BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - November 19, 2009) - The average CMO is on the job for just 23.6 months. CMOs need tangible justification for marketing spend and measurable return on marketing investments. For CMOs, this leads to one undeniable truism; job security is directly correlated with data driven marketing. According to a new research study published by Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS), marketers are overwhelmed by the need to use data to make marketing more effective and efficient. The study identifies exactly how top performing organizations are using data to impact marketing.

"Data Driven Marketing," which examined 272 organizations to identify how companies use data to achieve superior performance, found that 26% of the companies heavily rely on data for marketing decisions. The vast majority of marketers (52%) are leveraging data in marketing decisions with "room for improvement."

"The days where marketers could get away with gut feel are coming to an end. In this customer driven environment where expectations culminate to a one-to-one relationship, the numbers have never been more important," says Ian Michiels, Research Director in the Customer Management Technology Group and the report's author. "Leading companies use customer data to deliver timely, relevant, personalized marketing messages that generate some of the highest new customer acquisition rates in the market today."

To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=6224.

Visit Research.Aberdeen.com for additional access to complimentary Customer Management Research.

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company

Aberdeen provides fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having queried more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen for insights that drive decisions.

As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement - Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit Aberdeen or call (617) 854-5200, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748.

© 2009 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
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Telephone: (617) 854-5200
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www.aberdeen.com