Getting started with Adobe Audience Manager in just two days

A group of Xplore Group’s customers took part in a two-day bootcamp about Data Management Platforms. The event was organized by Humix and iDA Mediafoundry, and led by Wouter Van Geluwe, Principal Solutions Consultant at Adobe and a true Adobe Audience Manager expert.

A Data Management Platform (DMP) is a tool that is used to capture and combine user data from multiple sources and to target those users with personalized content through a range of online marketing platforms. User data can be collected from different types of sources: first party (collected directly by the organization), second party (collected by a partner) or third party (usually purchased, aggregated data from other sources).

 

A DMP uses a series of logical and organizational rules to combine and unify all data to individual user profiles. Based on these user profiles, the tool allows to build segments based on specific characteristics that can then be targeted through a series of platforms. The goal of a DMP is to enable advanced user personalization and build experiences for the customers. By listening to its customers, a company can use a DMP to translate its big data into a better user experience.

Strategy and governance

Wouter Van Geluwe showed how easy it is do define segments in Adobe Audience Manager (AMM) and put them to use in a marketing channel. However, the technical implementation is the easy part of working with a DMP. The hardest part, and the most time-consuming, consists of strategic work and governance. Depending on the organization, it can take months or even years before everything is up and running – and creating value.

 

Wouter explained why a successful DMP team is based on four roles: a digital marketeer (setting up cases), a digital or customer analyst (creating insights), a technologist (to put the technical implementation in place), and a conversion optimization expert (mainly working on programmatic advertising and conversion rate optimization). There’s a fifth role for the media agency, in case there’s one involved.

Common sense

The second day of the bootcamp focused on real-world business cases. It was quite revealing to see how some of these cases generated great results using very simple segmentation tactics based on common sense. Other cases provided insight into how data partnerships can be mutually beneficial for all partners involved. The use cases demonstrated how simple user exclusion and other smart targeting tactics, as well as the exchange of data between partners leads to great improvements in click-through rates, conversion rates, and budget savings.

 

A lot of the benefits of a DMP are relatively easy to achieve by using the right tools. The biggest challenges consist of getting the organization and its employees aligned and enabling collaboration among dedicated teams. The bootcamp provided an excellent overview of what AAM can (or cannot) do for a business.

Humix is Xplore Group’s competence center for the optimization & personalization of websites and software applications based on user behavior and data.

iDA Mediafoundry is Xplore Group’s competence center for the design, implementation, and integration of business solutions built on Adobe technologies.

Author: Humix & IDA MediaFoundry, 19 sept 2018