The Andersen Consulting arm of Arthur Andersen & Co has put together an exhibition to demonstrate the benefits of Information Technology in marketing and sales. The exhibition revolves around the company’s main client offering – a IBM DB2 database into which details of each client’s customer habits are fed. These details include buying habits, preferred methods of payment and the likelihood of wanting to buy. The firm has also put together a mixed package of software and hardware support, involving companies such as Hewlett-Packard Co, Bull HN and IBM, enabling businesses to download data from the mainframe to the personal computer and adapt it to their particular needs. And if it sounds as if Big Brother is watching you – he is, but with the specific aim of making sure you don’t slip through the marketing net. Anderson Consulting believes that such databases will assist companies in planning marketing strategies to the best advantage to focus on the most promising customers.
