Today, there are many ways for companies to speak to their customers in a "personalized" way. It’s not quite the same as personal, but it’s getting closer every day. For many marketers, the holy grail is to be so finely tuned to the needs and desires of potential customers that they not only build profitable life-long relationships with the brand, but also become evangelists and recruit others to become customers.

Reaching this goal has become a matter of some urgency for more companies every day. Why? The dreaded "C" word – commoditization. Everywhere you look, goods and services are becoming commoditized. Whatever product you’re making, it’s likely that someone can make a reasonable knock-off and sell it for less. Think President’s Choice cereals versus Kellogg’s. Or, your market share will be attacked from overseas – think China, India, Indonesia and maybe Africa next. If all you have is a reasonable product at a fair price, your days may be numbered.

In an effort to avoid this fate, many companies are looking to deepen their customer relationships, make themselves irreplaceable and ensure that price isn’t the sole determining factor. One way to do this is through personalization.