Oh Really! 5 Questions With...

[Michael Marchesano]

by Ed Stevenson

Sep 2005

In each issue, this section presents an interview with someone in the field of content management. In this issue we interview Michael Marchesano, president and CEO from VNU Business Media and Nielsen Entertainment.

Name:	Michael Marchesano
Affiliation:	VNU Business Media
Title:	President and CEO of VNU Business Media and Nielsen Entertainment
Brief Bio:	VNU Business Media is a leading provider of innovative and actionable business intelligence, products and tools. Michael Marchesano has been with the company since 1999 and was named President and CEO of VNU Business Media U.S. in 2001. In April 2005 he assumed responsibility for Nielsen Entertainment. The services provided by Nielsen Entertainment include measuring box office results, tracking music, video/DVD and book sales, as well as conducting marketing research on motion pictures.

[1] What makes data "rich" (what is your definition of rich data)?

Michael: The term implies providing efficient solutions to end users to help them solve business issues. When you think about it, it's content on steroids, usually combining data from proprietary databases, and other content that can be aggregated. What you do with it is key: it's made available to the end user in his or her workflow process to help solve specific problems or enhance a current task.

[2] Isn't a "rich data product" just a dynamic web site?

Michael: You need to think of rich data as a higher quality of output. The "richness" applies to the characteristics of the information. It must have a value proposition. In other words, the content is a "must have" as opposed to a "nice to have." Rich data goes beyond just dynamism—it becomes an essential tool for professionals to make them smarter and do their jobs better.

[3] What are some examples of rich data products you like?

Michael: From VNU, I like what we have done with Nielsen Entertainment, especially with Billboard and Soundscan. McGraw Hill has an excellent construction database. A smaller company, Randall Publishing, provides a very robust rich data offering in the automobile industry, which they were able to create through a series of acquisitions and organic growth. Wolters-Kluwer has created a very rich market place for physicians.

Another one of my favorite examples is Hearst Business Media, which has created a rich data offering for the insurance industry for automobile repair. It's impressive because a large majority of the top 50 insurance agencies in auto claims subscribe to their product, which is pretty good proof that the product offers "must have" content.

[4] What do publishers need to do to position themselves to create rich data products?

Michael: As executives become more comfortable in utilizing technology, publishers need to be knowledgeable about the daily information needs of users. Publishers need to know what is the "must have," not just the "nice to have." Increasingly, our audiences and marketers are becoming their own programmers, controlling their own data feeds. That puts pressure on publishers and, of course, their editors, in developing content and products that can be customized for individuals and groups of users.

The challenge is to prove an ROI in the rich data model, not only for yourself but also for your customer. Successful rich data offerings are worth the cost to the customer because they allow users to be more efficient and productive, and it speaks directly to their own needs. We need to embrace the fact that we live in an egocentric B2B world, and we have to anticipate the needs of our audiences and marketers with smart, sophisticated products and services that are personalized, relevant, and compelling.

[5] What are some of the pitfalls or obstacles to be aware of when developing rich data products?

Michael: The central issue is to be sure that you are in tune with your audience. You can't make assumptions that you know them as well as you think. You really need to do your homework by being well informed. And having a general sense of the overall needs of the user isn't enough, because successful rich data offerings address very specific, very personalized and generally daily information needs. You need the imagination and the expertise to know how to make the product a compelling offer.

And if you have a good rich data product that is being used by your customers, you of course need to provide ongoing quality control. You need to update and cleanse the data to ensure it maintains a high level of quality. This is very important because if the point of the rich data product is to help the customer in daily and specific tasks, it has to be an ongoing tool in their daily workflow. So, the content must remain fresh and up to date.