ChoicePoint Launches CLEAR

ChoicePoint has launched CLEAR (Consolidated Lead Evaluation and Reporting), which will provide real-time data for government and law enforcement agencies through a single interface run by ChoicePoint's public and proprietary records databases. CLEAR is a browser-based application.

CLEAR's searching capabilities provide users with access to third-party data sources to help them investigate criminal activities. Real-time entity resolution of search results helps users speed their searches. Configurable and flexible reporting, as well as charting and mapping features, make the data more understandable for users.

CLEAR truly provides a very clear example of good infocommerce. The key here is a ChoicePoint solution that aggregates multiple data sources while adding analytical tools on top. Combined, they create a more valuable product for users; a product they will be more willing to pay for; and a product they will have more loyalty for since will help them achieve all of their work goals.

Polk Launches European Version of PolkInsight

R.L. Polk & Co. has launched PolkInsight for the European marketplace. The new service is designed to provide automotive analysts and marketers instance assess to European automotive information.

PolkInsight was initially launched in 2003 for the North American market and expanded into the Chinese market in 2006. It is a web-based tool that provides automakers with new registrations, PARC, sales and demographics in one comprehensive source. Users can get a glimpse of the market on a local, regional, national or multi-national basis across Europe.

This latest version of PolkInsight contains several key features: dashboards that provide snapshots of the latest data, including industry metrics by vehicle segments in each market; ReportViewer that provides a central area that houses all reports, charts and maps; Map Viewer, which utilizes a mapping capability that enables users to access datasets within the application; and an analysis package that contains pre-defined analyses, including maps, charts and reports, that provides users with a complete view of the market.

It certainly shouldn't come as a surprise that Polk would expand its successful PolkInsight product into the European market. It's a safe bet that a product that has done well in North America and China will be well-received in Europe.

Polk already has a strong global presence and an established customer base across the globe. The company should have no trouble attracting its current customers (as well as new ones) to this European version of PolkInsight, especially since the company notes that the launch is, in part, due to customer feedback. Expect Polk to keep expanding (geographically) on this successful model. It might take a couple of years, but chances are Polk will launch a new PolkInsights for yet another region.

The "Green Book" Goes Green

DOmedia, an online marketplace for buyers and sellers of out-of-home and alternative advertising media, acquired the Buyers Guide to Outdoor Advertising. The guide is usually referred to as the "Green Book" because of its green cover and it contains listings for hundreds of out-of-home media properties across the U.S., including rate and contact information for each location.

Interestingly, the book will become truly "green" under its new ownership. DOmedia plans to convert the print publication to an online only resource. All media and contact information for Green Book clients will now be accessible via the DOmedia website.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. This acquisition follows DOmedia's merger with Out of Home Connect in March. This latest deal will certainly help DOmedia achieve its goal of becoming a main source of information for the out-of-home industry.

Both buyers and sellers using the Green Book will undoubtedly benefit from the publication's transition online. Both segments will likely yield more productive results.

However, it's difficult to ignore the irony of the Green Book going "green." For most publishers, transitioning their products from print to online is a cost issue. Yet, most customers are accepting of the switch because of the ease-of-use and convenience that online versions afford. I'm sure most publishers (or their customers) never gave much thought to the fact that such a business strategy was good for the environment as well. It's a nice added bonus.

Dow Jones Launches Alert Widgets for Factiva

Dow Jones & Company last month launched new alert widgets in Dow Jones Factiva that will enable users to post and share business news and information on company portals, intranets, wikis and team sites. Wikis can be used to provide access to more consumer-based sites such as weather and entertainment, but Dow Jones boasts that how this offering is unique in that it facilitates the sharing of news from sources such as The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires.

Dow Jones Factiva users (which includes users of Factiva.com, Factiva Search 2.0 and Factiva iWorks) can create up to 20 alerts with Factiva widgets, and display either headlines or headlines with snippets. When a widget is posted, Dow Jones Factiva users can click through to read full-text articles that are updated every 15 minutes. The widgets can also be posted to any personal page, such as iGoogle, Netvibes, Blogger and Pageflakes.

This is a very innovative idea that proves you can put high value tools on top of basic textual news stories, not just data. Overall, this makes the information more usable for Dow Jones customers since they can easily integrate it into their workflow. More and more users are demanding such functionality from their content-related tools these days. By providing them, Dow Jones will certainly promote an increased use of and reliance on its offerings.
Yet, most importantly, this new feature enables users to share content more easily. Such functionality will benefit Dow Jones as it will effectively draw more eyeballs to the company's news content.

Owen Media Partners Launches Canadian B2B Database

Owen Media Partners Inc. has launched All Canada B2B 1 Million, a marketing and research database that contains listings of more than one million Canadian businesses. The new database serves as extension of another Owen Media property, ProFile Canada B2B Top 40,000, a marketing and research database that includes listings of more than 40,000 of Canada's leading companies, most of which are privately owned.

Both database products are available in marketer (exportable) and researcher (non-exportable) editions. According to the company, the marketer editions allow users to search, view and export data directly to their desktops. The researcher editions lack such functionality. Both databases are updated continually.

This new launch should definitely benefit Owen Media in the long and short term. Sales and marketing professionals are constantly seeking new and reliable sources that will direct them to viable new business opportunities. And Owen Media's new database certainly has the potential to become such a source.

All Canada B2B 1 Million should serve as a solid complementary product to Owen Media's Top 40,000 product, since it provides such a large, extensive view of Canadian companies of all sizes and prominence.

Sales and marketing professionals may have a tough time deciding which database to tap into, and as a result they may opt to do what Owen Media undoubtedly hopes for--purchase both products simultaneously. The new database with definitely help increase customer interest in the Top 40,000 product, as some customers may prefer to narrow their target list to those top tier companies.

While it doesn't seem that Owen Media could launch anything more comprehensive than the B2B 1 Million book, the company is not likely done creating new databases for its customer base. It will be interesting to see what the company launches next.