M-Factor News

As a user of the M3 Marketing Investment Management solution, we hope you find the the following information helpful.

M3 February '08 Release Update

The February M3 release contains numerous feature enhancements. Most of the changes improve data and software configuration and will be transparent to end users. The list below contains the feature enhancements that are of greatest interest to M3 users:

  • Greater chart interactivity is delivered via right-click menu options for drilldown, granularity selection, and driver details navigation that are now more intuitive and consistent across all relevant chart types.


  • New initiatives automatically inherit preferred settings when a "saved view" is selected at the time of the initiative creation.  All filters, axes, metrics, and value types that are part of the saved view are then automatically inherited.  Product and Location Groups default to the full scope of the scenario but can be edited using advanced options.

  • Enhanced product and location group management allows the end user to define, select, and delete groups directly in the group picker window.

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    M3 Feature Spotlight

    The easiest way to orient the initiative editor to a specific task is to apply a Saved View.  This allows the filters, axes, metrics, aggregation method, and value types settings to all be adjusted in just three clicks, starting with the "load view" link at the top of the layout pane.  

    To create a Saved View for application in other initiatives and scenarios, a user simply clicks the link at the top of the layout pane after establishing the desired appearance.  Then they enter a name and note whether the view is for personal use or to be shared with others.  Once several useful views have been saved, users will have more time available for planning.  

    Coming Soon

    We are pleased to soon be adding a new Contribution by Activity report type that will rank activities by their net marketing contribution (or other selected P&L line item).  The report will be available for individual product groups, locations, or time periods as well as larger, more comprehensive scopes.  It will provide a clear understanding of the change affected by each particular activity, and deliver strategic insight regarding opportunities to reallocate spending toward higher performing activities. 

    Request for Feedback

    The M-Factor product team is taking a comprehensive look at the usability of our solution and is considering numerous short and longer term enhancement possibilities.  There are two ways in which we could use your help.  First, is with respect to any specific usability issues that you'd like to report.  Second, is to help us more fully understand the flow and pain points of your planning processes.  Please let me know if you'd like to have a direct conversation with our product team so that we can better serve your needs.