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A Bold Look at Customer Intelligence Management and How it is Affecting Modern Marketing

In today’s economy, the largest and most impactful companies – like P&G, Dell, Nestle, Lowe’s, Amazon, Facebook, and Google – spend considerable resources on understanding their customers and their buying habits. And, other companies like Nielsen, Quotient Technology, SPINS, Catalina Marketing, Dunhumby and 84.51 that utilize and sell consumer data for marketing promotions. This new era of Customer Intelligence Management is groundbreaking and allowing new start-ups to emerge that are achieving unicorn status, such as Tresata recently did through the leadership of its CEO and Founder Abhishek Mehta.

Why is Customer Intelligence Important?

Any company is just as strong as its customer’s opinions of them and their products. Social media and online reviews give customers the power to express their opinions and experiences. These opinions are broadcasted to the whole world through different kinds of online portals. This means that the opinions of a single individual could demolish a company’s entire reputation.

Customer intelligence management is the process of obtaining and analyzing information regarding customers (consumers or businesses), and their details and activities. It is used to build deeper and more effective customer relationships and improve decision-making by vendors

A recent survey conducted by Dimensional Research found that 90 percent of individuals who read positive online views said they influenced their purchasing decisions. Likewise, 86 percent said negative reviews deterred them. It is apparent that a company’s brand is so fragile that a single mistake can ruin their entire reputation (i.e. The BP Oil Spill).

When a company’s reputation falls through, so do their investors. Therefore, it is so important that companies also focus on the way they treat their customers. This answers the question: why is Customer Intelligence important?

customer intelligence management, woman selects an item from a dropdown menu from a glass screen
Why is Customer Intelligence Management important? Customers’ perceptions of companies have a major influence on their success.

Using internal and external tools, businesses are able to determine how their customers behave and why they do so. Thus, they can determine who their customers are, the current trends, when and what their customers are buying. It also tells what customers like or dislike about a company’s products. After analyzing and interpreting the data, a company should have a better strategy for marketing their products. It should also help with branding and delivering products that customers want.

In fact, for most companies to be successful, they need to build a brand that symbolizes who they are. Their brand should also represent the products or services they provide. Customers rely on a company’s reputation to determine if they are going to put their trust on them or not and understanding these trends is a key output of customer intelligence management.

Who are the Major Players Leading Innovations in Customer Intelligence Management?

Even though Customer Intelligence Management is a relatively new marketing practice, there are already a few big names in the industry. Companies such as SAS, Tresata, and Neustar Marketing, have established themselves as some of the leading innovators in the industry.

These companies have developed extensive and strategic ways of gathering customer data that other companies either do not know how to gather themselves or lack the software and technology to do so. Among the ways that Tresata and the other two companies go about acquiring data include speech analytics, click tracking, customer relationship management, and customer satisfaction and market research surveys. However, among the top players, Tresata is the only company to reach Unicorn Status. The company has earned a valuation of more than $1 billion.

Tresata and its CEO Abhishek Mehta is Revolutionizing Customer Intelligence Management

Tresata did not achieve Unicorn status by sheer chance. Their development of Optimus, the first and most efficient analytics operating system, has not only established their prestigious name among competitors. It also offers the most useful and productive customer management tool in the industry. The Optimus Operating System is built from four engines which each use a Hadoop platform to organize, store, and record data.  They offer two engines primarily used for customer management and intelligence gathering: the Tree, an entity resolution engine “that creates the only true total view of [customers] at a segment of one”, and the Orion, a relationship discovery engine which allows a business to explore their customer’s patterns, connections, and relationships.

Tresata offers more than customer intelligence management, however. The other two engines, Trek and Pumpd, offer inventory and quality management profiling and a real-time, front office application feeding engine. Tresata believes that all businesses should provide their customers with the best products, relations, and services they can offer; therefore, they offer their customers the world’s best customer intelligence management engine.

Customer intelligence management is a fairly new concept in the business world. However, today, where a company’s success is determined by the relationships they have with their customers, practicing customer intelligence management is becoming increasingly crucial. Tresata is among several businesses that are leading a bold move in the innovation of tools a business can utilize to manage their customer database.

