Observed Signal · Sep 13, 2026 · Interview · Source: persoenlich.com News · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
AZ Direct CEO: Personalized Communication Is Only Future
In an interview with persoenlich.com, René Schaad, Key Account Manager at AZ Direct, discusses the company's evolution from selling addresses to linking identities for cross-channel marketing. AZ Direct offers data-driven cross-channel marketing for B2C and B2B, enabling person-level communication across mail, email, social media, display ads, and phone. They use the email address as a bridge to connect online and offline identities. Schaad emphasizes that AI cannot compensate for poor data quality, and that personalized communication is the only sustainable approach as third-party cookies erode. The company's AZ Data World Consumer covers 7.2 million people and 840,000 companies. They face challenges such as shrinking public data sources, balancing precision and reach, and maintaining consumer trust.
Interview with a mid-sized data provider discussing data-driven cross-channel marketing trends, relevant but not industry-shifting.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- AZ Direct provides cross-channel marketing with person-level targeting across mail, email, social, display, and phone.
- The company uses email addresses as a bridge to link online and offline identities.
- AZ Data World Consumer includes 7.2 million individuals and 840,000 companies with 900,000 contact persons.
- AZ Direct is part of Bertelsmann Marketing Services and operates independently in Switzerland.
- René Schaad states that AI cannot compensate for poor data quality in marketing.
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
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