Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI) , which hosts the Kentucky Derby and owns recognized race-tracks worldwide, is analyzing millions of in-person, telephone- and Web-based transactions to determine how best to strengthen relationships with its customers.

CDI stated recently that it is employing predictive analysis technology from SPSS to analyze a combination of demographic and psychographic information covering more than one million global customers, including the 150,000 members of the company's elite player-reward program, the Twin Spires Club. The objective: maximize customer lifetime value.

"For well over a century, Churchill Downs Incorporated has served as the premier source of quality horse-racing content for sports enthusiasts the world over," said Atique Shah, vice president of CRM and technology solutions at CDI. "Our goal is to interact with customers on a one-to-one basis, ensuring that their experience is memorable. Not only do we want to reach our customers with the right offer, but we want to reach them through the channel they find most appealing."

Churchill Downs creates a powerful opportunity for leveraging data mining technology because it generates vast amounts of data across channels. It will employ SPSS Clementine predictive analytics to study the lifetime value of its customers and build models that anticipate preferences and potential behavior. "Overall, Churchill Downs Incorporated views predictive analytics as an asset," says Shah, who notes that the goal is to "achieve more effective customers relationships over time."