Bold Leader Spotlight: Jack Dorsey, Founder and CEO of Twitter and Square

Listening to CB radios and police scanners were in vogue in the 1970s and 1980s. Trying to decipher the crackling, static-filled, brief communications packaged in CB handles and jargon was half the fun. But wait… doesn’t that sound like an analog version of Twitter today? Indeed, it does. Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter and Square, was one of those kids with a passion for dispatch services and scanners. It’s hard to imagine that he took those same ideas and became a self-made billionaire.  But he did, and he has changed the world.

What’s so unique about Dorsey that propels him from one success to the next? Clearly, his willingness to take risks, seek advice and mentorship from colleagues, as well as challenge the status quo and empower others, are the traits that make him a bold leader.

cartoon of jack dorsey of twitter and square
The bold leadership of Jack Dorsey at Twitter and Square has made an impact not just on business, but culture itself.

An Interesting Mix of Humility, Vision, and Boldness

Bold leadership does not always jump up screaming and shouting. Such has been the case for Dorsey. Growing up in St. Louis, Dorsey had fairly humble beginnings. His father worked for a company making mass spectrometers, and his mother was a homemaker. Dorsey, of course, had a fascination with maps, dispatch services, and schedules. In fact, he even tried to launch his own bicycle courier services as a teen. Though the company never got off the ground, it did give Dorsey an excuse to use open-source programming.

Not long after this, the first glimpse of Dorsey’s leadership style came when he contacted Greg Kidd. Kidd was the owner of Dispatch Management Services in New York. Dorsey had found a glitch in the website’s programming and wanted to let Kidd know about it. Kidd, in turn, offered Dorsey a job, and shortly thereafter, the two started a new company together.

Interestingly enough, the company, DNet, offered same-day delivery for e-commerce purchases. Though the idea was ahead of its time, the vision and willingness to take risks to highlight early bold leadership traits. Dorsey’s bold leadership pursuits to make things better continue in his efforts today, just like they did then.

A Constant Need to Challenge the Status Quo

Bold leaders are at home in the midst of chaos and change. For Dorsey, you have to take things a step further. Dorsey isn’t satisfied unless things are completely turned on their head. Certainly, microblogging on Twitter placed the power of public media in everyone’s hands. Labeled as a disruptor of epic proportions, Dorsey exhibits a classic bold leadership trait of constantly seeking perpetual transformations.

Similarly, Square is disrupting the multi-trillion-dollar mobile payment industry. This vision started when his mentor and co-founder Jim McKelvey was trying to sell his glass blowing art but was unable to take payment and lost a sale. So he and McKelvey decided to focus on the problem and come up with a bold idea to solve it. That idea turned into a series of actions that resulted in bold impact. And, now their solution is responsible for the ubiquity of small credit card readers around the world.

According to McKelvey, “The advice I give and have always personally followed is do something you care about. If you look at money as the motivator, it is really not that powerful. But if you care about a problem, that problem can pull you out of bed at five in the morning every day.” It is clear that Dorsey has taken that advice to heart!

A Culture of Engagement

Indeed, Dorsey’s leadership style utilizes visionary skills and a steadfast demeanor to help navigate change and chaos well. But at the same time, he has consistently fostered cultures of engagement, so others are comfortable with change as well. Dorsey believes in transparency, trust and serendipity.

In terms of transparency and trust, any meeting involving more than two people requires company-wide distribution of the meeting’s minutes. Regarding serendipity, all work environments are open and promote unexpected interactions. Through these types of structures, Dorsey helps support innovation, creativity, and change… one disruptive idea at a time.

“My goal is to make sure that we are building something that outlives me and that endures and that continues to serve generations beyond me. That means I need to build structures that aren’t dependent entirely on me. That means I need to recognize leaders who can succeed me.” – Jack Dorsey at 2017 Dealbook conference

Bold Leadership Through Empowerment and Confidence in Others

Dorsey began as a software programmer. For many programmers, solitude and flying solo might be the norm. However, Dorsey enjoys collaboration, teamwork and spontaneity. In fact, in nearly every endeavor he has pursued, he has done so with partners and a dedicated team. While not every pursuit has been productive, Dorsey acknowledges the importance of having the right people in place. Moreover, because of Dorsey’s leadership style he appreciates the importance of empowering them and their contributions. These facets lie at the heart of bold leadership and innovation.

