Summary
Singapore-based telecommunications operator StarHub has access to reams of consumer data and has for some time been developing ways to mine that for new insights. Seven years ago, the company integrated its three CRM and billing systems into one, just so it could make sense of its customer data. And in late 2012 it launched SmartHub, with subsets of anoymised real-time data across all four platforms operated by StarHub. It has also started partnering research institutions, start-ups, local and international companies in order to develop new analytics and display tools, train data scientists and develop cases and business models.

Summary
How a company handles privacy is becoming increasingly important to its wider reputation. This Future Perspectives report from The Futures Company explores how ideas of privacy have changed in different parts of the world and the influence of new technologies on its evolution. Also examined is what the next era of privacy might look like in a world of increasingly smart devices and ever-more expansive forms of data collection. How the public reacts to privacy issues is highly nuanced and dependent on context. Examples of high profile privacy controversies are highlighted to show how different uses of people's data can harm reputations. Recommendations for action include remembering that personal data as "bits of people", recognise context and be among the first companies to be transparent.

Summary
This paper reviews the growing use of personal and family names as a basis for inferring ethnicity, for researching behavioural differences among ethnic groups, and as a basis for market segmentation. It argues that, in the UK, ethnicity is used in market research to a lesser degree than is warranted by the extent of behavioural differences between ethnic groups. The reasons for this are held to include the impact of the inclusion of an ethnicity question on response, the difficulty in generating sufficient numbers of records to support the analysis of categories, most of which represent small proportions of the total population, the propensity of some consumers to belong to multiple categories and difficulties in establishing the relative size of different ethnic segments in base populations. The paper then contrasts the way in which commercial and public-sector organisations currently use ethnicity data, concluding that ethnicity is more often researched to assist compliance with diversity legislation than to deliver genuine insights of the sort that result in improved customer service. Then follows an explanation of the methodology whereby consumers can be classified on the basis of their personal and family names. The UK’s British National Party and a research project resulting in reductions in the inappropriate use of accident and emergency services are used as case studies. The paper then considers how effectively a classification based on names overcomes the problems previously cited as constraining the successful use of ethnicity as a survey demographic. The paper concludes by suggesting the vertical markets in which name-based classification offers organisations the best opportunity for improving their reputation among minority ethnic groups as a result of a better understanding of their particular needs.

Summary
Technology has enabled marketers to personalise communications to customers, affordably and regularly, at every value level. The improved database marketing capability that has resulted from technological development is also becoming increasingly crucial for financial and other companies as regulatory barriers disappear; it becomes of key importance to attract and keep the right customers with the right offers, so that they remain profitable. Profitability per customer must be understood at the individual level, or brands will not know who to target, why and with what. Therefore, metrics which measure the outcomes and cost efficiencies of targeted communications are critical. They are also vital for evaluating and understanding the value of existing company databases during diligence enquiries before and after mergers and acquisitions.

Summary
There is much consumer resistance to junk mail, as well as emails and mobile marketing, but if done properly, direct marketing can be both profitable and engaging. Among the key elements of achieving successful DM are entering into intelligent communication (going beyond targeting to engage in a dialogue with consumers) and using additional channels (adding extra media to a DM campaign). Successful campaigns which exploit detailed understanding of their audience to deliver personalised messaging are rare: managing the data volumes is too expensive, and the perceived effort in putting the system together too great. But it can be accomplished in small steps, with the aid of a marketing services provider. The best industries at combining media to the benefit of DM campaigns are travel and mobile phones, while the worst are typically originate from the government and public sector.

Summary
In this article Andrew Greenyer, director of customer relationship solutions at Group 1 Software, reviews the role of data in business, examines how data availability is becoming more limited, and describes the circumstances in which modelled information has, once again, become critical to CRM success, customer development and new customer acquisition.

Summary
This paper details how online panels require input from many disciplines outside normal market research practice and, most interestingly, involves what, to many, is the antithesis of market research, namely direct marketing. The paper solely refers to the creation and development of the HP online InkJet panel, a pan-European panel that has been in operation for nearly five years.

Summary
This paper discsusses all aspects of database marketing, including objectives, budgeting, CRM, privacy and the use of rental data. As well as providing a guide to planning such a marketing campaign, it also offers some tips on avoiding some common pitfalls.

Summary
This is a practical paper which presents a model for better use of existing customer feedback data, or 'dirty data', within organizations, rather than sole reliance external research and purchased modeled data. The application of these principles will allow companies to streamline external expenditure on research and data while redirecting those funds towards processes that allow for continuous refreshment of customer information to drive insights and build proprietary assets. In this way, this paper looks more at the macro level application of research procedures than it does at specific techniques. The transition from use of traditional 'clean' purchased data to the application of customer-generated 'dirty' data requires new levels of creativity among analysts, market researchers and campaign planners. The structured application of customer feedback processes promises to build shareholder value as proprietary database assets are developed.

Summary
The current availability of on-line direct marketing databases provides numerous opportunities for marketing professionals to improve their marketing strategies and tactics. This paper illustrates these opportunities from the perspective of a company competing in a high-tech business-to-business market. In particular, the paper provides the results of an empirical study that uses a direct marketing database as the foundation for developing a market segmentation approach to identify new prospects and thus providing a mechanism for organizing the company's marketing activities. Lifetime value analysis, a concept that plays a major role in CRM, is used to group prospects into 'good', 'better,' and 'best' categories and thus provide an understanding of the likely responsiveness of these segments. Emphasis is a new marketing program to appeal to these prospective customers.