It’s Simple, Fast to Make a Marketing Data Map
A map is an unrivaled way to present geographically-based information. Imagine trying to explain to someone unfamiliar with your part of town how real estate values vary without showing them a map.
Producing such maps is often laborious, or expensive, or both. Unless you let your personal computer do it for you.
Strategic Locations Planning of San Jose offers a $499 package called ExpressMap for IBM PCs and compatibles. It will map all manner of demographic data, including your company’s own confidential sales figures.
A data map is the kind in which various subdivisions are given different colors, hatch patterns or dot densities to reflect different levels of the variable being mapped. For instance, a map depicting U.S. population divided into five classifications would have five colors or patterns, with the darkest or densest in the most populated regions and the lightest colors or thinnest patterns in the most sparsely populated areas.
ExpressMap is able to produce maps that compare two variables at once, such as household income and education level.
Used for Marketing
Demographic maps are commonly used in researching market potential for a product or service and for any other purpose in which one needs to see such data displayed geographically.
The primary demographic data comes from the national census, and most of the information gathered by the Census Bureau, such as population by categories of race and ethnic origin, income, education, occupation, household size and the like are available for use with ExpressMap.
In addition, a wealth of proprietary data that updates the 1980 census findings and projects them into the future and makes various kinds of product market projections is also available.
The software includes Atlas Advanced Mapping Program, a keyboard macro program called Keyworks to streamline use of the mapping program, plus files to map the 50 states and the metropolitan statistical areas. There also are files to map A. C. Nielsen Co.’s designated marketing areas and Arbitron’s areas of dominant influence. Both subdivide the nation into advertising regions.
There are also data files developed by Market Statistics to match the map regions for five demographic variables--population, households, effective buying income, total retail sales and buying power index, all estimates for 1984.
Additional data is available as well, either from Strategic Locations Planning or from commercial vendors of demographic and marketing data such as CACI, Urban Decisions Systems and Dun’s Marketing, all of whom have marketing agreements with Strategic Locations Planning. The data vendors sell ExpressMap to display their data, while the map company sells others’ data to use with its program.
Prices vary. For instance, mapping and data files cost $100 each per state for all of the counties in the state. Mapping files for all of the counties in the nation are $400, as are their associated data files.
Cost $250 Each
Mapping and data files for most standard metropolitan statistical areas, broken down by ZIP code, generally are $250 apiece, although some cost more (Los Angeles costs $400, for instance). Census tract boundaries and basic demographic data are $200 each for most areas.
Other boundaries and data include cities and towns and various census divisions. There also are files that depict major highways and city boundaries within metropolitan areas, priced at $150. The company also will work with any purchaser to prepare its own marketing data for use with ExpressMap and Atlas Advanced Mapping Program.
The easiest way to prepare such data is with the spreadsheet Lotus 1-2-3, and Atlas comes with a utility program that lets users move its data files into Lotus and convert Lotus files into data files.
Can Modify Files
A more esoteric accessory is MapEdit, a separate program that allows users to modify the so-called boundary files that define the outlines of maps or even create boundary files of their own. The program is also required to add circles of influence and other custom features to the preconfigured map files. MapEdit sells for $249, but you get it for $100 less if you buy it at the same time as ExpressMap.
(One word of caution: The data files accompanying a map boundary file will no longer be valid if you change boundaries. You will have to rewrite the data files manually, using Lotus or other means, and you will have to determine how to obtain valid data conforming to any new boundaries that you create.)
Producing a map is relatively easy once you get used to using the program and become familiar with the cryptic file names involved. Basically, you load the appropriate file, choose which variable you want to map and the number of categories to divide the data into, and watch the map appear on the computer screen. You can label the maps as you wish, and there is a utility program that allows you to display a series of previously prepared maps in sequence--slide-show fashion--on a computer screen.
The program supports a variety of PC monitors and display adapters ranging from four to 16 colors, including the enhanced graphics adapter, Hercules card and Plantronics adapter, as well as the standard color graphics adapter. It will run on a computer with 384 kilobytes of memory and two floppy disk drives, but it is much easier to use if you install it on a hard disk-equipped computer.
Able to Print Maps
Printed maps can be produced on dot matrix printers and plotters, with paper sizes up to 34 by 44 inches. In about a month, the program will also drive the Hewlett Packard LaserJet printer, and soon thereafter it will work with slide makers, too.
Strategic Location Planning does not offer preprinted base maps depicting place names, streets and governmental unit boundaries upon which you could plot the variables.
ExpressMap is generally sold directly by Strategic Locations Planning, which can be reached at (408) 985-7400. It is not copy protected, which simplifies installation. But it is a complex collection of programs and data files and not very friendly to operate. Plan on spending the better part of several days to become familiar with it, and anticipate that you may have to telephone the company for help along the way.
Strategic Locations Planning is staging sales and training seminars in several large cities this spring and summer. You can get the schedule by calling the number above.
Footnote: The price of What’s Best, the linear programming software that I recently reviewed that lets you solve formulas in Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheets to determine the optimum allocation of multiple, competing variables, has been reduced from $695 to $149, and copy protection has been removed. At that price it is a good buy for any Lotus user who wants to experiment with this powerful problem-solving technique.
The Computer File welcomes readers’ comments but regrets that the authors cannot respond individually to letters. Write to Richard O’Reilly, Computer File, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.