Though Dorsey is currently CEO of both Twitter and Square, he was ousted as CEO from Twitter in 2008. Upon his return as Twitter’s CEO in 2015, one of his priorities was again assembling the right team. According to Dorsey, it takes time for teams to come together and work effectively. Though delegation is important for efficiency, bold leaders do so with keen discretion and insight. Because of this, identifying developing leaders and succession planning is a priority for Dorsey at any given time.

Jack Dorsey – A Snapshot of Today and Tomorrow

Dorsey’s day begins at 5 am every morning with a three-to-five mile run. He then splits his time between San Francisco-based Square and Twitter, which are across the street from each other. Depending on their needs, Dorsey focuses on the most pressing issues and delegates his time accordingly. Along the way, he keeps looking for that next new thing.

Certainly, Dorsey’s leadership style has led to combined annual earnings for Twitter and Square exceeding $600 million. But it would not be surprising if more change is on the way. As Dorsey has described, he likes the power of “threes”. Whether it’s health, education or even politics, it’s anyone’s guess where his bold leadership might show up next.

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Anti-Aging Startups Leading the Longevity Research Revolution

For centuries, restorative therapies for illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular diseases were the focus of most medical research and big pharma companies. However, interest in personal well-being and longevity is on the rise. Therefore, it is not surprising that a number of large well-known companies latched onto the idea over the past two decades and started producing innovative products.  There success is also leading to a growing number of startups that are focused on disrupting this market.

From the U.S. National Institute of Aging, Felipe Sierra—Director of the Division of Aging Biology—actually points out, “In the last 20 years, this field of research on aging has exploded.” The reason for this is connected to the aging population of the world. Succinctly, experts say that aging—or growing old—is a primary risk factor for major socioeconomic problems and for most human diseases.

In point of fact, researchers predict that by 2050, humans will live longer. They say that life expectancy to be up to 94  for women and up to 86 for men. With a future that predicts a population with an older demographic, longevity research and anti-aging breakthroughs become more imperative than ever.

Big pharmaceuticals such as Novartis and Celgene—as well as the pharmaceutical arm of Johnson & Johnson—are directing their interest to this up-and-coming field and longevity research. On the other hand, anti-aging startups like Calico, Unity Biotechnology, resTORbio and Celularity are gathering force and leading the way toward this longevity research revolution.

The Search for the Fountain of Youth (or the Ultimate Anti-Aging Potion)

For decades, the pharmaceutical industry focused on understanding and discovering drugs that solve specific medical problems. The industry’s general direction was towards the discovery of the next blockbuster drug that can treat cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and nervous system illnesses. Longevity research has not been the priority of established pharmaceutical companies. Despite this general direction, a handful of pharma giants have decided to dip their toes in the study of aging and longevity.

In April 2008, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced the acquisition of Sirtris Pharmaceuticals Inc. to boost the company’s research around the aging process. While GSK had to shut down Sirtris after five years, this setback has not deterred other pharma giants from starting their own longevity research. For instance, Allergan, maker of BOTOX®, is one of the top leaders in developing products that address skin-aging.

a GSK employee looking into a microscope amid Anti-Aging Startups Leading the Longevity Research Revolution
Even pharmaceutical giant, GlaxoSmithKline is delving in the longevity research revolution.

Conversely, Novartis contributed significantly to the longevity research. In December 2014, the company published a study revealing the astonishing effect of rapamycin in the anti-aging process. Volunteers aged 65 and older received multiple doses of rapamycin. Subjects showed significant improvement in their immune response after a certain period of weeks. The study also opened doors for continuing studies in delaying aging-related diseases. Last March 2017, Novartis announced a deal with Pure Tech Health. With Pure Tech Health taking over two-clinical stage programs of Novartis aimed at understanding aging-related disorders.

Other pharmaceutical giants joining the anti-aging quest and longevity research are Celgene and the pharmaceutical segment of Johnson & Johnson. Celgene has been advancing Celularity’s anti-aging studies while Johnson & Johnson has been funding PowerVision—a startup focused on age-related ophthalmological disorders. However, this is just the beginning of the list.

