When I started my career in marketing analytics almost 20 years ago, the biggest challenge was wrangling first- and third-party data, joining them together, and analyzing customer patterns. It was like mining for gold; we wanted to discover something unique about our customers, a nugget that our marketing counterparts could use to craft customized messages or target more effectively. It took a lot of time (this was before the ad- and martech boom), but it was fun spending hours programming and running models to understand customer behaviors.

Well, it was fun for me. My colleagues may not agree.

So when I was asked to take over data management platform coverage, I geeked out in excitement. It was my time to learn more about how data-specific technologies automate the mundane tasks that I had to do years ago, and with new, quickly changing data sources.

Let’s start from the beginning: A data management platform, or DMP, is a technology platform that intakes disparate first-, second-, and third-party data sets, provides normalization and segmentation on that data, and allows a user to push the resulting segmentation into live interactive environments. DMPs make advertising more targeted and more relevant by combining customer data from multiple sources. DMPs can help marketers make better programmatic media buys and improve marketing communications across multiple channels. I believe it’s going to be the foundation for omnichannel advertising, enabling marketers to use these audiences across all types of channels — from digital to television to email. I’m excited to explore the current state of the DMP market and investigate the future of DMPs, especially since data generation and availability is quickly evolving.

Check out my vlog for more information!

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