Source: New Employee Back-Office Orientation (2025-08), Page 2 Diagram
This document explains the complete Path2Acquisition solution flow, from client onboarding through response analysis.
The Path2Acquisition system processes data through several major stages:
┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐
│ CLIENT │ → │ DATA │ → │ MODELING │ → │ DELIVERY │
│ INTAKE │ │ PROCESSING │ │ & SCORING │ │ & RESULTS │
└─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘
Broker
└── Client
└── Brand
├── Parent
│ └── Title ←── House File (via SFTP)
└── Sibling
Term Definition
Broker List broker who represents the client Client The company purchasing prospecting services Brand A brand within the client’s portfolio Title A specific catalog or mailing program (e.g., “McGuckin Hardware”) Parent/Sibling Related titles within the same brand family House File Client’s existing customer database
Order initiates the campaignOrder App manages order entry and configurationOrder Processing validates and routes the order
Type Description
Complete/Replacement Full file refresh replacing previous data Incremental New transactions added to existing data
House File → CASS → Convert → Transactions → Data Attributes
↓
DPV, DPBC
Process Purpose
CASS Coding Accuracy Support System - standardizes addresses DPV Delivery Point Validation - confirms address deliverability DPBC Delivery Point Bar Code - adds postal barcodes NCOA National Change of Address - updates moved addresses Convert Transforms data into standard format and layout
Transactions stored in JSON format
Title Key links transactions to specific titlesData Tools provide processing utilities
BIGDBM - External data provider for additional attributesData Attributes - Enhanced consumer data points
Site Tag ─┬─ Cookie
└─ Pixel
↓
Site Visitors → Extract → Individuals → Identities
↑
Hashed Email (HEM)
├── MD5
├── SHA-1
└── SHA-2
Source Description
Site Tag JavaScript tracking code on client websites Cookie Browser-based visitor identification Pixel Image-based tracking for email/web Site Visitors Aggregated visitor behavior data Hashed Email (HEM) Privacy-safe email identifiers First-Party Data Data collected directly by the client
Extract process with CPRA compliance blocksLinks digital Individuals to postal Identities
Bridges online behavior to offline marketing
Individuals → Householding → Households File → Preselect
↓
┌────────┴────────┐
↓ ↓
Addresses Names
↓ ↓
DMA Deceased
Pander
Process Purpose
Householding Groups individuals into household units DMA Direct Marketing Association preference processing Deceased Removes deceased individuals Pander Removes those on “do not contact” lists Households File Master file of valid households with IDs
Digital Solutions - For digital channel deliveryOther Products - Path2Contact, Path2Optimize, etc.License Files - Data licensing arrangements
Identifies individuals who have responded to specific titles (catalogs/mailings).
Order → BERT → Variables → Modeling
↑
Order App
Order Processing
BERT (Base Environment for Re-tooled Technology) is the unified backend application platform that consolidates internal tools (Order App, Data Tools, Dashboards, Response Analysis) into a single application. Within the Path2Acquisition flow, BERT:
Manages order entry and processing (via Order App module)
Generates modeling variables
Feeds the scoring engine
Households File → Preselect → Universe
↓
┌───────┴───────┐
↓ ↓
Responder Prospect
Term Definition
Preselect Defines the available universe for selection Universe Total pool of potential mail recipients Responder Someone who has responded to the title before Prospect Someone who has not yet responded to the title
Identifies related titles whose responders might respond well to the target title.
Example:
Title: McGuckin Hardware
Synergistic Titles: Home Depot, Lowes
Question: What other titles would buyers of McGuckin also purchase from?
Suppression Meaning
DNM Do Not Mail - complete mail suppression DNR Do Not Rent - cannot rent this name to others Omits Specific records to exclude Suppressions Categorical exclusions
Variables → Modeling → Score File
↓
┌──────┴──────┐
↓ ↓
Affinity Propensity
Model Type Purpose
Affinity Likelihood to be interested in product category Propensity Likelihood to respond to specific offer
Segments - Grouped by score ranges (deciles, quintiles)Used to prioritize mail recipients by predicted response
Score File → Fulfillment → Fulfillment File → Shipment
↓
Nth-ing
Term Definition
Fulfillment Preparing the final mail file Nth-ing Statistical sampling (every Nth record) for testing Fulfillment File Final file ready for production
Fulfillment File → Shipment → Service Bureau → Mail File
↓
Merge / Purge
┌─────┴─────┐
↓ ↓
Hits Nets
Term Definition
Service Bureau Third-party mail production facility Merge/Purge Combines lists and removes duplicates Hits Records that matched (duplicates found) Nets Unique records after deduplication Computer Validation Final address verification
The deadline for including names in the mailing. After this date, the file is locked for production.
Component Purpose
Keycode Unique identifier for tracking response source Lists of Lists Source attribution for each name Multis Names appearing on multiple lists
Mail File → In-House / In-Home → Mailing
↓
Mail Date
Term Definition
In-House Mailing arrives at household In-Home Consumer has opened/seen the mailing Mail Date Date the mailing enters the postal system
Mailing → Transaction → Response Analysis → Results
↓ ↓
Response ┌────────┴────────┐
↓ ↓ ↓
Match Back Response Rate Client Results
& RR Index
Links responses (purchases) back to the original mailing to measure effectiveness.
Metric Description
Response Rate Percentage of recipients who responded RR Index Response rate indexed against baseline AOV Average Order Value $ Per Book Revenue generated per catalog mailed $ / Book Index Revenue indexed against baseline
Client Results - Performance report for the clientRecommendation - Guidance for future mailings
Order → [Weeks] → Merge Cutoff → [Weeks] → Mail Date → [Months] → Results
↑ ↓
└───────────────── Campaign Cycle ──────────────────────────┘
(Many Months)
Phase Duration
Order to Merge Cutoff Varies (planning, data prep) Merge Cutoff to Mail Date Weeks (production) Mail Date to Results Several months (response window) Full Campaign Many months
System Function
BERT Base Environment for Re-tooled Technology - unified backend application platform Order App Order entry and management (module within BERT) Data Tools Data processing utilities (module within BERT) Dashboards Reporting and analytics (module within BERT) BIGDBM External data enrichment provider