Blog

How can independent dealers compete with Big Box analytics?

by Dennis Dow

We’ve all heard the story of David and Goliath. Some of us have defined careers by the notion that courage and perseverance can allow us to perform feats that appear beyond our reach. The story teaches us that, for lack of a better term, all we need is a purpose, finely-honed expertise, and the courage to act and we can compete with far bigger entities on their playing field.

You don’t just need the right data to sell more product, you need it in the right platform to be successful.

by Dennis Dow

To quote our VP of engineering, platforms are the car, algorithms are the engine, and data is the fuel. I would expand this analogy a bit to say the user is the passenger and insights to support selling more product is the destination. 

Are you using weather events in predictive models?

by Dmitry Bochkov

I like the business predictive models that include climate data. Do not get me wrong though. I am not a fan of political arguments regarding the global climate change predictions, either based on extrapolation of recent historical weather facts or an analysis of some cyclical geologically derived climate variations.

For Independence day, Black Ink’s ‘Ode to Independents’

by Dennis Dow

Independence day brings family, friends, and neighbors together for some fireworks, grilling, and celebration of our nation’s birthday. With the whole town donning red, white, and blue, we observe the notion of independence as the virtue of those who are bold enough to embark upon their own new path, one where they are free to make their own choices.

MPML: Interview with Laura Patterson

by Jeff Winsper

I recently had the chance to speak with Laura Patterson of VisionEdge Marketing, a pioneer for Marketing Performance Management (MPM). I think the first time I heard of her company was from the Forrester Group referencing her annual MPM benchmark survey, now nearly in its 15th year. 

Companies full of data are still leaving the consumer feeling empty

by Jeff Winsper

Raise your hand if you feel empowered when being forced to watch a 15 second commercial before getting content you need. Do you like hearing from your bedside table unsolicited texts from airlines and banks at 4AM? 

C-Level 2016 Marketing Study: Budget Shift

by Jeff Winsper

Each industry had varying degrees of how they would prefer to shift their budget versus how it is currently allocated.

C-Level 2016 Marketing Study: Budgets

Of the total $430M allocated for advanced marketing analytics, 24% of the responders represent $220M, and 76% represent $210M.

C-Level 2016 Marketing Study: Culture

by Jeff Winsper

Organizations with a customer-driven culture spend a greater % of their budget on marketing analytics. Financial-driven organizations spend more money on an average annual basis.

C-Level 2016 Marketing Study: Staffing

by Jeff Winsper

Approximately 40% of marketers will increase their in-house marketing analytics staff in 2016.