Tesco plans to develop 'products and games' to give Clubcard-holders 'simple, useful, fun' access to their own data, to help them 'plan and achieve their goals'. The retailer's aim is to build personalised access to customers' own 'data capability plans'.
The issue for Tesco has to be the impact of this new access and awareness on consumers, negative and positive. Latest legislation gives consumers access to their personal data, but this is inertia territory, with relatively few bothering to check how much a retailer knows about them.
This is a long way from deliberately turning a spotlight on the extent of that data, especially if it hits some of the main stream media on a 'slow news' day....
Making positive use of the insight via permission marketing seems more productive.
Pragmatic use of personal data
Many years ago, when data-storage costs were prohibitive, direct data-based marketing was focused on specialist B2B targets like doctors. At the time we happened on ‘lifetime value’ by accident, in that medical students were picked up on Day One at medical school, and left the database via the graveyard. Regular visits by medical ‘reps’ coupled with script-tracking gradually enriched the database over time.
Using the insight
This data-source was used as a basis for targeted mail-shots, personalising the message as much as we dared at the time. In order to optimise the persuasive effect, we focused on medical needs both functional and emotional, selected appropriate features of our brands and connected them via a benefit statement. Rep feedback and script-output then validated the process….
This meant making very selective use of the data on record with the sole objective of meeting doctor-needs.
We seldom felt the need, or dared to let the doctor know that we knew he had red hair…
Tesco might benefit from imposing the same self-restraint and emphasis on their use of Clubcard data…
