Free Operational Benchmark Tool--Direct Marketing, Mail Order, E-commerce News

CHICAGO, – Alterian, the leading global enterprise marketing platform provider, announced today a new self-evaluation tool to help marketers improve the processes used to manage all parts of their marketing operation. Available at <http://www.alterian.com/benchmark> , the Alterian Operational Marketing Benchmark provides marketers with a tailor-made report and recommendations on their marketing management processes.

Operational marketing is the name given to the overall project management process which unites marketers’ creative and execution operations. Comprised of process and financial management across all parties involved, it helps make the marketing department more efficient and effective. Marketers who are looking for improved product development processes, faster brief development and the integration of planning, insight, production and measurement with campaign management, should take the benchmark.

Designed to examine six areas of the marketing process within an organization – strategy, insight, creativity, approval, production and execution – the Alterian Benchmark consists of a short questionnaire. Marketers’ performance is then compared against an overall average and also against their specific industry and a set of recommendations is provided, outlining areas that need to be addressed. Practical advice for each of the six areas is given including what steps should be taken to improve their situation. The overall results of the benchmark will be announced to the industry later in the year.

“Improving efficiency of the marketing process not only delivers better campaign results but also meets increased demands on marketers to be more accountable,” commented David Eldridge, CEO, Alterian. “Our Operational Marketing Benchmark is designed to help identify the maturity of marketers’ process infrastructure and help define best practice.”

It is expected that the benchmark will reveal weaknesses in areas such as approval and production, highlighting the fact that many marketers need to examine how to optimize their campaign management processes, rather than relying on uncoordinated, unstructured and often manual workflows, supported by disparate software applications.

About Alterian
Alterian (LSE: ALN) helps marketers improve results through its enterprise marketing software platform and global partner community of leading marketing service providers, agencies and systems integrators.

Alterian takes marketers on a journey to become analytically-led and to integrate their marketing processes, creating value for both the customer and the company. By combining database, digital, and operational marketing applications on a shared data infrastructure, the Alterian Marketing Services Platform makes it practical and cost effective for marketers to gain insight into their data, and use this to execute an integrated marketing strategy across online and offline channels.

Software alone does not enable better marketing. Alterian has cultivated a global community of over 70 marketing service providers, agencies and systems integrators such as Accenture, Acxiom, Allant Group, Carlson Marketing, Experian, Epsilon, InfoUSA, Merkle, Ogilvy One and Euro RSCG Worldwide, who deliver Alterian software alongside their own value-added services. These solutions empower market leaders like Princess Cruises, General Motors, Zurich, HSBC, Limited Too, Dell, Amnesty International and Vodafone, to drive competitive advantage through improved marketing performance and customer satisfaction.

Alterian was founded in 1997 and trades on the London Stock Exchange (ALN). With offices throughout North America and Europe, Alterian software is used in over 20 countries worldwide.

For more information visit www.alterian.com.