Over the weekend, I was helping my daughter with her 3^rd grade math homework. And the statement which all parents have heard at least once from their children sprang from her mouth “Daddy, am I ever going to use this stuff?” And after pondering the question I answered “Yes.”

I’ll spare you the specific math problems (which by the way, I don’t think I learned until I was in high school) but the short story is she is dealing with Boolean logic and terms.

Via Wikipedia, Boolean is defined as “a complete system for logical operations. It was named after George Boole, who first defined an algebraic system of logic in the mid 19th century. Boolean logic has many applications in electronics, computer hardware and software, and is the base of digital electronics. In 1938, Claude Shannon showed how electric circuits with relays were a model for Boolean logic. This fact soon proved enormously consequential with the emergence of the electronic computer. Using the algebra of sets, this article contains a basic introduction to sets, Boolean operations, Venn diagrams, truth tables, and Boolean applications. The Boolean algebra article discusses a type of algebraic structure that satisfies the axioms of Boolean logic. The binary arithmetic article discusses the use of binary numbers in computer systems.”

If you focus the definition downward into layman’s terms the key words include:

1. AND
2. OR
3. NOT
4. SUBSET
5. GREATER THAN
6. EQUAL TOO
7. LESS THAN

So all of this got me thinking about the marketing earth being inherited by the techno/analytical geeks. Basically, in terms of marketing “Boolean” logic allows marketers to fine tune the target audience. This is certainly nothing new to the database marketers and mathmaticians out there… but for many, this type of logic will be new and perhaps a bit challenging to understand.

So why should we be concerned about the use of this type of logic in the first place? Let me list just a few of my thoughts…

1. Segmentation – being able to target and segment messaging and offers to segments will help increase response rates.
2. Sub-Segmentation – this term really helps define a “subset” of an overall segment. For instance, let’s say your “segment” is to target customers who purchased a desktop computer but NOT a monitor. A subset of this segment, would be those customers who have
3. Budget – by fine tuning down the segmentation and the sub-segmentation, budgets can be optimized to drive the highest ROI.
4. Search & Online – you’re probably already using Boolean Logic in search and online programs today… you might just not know it. With all of the data being collected via this marketing initiatives, it is critical to fine tune messages and Boolean Logic helps drive these segments.
5. “Traditional” Media Properties – as data growth continues in the more traditional media types – e.g. television… the hope would be to utilize Boolean Logic even deeper and integrated with digital media properties to maximize the exposure and targeting of the audience.

If you’re not well versed in Boolean, I would recommend you spend some time with your database marketing folks and actually have them walk you through some examples in order for you to gain an understanding.

Also, to all readers of HP blogs, we will be migrating to a new platform in the coming week or so. So as of May 23^rd, I won’t be posting to my blog and won’t be able to receive any comments submitted. Please hold your comments until June 1, when our new site will be live.

Scott