Acxiom Expands International Footprint with Launch of AbiliTec Identity Resolution and InfoBase Consumer Insights in Mexico

Last month, Acxiom expanded their global footprint with the launch of AbiliTec Identity Resolution and InfoBase Consumer Insights in Mexico. The new launch would enable Acxiom clients and partners to improve reach and engagement among the rapidly growing LATAM audiences. The expansion involved collaboration with 4INFO to meet the increased global demands for safe and ethical people-based marketing solutions. Acxiom will tap 4INFO’s proprietary, patented device matching technology to deterministically map people to their devices and data for audience activation in Mexico.

By understanding and marketing to real people, not devices or channels, marketers can meet this bar and win the battle for consumer attention and loyalty. – Marc Fanelli, Acxiom

InfoBase^® Consumer Database

InfoBase congregates a variety of local market data sources to create the richest third-party data asset available, offering unparalleled demographic information, geo-statistical data and digital behavioral segments.

AbiliTEc^® Identity Resolution

AbiliTEc^® Identity Resolution is a solution to accurately identify people across the region using an identity graph that brings together multiple local market sources to create the most comprehensive consumer recognition asset available.

Acxiom Covers ~65 percent of the World’s Online Population for People-Based Marketing

At the time of this announcement, we spoke to Marc Fanelli, Group Vice President, Audience Solutions at Acxiom to understand how the standards of people-based marketing solutions are evolving with modern DMP capabilities.

“Acxiom’s Capability to Curate and Distribute Data at Scale is Unique”

Marc said, “Acxiom’s Global Data and Analytics business is responsible for the vetting, sourcing, curation, and distribution of marketing into the digital ecosystem across the world. I joined Acxiom after eight years at Merkle (now part of Dentsu) where I ran the data practice.”

Marc mentioned how at the time of joining Acxiom, the company would curate and distribute data at scale – a truly unique capability in the industry. He said, “When I joined, we curated and distributed data in just eight countries. However, the big data infrastructure necessary for curation at scale, and the ethical standards were second to none in data use, as well as the world’s largest digital distribution network were key ingredients that I believed would allow us to expand our footprint significantly. Today, we cover 62 countries (and are still expanding), representing inventory on over 2.5 billion consumers – or about 65 percent of the world’s online population – a truly unique position in terms of offering people-based marketing solutions to the world’s best marketers.”

Standards of People-Based Marketing Strategies Evolving With DMPs

Marc acknowledged that the digital and data explosion has continued with new data created every day across multiple channels. He further added how data continues to be fragmented with disconnected, known and anonymous data spread across the MarTech and AdTech platforms and borders.

Marc said, “DMPs have continued to evolve enabling organizations to learn a tremendous amount about its customers – what they like, the things they do, the behaviors they exhibit and what’s important to them. And, the bar has never been higher for companies to take all the information and use it for creating better customer experiences. Identity resolution is vital in recognizing your customers, anticipating their needs and creating real value for them.”

Adhere to Highest Compliance to Data Privacy Standards and Still Deliver Seamless Customer Experience and Viewability

With data governance policies getting stricter and tighter, we wanted to know how Acxiom intends to solve the problem for marketers in delivering seamless customer experiences without compromising on data privacy guidelines.

“There should be a careful balance of customer experience with risk management using operational data governance.

Marketers should work closely with their company’s chief privacy officer to ensure a balance between risk and customer. The two parts of the equation must work together in close partnership,” Marc said.

Marc said, “Privacy programs should be designed to ensure brand credibility and trustworthiness while enabling innovation, acceleration and marketplace for the company and its customers.”

He explained why and how marketers need to be aware of data privacy standards, especially in a global marketplace.

Marc said, “Marketers and their chief privacy officers can create objectives that lower the risk profile of data activations, data use and data-driven solutions – for example, risks of data incidents, breaches, litigation, and attrition due to reputational damage – and to optimize privacy enhancements while minimizing adverse effects on commercial viability.”

It is important to note that these objectives are achieved by remaining highly informed and actively engaged in all data related functions from ideation through development and production.

