The challenge is getting the right balance. While consumers are no longer perturbed at the prospect of being monitored and analysed (so long as they are made aware that this is happening!), a brand has to convey relevant messages to individuals without over selling.

Thankfully marketing technology has advanced so that this vision of one-to-one marketing is a reality. It can help organisations create an accurate picture of their customers by combining data from their behaviour online and in the ‘real world’ so they can tailor communications with relevant messages and offers. Completing this image of individual customers still requires expert marketers to judge the tone, frequency and suitability of a campaign which helps to avoid a proliferation of knitting-based incentives (unless, of course you happen to be ‘Aunt Bessy’). If done properly, personalised marketing should feel more like good customer service than a marketing campaign.