A Guide for Philippine Businesses Looking to Get the Most from Their Customer Data
Let’s get right into it: how can YOUR brand gather customer data, use it for effective IMC campaigns, and protect it, all in the name of building brand loyalty and optimizing audience communications?
Our answer? Use a CDP or a CRM.
A what?!
This blog breaks these two tools down in simple terms. Read on to see how both tools work, and which one to prioritize depending on your business goals. We’ll also touch on how partnering with a PR and IMC agency can help you get the most from either system.
CRM vs. CDP: What’s the Difference?
Let’s start with basic definitions.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
A CRM is a platform designed to manage your relationships with existing or potential customers, usually in a sales or service context. It tracks:
- Contact information
- Lead status
- Purchase history
- Email exchanges
- Support tickets
Example platforms: Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho CRM, Freshworks CRM
CDP (Customer Data Platform)
A CDP collects data from multiple sources (online, offline, paid ads, e-commerce, etc.) and creates a unified profile of each customer. It focuses on:
- Behavioral data (clicks, views, time on site)
- Demographics
- Campaign engagement
- Cross-device interactions
Example platforms: Segment, Bloomreach, mParticle, Tealium
| Function | CRM | CDP |
| Sales tracking | ✅ | ❌ |
| Customer support management | ✅ | ❌ |
| Behavioral tracking across platforms | ❌ | ✅ |
| Personalization for marketing | ⚠️ Limited | ✅ |
| Campaign segmentation | ⚠️ Basic | ✅ Advanced |
| Real-time data unification | ❌ | ✅ |
| Ideal for… | Sales & Support Teams | Marketing & PR Teams |
Why the Difference Matters in IMC Campaigns
Integrated marketing campaigns thrive on giving audiences the full-journey experience of your brand. When you measure it, you also need to see the full picture. That means:
- Knowing what your customer clicked on
- What store (online or offline) they visited
- What post they shared
- What email they ignored
- And what promo finally converted them
If you rely solely on a CRM, you’re getting only part of the story. CDPs give you the complete picture.
When You Should Prioritize a CRM
You might benefit most from a CRM if:
- You’re a sales-driven company with multiple leads and follow-ups
- You need to track quotations, invoices, and pipeline stages
- You offer customer service or support and need a ticketing system
- Your current focus is nurturing individual leads or accounts
A prime example of this are players in the real estate industry.
When You Should Invest in a CDP
You should consider a CDP if:
- You run multi-channel campaigns (social, ads, email, SMS, Viber)
- You want to personalize offers based on actual behavior
- You’re using e-commerce, mobile apps, and offline touchpoints
- You want better retargeting and segmentation
- Your marketing data lives in separate platforms (e.g., Lazada, TikTok Ads, POS)
For instance, brands that combine Shopify data, Facebook Ads, TikTok engagement, and email sign-ups to tailor marketing to Gen Z and millennial shoppers can use a CDP.
What Happens When You Use Both?
The most mature brands use CRM + CDP together, with clear boundaries:
- CDP unifies all behavior and campaign data
- CRM handles interactions with sales, loyalty teams, and support staff
The CDP feeds enriched profiles into the CRM, allowing sales and service teams to understand the customer’s context better.
This is the ideal setup for fully integrated, data-powered PR and marketing strategies.
Why This Matters for PR and Campaign Planning
Your consumers’ decisions are often emotional, word-of-mouth driven, and deeply influenced by content, community, and convenience. So whether you’re doing a product launch, advocacy campaign, or seasonal promo, your team needs to know:
- Which posts or press releases are getting traction
- Who’s reading your blogs and where they came from
- What kind of customers are reacting to your influencer push
- Which community events drove store visits or inquiries
You can’t manage what you don’t measure, and neither CRM nor CDP alone will solve everything.
But choosing the right tools, and partnering with the right team to operate these tools based on your needs, will help you build personalized, purposeful, and effective campaigns that actually connect.
So whether you’re leaning toward a CRM or a CDP, working with an experienced PR and integrated marketing agency like NGP IMC can help you:
- Audit your current data flow and recommend tools
- Bridge siloed data from digital, events, social, and media
- Build customer journeys that link PR with performance
- Ensure compliance with data privacy standards in the Philippines
- Use data to tell compelling stories that resonate with the Filipino audience
Whichever tool you choose, ensure it supports your broader goal: delivering personalized, relevant, and integrated brand experiences to your customers wherever they are in the Philippines.
And if you’re feeling stuck, NGP IMC can help you choose, connect, and convert—smarter. Connect with us today.