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Database marketing is now about the customer. Who woulda thunk it?

Merkle, a long-standing and highly reputable database marketing firm, has repositioned themselves in the industry. Following their release of Integrated Customer Marketing, Merkle has now adopted a new brand, “Customer Relationship Marketing Agency.”

There’s a lot of jargon associated with this switch. For example, look to the explanation in MediaPostNews “Marketing Daily”:

Integrated Customer Marketing helps companies become more customer-centric by informing the total customer experience , from strategic life-cycle management and marketing mix optimization to comprehensive program development and the optimization of individual campaigns.

What does that mean? I work in advertising and find that confusing. Talk about spin. Well, here’s my take: The idea, from where I’m standing, seems to be that Merkle is transitioning from merely being a resource of information for their clientele to a full-service consultation firm. They formerly offered “information.” Now, they offer “consultation.”

This change was long coming for the company; they have now joined the movement of agencies offering “full-service” solutions. With the state of our spending, that’s what companies are looking for: the one-stop shop or more bang for their buck.

Rena Prizant is a Copywriter, Ad Creative, SEO Gal, and mammal in the Chicago area. Visit www.RenaPrizant.com or @WriteLeft.