Anti-Aging Startups Amplify Longevity Research

The shift towards preventive medicine has given anti-aging startups a favorable environment in pursuing longevity and aging issues. Anti-aging startups are tackling the aging process through pharmaceuticals, regenerative medicine, caloric restrictions, and dietary supplements.

  • resTORbio is a subsidiary of Pure Tech Health—the company that took over Novartis’ two-clinical stage studies. With a $65 million funding they gathered in November 2017, the company is focused on developing therapeutics for the treatment of aging-related illnesses.
  • Celularity is another major player joining the foray for longevity research. A spinout of Celgene, this startup has been able to secure a total of $290 million in funding since its founding in 2016. The company focuses on creating therapies around autoimmune and degenerative diseases—brought about by aging—, immuno-oncology, and functional regeneration with the use of placental stem cells.
  • Calico is the research and development arm of Google with a mission of understanding the natural forces that control longevity and lifespan. Recently, Calico has unveiled a partnership with pharmaceutical giant, AbbVie, in a collaboration to bring new therapies for age-related diseases and cancer.
  • Unity Biotechnology’s mission is centered on extending the human healthspan by designing drugs that help a person functional and free from diseases related to aging. The company was able to raise more than a total of $300 million in funding—especially with Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel as investors. The company has already moved to push a phase one trial for osteoarthritis.
  • Samumed stands out among the ranks of anti-aging startups. With a $12 billion valuation and total funding of $650 million as of August 2018, this biotech seems to be an investor favorite. The company is focused on WNT Pathway and developing therapeutics addressing degenerative diseases. Samumed currently has eight programs in the pipeline including clinical treatments for androgenetic alopecia (hair loss) and osteoarthritis.
a photo of 10 Anti-Aging Startups Leading the Longevity Research Revolution
Anti-aging startups like Calico, Unity Biotechnology, resTORbio and Celularity are leading the way toward this longevity revolution.
  • Founded in 2014, InSilico Medicine is a deep learning drug discovery company focused on developing products that target senescent cells. The Baltimore-based company advances AI solutions for biomarker development, personalized healthcare, and anti-aging intervention.
  • Prellis Biologics Inc. is one of the anti-aging startups that are delving into regenerative medicine. This biotech company is a human-tissue-and-organ-engineering company. It is able to develop a technology that allowed laser printing of vascularized human tissue and organs. Thus, revolutionizing human tissue engineering. Soon, patients wouldn’t need to wait too long for organ transplants.
  • ZERO is an iPhone app that aims to track fasting time to optimize the body’s energy metabolism. Kevin Rose, a Silicon Valley “prince” or tech icon, invented the app. ZERO was created based on the time-restricted eating patterns known as “intermittent fasting”. The startup recently received $1.2 million in seed funding from investors.
  • With a total of $31.2 million in funding, Elysium Health Inc. is a life sciences company that focuses on cellular dietary supplements. With NAD+ or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide supplements, Elysium Health seeks to prolong people’s lifespans.
  • Elevian’s focus is to treat and prevent age-related diseases by restoring the body’s regenerative capacity. Using GDF11 or “growth differentiation factor 11″—which is a naturally-occurring molecule—, the company is looking at creating GDF11 supplements to reduce diseases related to aging, hasten muscle and bone repair and improve brain function—to name a few.
a woman and a DNA strand side-by-side amid Anti-Aging Startups Leading the Longevity Research Revolution
Companies, leaders, and experts in the field must look at the topic of aging—straight in the eye!

On the Matter of Anti-Aging and the Promise of Longevity and Vitality

It’s true that research and studies around longevity and age-related diseases only emerged recently. Nonetheless, with an aging demographics, society should take steps in helping improve people’s quality of life. Longevity and vitality should come hand-in-hand. We can no longer settle on reactive technologies and methods that merely address age-related diseases. To prepare for this demographic shift, we must take bold, radical measures.

Fortunately, and appropriately, pharmaceutical giants and anti-aging startups are surely taking bold, significant steps to respond to the challenge.

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