Meredith Company Case Study Analysis Report

2. Can impersonal data points really result in meaningful relationships? Explain.

(Zubaidah AbdulRahman # C00281812)
Impersonal data points are part of their marketing information sstem! It helps in
building and maintaining meaningful relationships b deli"ering #hat readers prefer during a
parti$ular publi$ation issuan$e! %he de$isions that &eredith's resear$h is making are based on
those data points! %he higher the points are then the higher the s$ores #ill be to draft $ontents
that are signifi$ant for their readers #hile maintaining signifi$ant relationships #ith #omen!
(ata points are the foundation of &eredith to build $ustomer relationship!
Quantitative data) %he sstem $onsists of analti$al and statisti$al parts based on data
gathered through sales re$ords and sur"es fed into impersonal data points! It enables
deeper kno#ledge #ith impersonal targeting strateg and transforming it into su$$essful
and effe$ti"e relationship b &eredith! *or e+ample, there are 8- million $ustomers and
ea$h ha"ing .00 data points and ea$h $onsisting of information related to $ustomer, their
relati"es and friends! &eredith is able to generate s$ores and numbers for possible highest
$ategor, interests and preferen$es!
Segmentation) &eredith trul kno#s their $ustomer and the are able to target the
segment of their potential $ustomers due to information related to demographi$s, personal
fa$ts! Impersonal data points are the ba$kbone for meaningful relationships! *or e+ample,
due to impersonal data points that sho# o"erall basi$ information related to people in that
parti$ular demographi$ region!
Core categories) /ased on #hat the $ustomer interests are &eredith has de"eloped $ore
$ategories to meet different needs of $ustomers! *or e+ample, the $ore $ategories are
famil, health, home and personal de"elopment! 0ot 1ust one2person #ill be interested in
single $ategor but it #ould be $ombination of t#o or more sho#ing positi"e impa$t on
$ustomer relationship! %hese $ore $ategories are de$ided based on impersonal data points
so most of the $ustomers prefer to read about famil, health, home and personal
de"elopment enabling good relationship #ith them!
Information gathering) It is influen$ing e"er person based on information gathered!
%his gathered information allo#s impersonal data point $reation! *or e+ample, in a
parti$ular season, if most of the $ustomers are buing more of health and beaut produ$ts
then it is time that health $ore $ategor $omes into pla to maintain meaningful
relationship!
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Meredith Company Case Study Analysis Report
Compilation of customer information) &eredith's resear$h enables to kno# #hat their
$ustomers are shopping, #here and #hen! %he pro$essing of information ensures that
personal li"es of $ustomers are tou$hed! *or e+ample, most of the $ustomers are shopping
for furniture then that information is $olle$ted to make $ontent for home $ategor!
Customer needs and wants) &eredith is offering #hat their $ustomer needs and #ants
and it is ensuring loalt of #omen to $ontinue reading their publi$ation for long2term
relationship through impersonal data points!
Life events) Customers en1o $ustom e+perien$e based on spe$ifi$ life e"ent! Impersonal
$hanges are taken into $onsideration and do3ens of life e"ents are studied for $ontent
drafting! A$$ordingl, &eredith is able to $ompile not 1ust single life e"ent but number of
e"ents gathered from impersonal data points! *or e+ample, the ma1orit #ill be anal3ed
su$h as is it more of people getting married, en1oing graduation from $ollege, or
$elebrating promotion and $areer gro#th! %he progress of $ustomers in their life and
reading about those life e"ents #ill benefit &eredith to maintain signifi$ant relationship
#ith their $ustomers!
romotion and offers) %his tpe of information attra$ts most of the #omen! %he al#as
look for en1oing shopping and doing some sa"ings as #ell! 4hen the get promotion
and offers for their preferred produ$ts and ser"i$es during a parti$ular season then the
be$ome more satisfied to that parti$ular sour$e of information! *or e+ample, during ba$k
to s$hool time, mother #ill look for promotions and offers in books, pen$ils, sharpeners,
$olors, et$! &eredith deli"ers promotions and offers during parti$ular time and it builds
$onse5uential relationship #ith their potential $ustomers!
In order to affirm the abo"e analsis, I ha"e $ondu$ted se$ondar resear$h #hether
impersonal data does influen$e in $reating and maintaining meaningful relationships #ith
$ustomers and I ha"e found that it is pra$ti$al! %he $on$epts presented in this $ase stud are
rele"ant to Customer Relationship &anagement (CR&)! Ami$s, 2001, states that 6CR& is
about bringing together $ustomer satisfa$tion, intera$tion and "alue2added b means of
targeting $ustomers through use of te$hnolog and building deeper relationships #ith them7!
It applies the similar #ith &eredith be$ause the are making use of impersonal data points to
$reate and maintain meaningful relationships #ith #omen!
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Meredith Company Case Study Analysis Report
!. "hat recommendations would you ma#e to $eredith%s executives?
(Zubaidah AbdulRahman # C00281812)
I #ould like to re$ommend that &eredith Corporation should e+pand and offer
$ustom $ontents for men and $hildren as #ell! 4hen it is about famil then it is not 1ust about
#omen but men and $hildren as #ell! &eredith might offer $hildren stuff that #omen are
interested to bu but the might be missing #hat father's are buing for $hildren! It is not 1ust
that #omen are shopping al#as but men also go for shopping like $ouples or ba$helors! It
#ill be an opportunit for &eredith be$ause of similar population rate of males and females
in the 89A! %here are brands dedi$ated to females and unise+ but there are also brands
dedi$ated to males or $hildren!
It #ill be an opportunit for &eredith for ensuring meaningful life for men as #ell! In
$hart 1, it sho#s that :;!2 per $ent are males in the 89A, #hi$h is 5uite attra$ti"e per$entage
for fo$using on publi$ations for men! 9u$h data points related to interests and preferen$es or
#ants and needs of men #ill benefit brands!
Chart 1) <er$entage of *emales and &ales <opulation in the 89A (4orld /ank, 201=)
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Meredith Company Case Study Analysis Report
&eferences
Ami$s! (2001)! Allo#ing Customers to <la) %o#ard Ri$h CR&! Retrie"ed 2- &ar$h 201:
from http)>>ritim!$ba!uri!edu>#orking?20papers>Am$is220012hedoni$2"er2
-?-/1?-(!pdf
4orld /ank! (201=)! <opulation, female (? of total)! Retrie"ed 2- &ar$h 201: from
http)>>data!#orldbank!org>indi$ator>9<!<@<!%@%A!*B!Z9
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