COMMENT: Use measurement to move beyond just pure selling in Asia

Beyond CRM, the most important trend we've seen in the last five years is the role of campaign measurability and metrics - to more effectively drive results and intelligence. And while it's true that most communication is designed to do so much more than just close a sale, so much of what we are asked to do in the current economic environment is driven to generate a response.

Relationship marketers have been brought up on the metrics of response rates and costs per lead. Few do it as well as Dell, for example, which tracks order rates by publication regionally, then re-negotiates media buys by testing different weekdays, locations in the title, etc. That's easier when you are the manufacturer, retailer and supply chain. For the rest of us, it's about data and collecting it at the right time.

Somebody once said, "rubbish in, rubbish out", and this is especially true here. It requires extensive front- end programme planning and rigorous back-end operational development. And it requires a far closer integration between agency and client than is the norm in Asia. In the US, for example, we manage Avis' 17 million customers and will think nothing of spending a week training Compaq's call centres. Are Asian clients ready for this kind of assistance? Can agencies deliver it? Here are a few points on data:

- Only collect what you will ever need: How far do you go on collection?

Brand preference, income level (who is that honest?), star sign (yes , it has been asked with birth date). Consumers won't persevere with data completion just for fun. Work out what you will use, and leave it at that.

- Understand the role of data: Not all communication activities require a sale - some may be for hand-raising only, others for awareness. Understanding the takeout affects what is put in. And it also affects measurement. Recently, we ran a campaign to make regular users consume more frequently - everything was geared to tracking and measuring this.

- How good looking is your backend? This is where too many communication campaigns fail. You initiate a call for action, and the call centre (usually outsourced, or dangerously, a small room in the firm) is either unaware, uninterested or both in the campaign. Can the centre handle the volume of calls or route calls to those with the specific skills to convert? For Compaq, we've instituted a system that captures those that didn't convert, for re-marketing exercises.

- When will I see you again? One of the biggest challenges of managing data is when, how, where and through what to re-communicate. Creating an ongoing relationship requires great, relevant content and a willingness on both sides to build a relationship.

Measuring what we do elevates us beyond the world of art to the art of selling - something that if we don't actually enjoy doing, then we're probably in the wrong business. Easy to say, harder to do.