Tom Elliott Founder, Uptick Data Technologies- How to achieve economies of scale for commentaries that must be updated?
- Rules based text generation may be in your future, "we know what the meaning of 'is' is."
- Scalable, objective software to build customized products.
- Sources from lipper, morningstar, Thomson, FactSet, client data, third party, engine analyzes and generates new text on FundXtra.com, etc.- First app was for mutual funds, 15,000 funds and growing
- Rules-based, repetitive processes so that people can focus on creative analytical thinking, save money
- For none of apps was staffing reduced, just redeployed editorial assets more effectively.
- Don't have to have "one size that fits all" reports, can be designed for specific tasks, "cheat sheets" to get them expert on specific funds, etc. give him a bunch of bullet points from which they can sell.
- Reports with due diligence, selling, fact sheets, etc.
- About 230,000 mutual fund reports, not a word comes from human beings
- Don't have to be in English, can have "spicy" text, not right for everybody
- Appear on many major platforms
- For investment managers who need to write quarterly reports, takes two weeks, cut it down to a day, freed up highly paid pros to do their work, not be authors.
- Got great feedback, "I love you, you are my free pass out of hell."
- Enron changed retirement game, cust reports for ML retirement group, using client's database, plan-specific, points out investments that may not be in compliance, will "keep you out of jail."
- If you are running a 401k for local business, looking at business pages too general, give clear advice to professionals who don't know about finance deeply, endorsed by many compliance officers and registered principals.
- With First Call creating story databases, operating in near-realtime speeds, about 20,000 per quarterly earnings period. Can compress time to delivery high-value product.
- This is what we do with technology today, when started in 2000 not sure who would do what.
Peggy Hatch President/Group Publisher Target Marketing Publishing Group North American Publishing Company- Swipe file "got out of hand," founded "Who's mailing what!" Newsletter in 1984. In back of letter was listing of mails coming in. In order to access listing had to be a subscriber, paid to look at direct mail samples.
- Mailer Name, Offer Description, Mailing Category, Month/Year Received, Mail Size, etc.
- Archive in Philadelphia, turnaround would take 2-4 days
- Great data, but data was needed as a prospect tool, launched the directory of major mailers
- In 1993 acquired by North American publishing company, online searchable database in 2001, free access, samples were still premium
- BUT packages weren't scanned, needed more data gathered on each package, custs agreed to sign multi-year agreement if they would do it.
- Started scanning 2004, scanned first as low-res, then as High-res Full-size, now selling archives by slice, ez pay plans available for ad agencies (draw-down line), can license full or partial data
- Next steps - platforms for markets, insurance, will gather more data to make it more specific, adding directory of mailers data
- Offer different audiences different price points
Tom Johnson, EVP Carroll Publishing Inc.- Data on 300,000 government execs. "Pretty boring, huh?"
- Even obits added photos, logos, more content, took as example [COMMENT: The dead bring govt data to life! This is a brave man, taking this on at end of day.]
- More Web site visuals, added pictures, more navigation, plum graphic for plum appointment positions.
- Handmade org charts, stale already by printing, developed proprietary software building charts from nightly database updates.
- When Brown resigned from FEMA data was in there next day.
- See more people on online chart with infinite page size
- Adding room numbers and phone numbers via icons [COMMENT: Actually this is pretty cool when you come to think of it, who else out there has an effective near-realtime org chart update tool?]
- Maps - maps of regional responsibilities, congressional districts with links to congressperson pages
- Detailed contact information, FSCM levels, civilian and military
