Firms Introduce On/Off-Line ROI Measurement

Two marketing technology firms — Veridiem Inc. and Adinfonitum — on Monday separately introduced products that would let marketers see the results of online and offline efforts, all in one place.

Both companies want to solve the same problem, allowing marketers running integrated campaigns to compare and contrast how the online and offline components of a single campaign are doing. As marketing efforts become more integrated — focusing on a message, rather than a medium for sending it — ways to look at the big picture are likely to be mission critical.

“Marketers are increasingly embattled as they seek to respond to proliferating promotion alternatives, increasingly sophisticated customers who demand relevance, and senior management who expect measurable results,” said Harry Watkins, senior analyst with Aberdeen Group.

Veridiem’s MPi product, which it hosts and lets users access through a browser, gathers information from a variety of systems — Web servers, e-commerce platforms, call center systems, and transaction applications. It then links that data with the marketing event most likely to have triggered that action.

The system is designed to allow marketers to tweak campaigns already deployed, and look at how marketing in one medium might impact a response to a message delivered in another.

Adinfonitum, formerly the Direct Services direct mail company, also says it’s offering a system that measures results of direct mail, email, and banner ad campaigns.

The Web-based system allows marketers to see the results of campaign elements, and tweak them with new creative or change placements. Clients include Alaska Airlines, Airborne Express, Carnival Cruise Lines, and Eddie Bauer.