The Consumer Has Spoken: Personalized Marketing Inspires

SAN BRUNO, CA--(Marketwired - Jul 23, 2013) - Responsys, Inc. ( NASDAQ : MKTG )

News Highlights

• Sixty-one percent of U.S. consumers feel more positive about a brand when marketing messages are personalized.
• Nearly half (44 percent) of consumers are less responsive to non-personalized or "mass-marketing" messages.
• More than half (53 percent) are more likely to purchase when a brand personalizes digital communications.
• More than half (52 percent) trust brands that enable consumers to share their marketing preferences more than brands that do not.

Sixty-one percent of U.S. consumers feel more positive about a brand when marketing messages are personalized, according to new research ¹ from Responsys, Inc. ( NASDAQ : MKTG ), a marketing cloud software and services leader. The results, which also indicate that consumers are more likely to purchase from brands that personalize their digital communications, call attention to the need for marketers to let go of dated marketing tactics that treat every consumer in the same way, and move into the relationship era of marketing where marketers orchestrate individual experiences at massive scale.

"In the quest for scale, individual consumer relationships got brushed to the side as marketers felt the pressure to churn out campaign after campaign," said Scott Olrich, President, Marketing and Platform at Responsys. "Today, in the relationship era of marketing, marketers are realizing that they can in fact orchestrate relevant and targeted experiences at scale across multiple channels, and that this more sophisticated approach can have the greatest long-term impact on the success of their programs."

"Consumers are demanding more personalized relationships with their favorite brands, so as marketers we must provide our customers with the most relevant content at the right moment throughout the customer journey," said Alexandra Braunstein, Senior Marketing Manager at XO Group Inc. , a global media and technology leader with brands like The Knot and The Bump . "Responsys shares this vision and because of our partnership, we're delivering increasingly individualized and relevant content, which keeps our customers more engaged and improves brand loyalty."

Responsys' survey found that nearly half (44 percent) of consumers are less responsive to non-personalized, or "mass-marketing" messages. Perhaps this apathy is a reflection of the survey finding that nearly two thirds (64 percent) of consumers see personalization as a sign that the brand values its customers. Roughly one half feel respected, understood by and have a sense of loyalty and connection to brands that personalize digital communications.

Marketers are ultimately responsible for driving sales and Responsys' survey found that when messages are personalized, more than half of consumers (53 percent) are more likely to purchase from that brand. The impact is even more positive on younger consumers between the ages of 18 and 34 who are 65 percent more likely to purchase from brands that personalize the content delivered to them.

With two-thirds of consumers who engage with brands using multiple channels to do so ² , the survey also found that consumers value personalization across all points of interaction, with the most (67 percent) saying it is important for brands to personalize email communications, followed by social media (44 percent), SMS (40 percent) and web display ads (36 percent). Again, younger consumers (18-34) are more likely to place importance on personalization across channels.

In being more targeted and relevant in their communications, brands are also increasingly expected to honor consumer preferences around when, where and how they should be contacted. Responsys' survey found that nearly two thirds (63 percent) of consumers believe it is important that brands manage their digital communications in line with consumer preferences and more than half (52 percent) trust brands that enable consumers to share their marketing preferences more than brands that do not. Of this group, 66 percent say that if a brand gives them the ability to express their preferences, they are more inclined to purchase from that brand.

To address this, earlier this year, Responsys introduced Responsys Interact Preference , a new offering within the Responsys Interact Marketing Cloud that provides marketers with a unified, cross-channel view of customer preferences and permissions. With this solution, marketers can easily collect and manage preferences across both digital and physical touch points, improving consumer trust while mitigating the risk of costly fines and lawsuits.

An infographic depicting the results of Responsys' survey can be found here .

Suggested Tweet on Today's  @Responsys News

• Click to Tweet : Personalized marketing inspires positivity towards brands says new research from @Responsys rpsys.co/ Ud #relationshipera #digitalmarketing

About Responsys Responsys ( NASDAQ : MKTG ) is a leading marketing cloud software and services company. Our mission is to enable the smartest marketing in the digital world. The most respected brands across the globe use the Responsys Interact Marketing Cloud to manage their digital relationships and deliver the right marketing to their customers across email, mobile, social, display and the web. Our customers gain competitive advantage through the automation, individualization, and coordination of cross-channel marketing interactions at massive scale. Founded in 1998, Responsys is headquartered in San Bruno, California and has offices throughout the world. For more information visit: responsys.com .

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¹ Ipsos Observer survey of 1,000 U.S. adults, representative of the online adult population, conducted from April 17 to April 24, 2013

² Forrester Research: Brand Engagement the Consumer Way 2012. Gina Sverdlov, September 2012