The sourcing layer is the first stage of a privacy-centric marketing architecture: businesses collect and consolidate information from internal sources, external partners, agencies, and market research. It establishes the inputs for later marketing decisions while requiring consent, data minimization, and protection against re-identification. section 2.3 section 2.3.1
Core sourcing categories include:
- Customer and engagement data, including profiles, interactions, transactions, feedback, and experience records. section 2.3.1
- Marketing and content performance data, including creative assets, promotional content, product information, and campaign metrics. section 2.3.1
- Operational business data, external and market intelligence data, and privacy and compliance data. section 2.3.1
From raw records to useful signals
A fitness app uses location, age, and fitness goals to tailor recommendations. A software company analyzes recurring support requests to improve its FAQ, while an online retailer uses abandoned-order data to encourage completed purchases. section 2.3.1
Figure 2.3 Sourcing layer: core data categories
Use the category map to distinguish the major inputs that enter the sourcing layer before consolidation and analysis. section 2.3.1