Acxiom to Deliver Most Comprehensive Consumer Recognition Asset for  Mexican market

By expanding to Mexico, Acxiom would enable companies to reach 78 million unique individuals, covering 84 per cent of all adults.

Acxiom clients and partners can now access rich third-party, ethically sourced and regionally compliant consumer insights across Mexico’s online and offline ecosystems to better market their products and services and to manage customer engagement strategies across today’s vast and borderless digital landscape.

When brands better understand consumers’ needs and preferences, consumers are able to engage in more meaningful ways with the brands they love.

Leverage Identity Resolution to create Single Customer View (SCV)

We further probed with Marc on how Acxiom helps marketers to create SCV using Identity Resolution.

“People change jobs, homes, and names, resulting in millions of changes in consumer information each year. These dynamic customer data changes mean that at least 2 percent of an organization’s customer records become irrelevant each month, resulting in nearly 25 percent of the records, they rely on to recognize customers, changing each year. The complexity of managing this change and the fragmented interactions with a consumer can be daunting for marketers,” said Marc.

Explaining how consumers reach out to brands in an increasing number of ways, Marc said, “Whether it’s visiting a brick and mortar, shopping online or using a mobile app, consumers expect a personalized experience. Bad data leads to a bad experience across touch points which can frustrate and alienate loyal customers.”

Identity Resolution is Key to Omnichannel Marketing

Marc told, “Omnichannel marketing is only achieved if a consumer is accurately recognized, regardless of channel. Identity resolution brings together disparate representations of consumer data, enabling a single, current and accurate view of each consumer across all channels. It allows marketers to instantly recognize customers, which improves customer service at the point of contact and reduces the possibility of error through improved identity verification.

He showed us how marketers should use identity resolution for the following applications.

– Create a single view of the consumer

– Customer retention, cross-selling and up-selling

– Point-of-sale marketing campaigns

– Recognizing consumers across online and offline channels

– People-based omnichannel marketing

– Enterprise data warehouse, customer relationship management, and master data management

AbiliTec Allows Marketers to Create Better CX

Acxiom’s AbiliTec for Mexico provides clients a new solution that helps accurately identify people across the region using an identity graph that brings together multiple local market sources to create the richest, most comprehensive consumer recognition asset available, providing insights that allow marketers to create better customer experiences.

The Mexican Market is Another Step in Access to the Global Audience

With data ethically obtained and compliant with local and national laws, Acxiom’s broad identity and consumer insight capabilities offer the ability to cleanse, correct, identify and complete customer data, making it ready for activation across channels. Identity is foundational to omnichannel engagement with people, and this enhanced offering provides concrete benefits for any company doing business in Mexico and is the first step to better connecting with their global audience.

Partnership with 4INFO Allows Acxiom to Accurately Match Target Audience

Rick Erwin, president of Acxiom’s Audience Solutions Division, said, “With ad spend in Mexico projected to grow to $6.17 billion by 2020, the AbiliTec and InfoBase Mexico launch and the expanded partnership with 4INFO provide global marketers unmatched access to this rapidly expanding market. As the digital ecosystem crosses borders, more of Acxiom’s clients and partners need data and identity solutions to drive their global people-based marketing strategies, and this launch and collaboration is a strong example of Acxiom’s commitment to making that so much easier.”

Tim Jenkins, CEO of 4INFO, said, “By collaborating with Acxiom, we can bring our unique technology into the international market and deterministically map people to their devices and households for a wider audience reach. The expansion of our partnership into Mexico will help global marketers execute even more successful campaigns. In digitally mapping consumers to their mobile and other digital devices for the first time in this lucrative, mobile-savvy region, we combine online and offline data and utilize privacy-compliant linking.”

Acxiom’s Clients get A True Borderless Experience

Acxiom’s best-in-class ethical data use methodology is designed to ensure adherence to data protection rules as well as cross-border requirements while delivering a true borderless experience to clients.

By providing partners with important background on data privacy laws and regulations as well as cultural acceptance of targeted marketing, Acxiom helps clients navigate the depth and breadth of data that can be used in Mexico. It also provides an easy, centralized approach for curation, identity management and activation of data.