are making use of impersonal data points to create and maintain meaningful relationships with women. 5. What recommendations would you make to Merediths executives? (Zubaidah AbdulRahman # C00281812)I would like to recommend that Meredith Corporation should expand and offer custom contents for men and children as well. When it is about family then it is not just about women but men and children as well. Meredith might offer children stuff that women are interested to buy but they might be missing what fathers are buying for children. It is not just that women are shopping always but men also go for shopping like couples or bachelors. It will be an opportunity for Meredith because of similar population rate of males and females in the USA. There are brands dedicated to females and unisex but there are also brands dedicated to males or children. It will be an opportunity for Meredith for ensuring meaningful life for men as well. In chart 1, it shows that 49.2 per cent are males in the USA, which is quite attractive percentage for focusing on publications for men. Such data points related to interests and preferences or wants and needs of men will benefit brands.

Chart 1: Percentage of Females and Males Population in the USA (World Bank, 2013)

ReferencesAmics. (2001). Allowing Customers to Play: Toward Rich CRM. Retrieved 25 March 2014 from http://ritim.cba.uri.edu/working%20papers/Amcis-2001-hedonic-ver-5%5B1%5D.pdf

World Bank. (2013). Population, female (% of total). Retrieved 25 March 2014 from http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL.FE.ZS

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