The crux of the value statement for ECM lies at the intersection of Detail and Flexibility.
It is interesting to note that just a few years ago detail was seen as a problem or at least a challenge, labeled with buzzwords such as information gridlock. With new and increasingly more powerful approaches to capture and storage, we amass more detail than any human can handle. Imagine, if you are an active user of e-based commerce, detail regarding your identity and buying habits grows exponentially every day. While this has a dark side (not the focus of this post), it also has a potentially positive and powerful side. What can we do with this level of detailed intelligence and insight?
The promise lies in the flexibility that ECM provides, the ability to produce targeted communications and products, cost competitively at unprecedented levels of granularity. The promise of the market of 1 becomes reality.
Pollsters and BI professionals have been taking this approach to targeted communication for years. E.g. "80% of adult males are more likely to purchase product X if it is associated with benefit Y." With the application of ECM software, the level of detail collected and crunched is far greater. E.g. "Men between the ages of 28 – 30, who have a college education, work in finance, subscribe to the New York Times, and drive an Audi are 80% more likely to be interested in X than Y; whereas those that do not subscribe to the New York Times and drive BMWs are 80% more likely to be more interested in Y than X."
The level of detail that can be captured and analyzed is virtually limitless. But the value in this is only realized when it is used to drive highly customized messages and services. This is where the human element is still critical, and where innovation should be focused. The concept is not new. Targeted Google ads and targeted print mail campaigns are both examples. The Bush campaign in the last election used such techniques to tailor campaign speeches and messages down to individual communities and demographic groups. Indeed, I stumbled upon an article in the Washington Post, Unraveling a Voter's DNA, about the use of these same services by the Romney campaign, in creating microtargeters, which inspired this posting.
The challenge that ECM provides is in how much detail can be accumulated, how granularly it can be analyzed, and how quickly and focused the insights can be leveraged to provide compelling messages and calls to action. The benefit derived from these levels of BI is only as great as the flexibility of e-based "publishing" and delivery. Imagine an e-paper based promotional coupon that "republishes" on an ongoing basis based on changes in your lifestyle and geographic location.
This is a subject I will explore in more detail in an upcoming article for AIIM's E-Doc Magazine. Stay tuned.
