Customer Reviews

Strategic Database Marketing: The Masterplan for Starting and Managing a Profitable Customer-Based Marketing Program

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One of the leading authorities in database marketing, and author of The Complete Database Marketer, has released the second edition of Strategic Database Marketing. There is a certain overlap between the two books, but whereas The Complete Database Marketer focusses on both the operational and strategic side of database marketing, this one goes much more in depth into developing database marketing strategies and the many tools you can use to develop your strategy (e.g. RFM, Lifetime Value, Profitability Segmenting, etc). This second edition also features some new material about the opportunities of the Internet, without becoming an e-commerce guide. Arthur has a very down-to-earth way of writing, which makes this both an educational and highly enjoyable work to read. He also illustrates his teachings with many real-life examples, complete with LTV analyses. Finally, there's an extensive glossary and guide on how to keep up with developments in the database marketing field in the back of the book. My only bit of criticism would be the quizes at the end of each chapter, which at times seem to ask about rather trivial facts, while some of the answers in the back of the book seem to be incorrect.

Anyway, if there ever was a bible for database marketing, this is it ! An absolute must-have for database marketers and a fascinating read for marketers in general. Highly recommended !

I have also read 4 books on database marketing and this one is the best. It is practical and clear. I also recommend Hugh's website at www.dbmarketing.com.

For anyone who's looking for a well-written reflection on state-of-the-art direct marketing, this is not the right book. Yet, Arthur Hughes' 'Strategic Database Marketing' still has its merits.

It's a straight-forward introductory text that covers many aspects of direct marketing - mostly from an old-economy point of view. The good thing about this approach is that Hughes explains many procedures in detail that have proved to be useful over many years of practice (as he lets the reader know on many occasions, he has worked in direct marketing for a long time). And while the dull writing-style occasionally makes the content of the book seem dated, most of the ideas discussed in the book still apply. For example, Hughes does a good job explaining lifetime-value calculations, the Recency-Frequency-Monetary approach, regression analysis and other useful tools for anyone involved in direct marketing.

Unfortunately, it's not an enjoyable book. The biggest drawback is that Hughes doesn't come across as an agile intellect. He's good at explaining procedure, but rather clumsy in discussing ideas. Adding to that is his over-reliance on examples taken from his own private life (you'll learn many things about his wife that you never wanted to know) and his strange need to praise the superiority of the American economy whenever possible. If you can look past that, 'Strategic Database Marketing' may well be worth reading for any professional marketeer.

Strategic Database Marketing is one of the most practical business books I have ever read. Arthur Hughes introduces the reader to such key database marketing concepts as Lifetime Value, ROI, RFM Analysis and Profitability. The author illustrates each concept with success stories, costly failures, and last but not least...numerical examples. This allows the reader to get a practical, actionable understanding of those concepts. Furthermore, Arthur Hughes empowers the reader by giving her the opportunity to test her understanding of the material. He does this by offering an "Executive Quiz" at the end of each chapter. To summarize, Strategic Database Marketing has effectively proven how to gain the most from your customer base, while satisfying their wants and needs.

For me, to find this book was like finding a gold mine. I felt quite frustrated when I discovered that lots of people talk about database marketing but I couldn't get the information how to get started. It seems like people working with database marketing aren't eager to share their knowledge. Or they just can't explain in an understandable way how it works or they don't know how (even if they say they do). This book tells you why, how, when, where to succed in database marketing - truly a bible for the believers. It's easy to understand for everyone without knowledge nor experience in database marketing. But it's also a book for the proffessionals in this field. I bet everyone will get helpful hints from the author and it's well invested money to buy it.

Hughes makes it exceedingly clear why customer loyalty and lifetime value are such critical marketing concepts. Hughes helps marketers understand why our hyper-focus on customer acquisition needs to be adjusted to consider retention and upsell as well.

In particular, Hughes explains:

* What Lifetime Value (LTV) is, why it matters, and how to calculate it
* The importance of testing programs and how best to go about it
* Segmenting your customer base by loyalty and LTV
* How tactics should differ for each segment
* Practical tips for creating a successful database marketing campaign.

Case studies and ROI numbers are used throughout the book. A must read for marketing proessionals.

I have only been in the direct/database marketing field for a relatively brief time. However, I have already read many recent and highly acclaimed books on the two subjects. Although I rate these books from fair to excellent, none of them compares to this outstanding guide and reference by Mr. Hughes. The coverage of RFM, Recency, Frequency, and Monetary, and LTV, lifetime value, analyses are undoubtedly the best I have read in any magazine or book, with the exception of Mr. Hughes's other writings.

I would highly recommend this book to any direct/database marketing professional. I can't wait for the next edition.

Wonderful source of information on database marketing concepts, as well as the in's and out's of implementation. Hughes is definitely an authority on the topic, and provides very practical advice on how to implement database marketing within your organization.

I have read 5-8 books in database marketing field. This book is definately the best! Unlike many other books, this one includes many examples and cases which you can easily encounter in the real business world. I really enjoyed reading it.

Strategic Database Marketing is one of the most practical business books I have ever read. Arthur Hughes introduces the reader to such key database marketing concepts as Lifetime Value, ROI, RFM Analysis and Profitability. The author illustrates each concept with success stories, costly failures, and last but not least...numerical examples. This allows the reader to get a practical, actionable understanding of those concepts. Furthermore, Arthur Hughes empowers the reader by giving her the opportunity to test her understanding of the material. He does this by offering an "Executive Quiz" at the end of each chapter. To summarize, Strategic Database Marketing has effectively proven how to gain the most from your customer base, while satisfying their wants and needs.