Knowing a person's state and place of birth, Acquisti would use the death master file to find the numbers of people with nearby birth dates in the same state.
They've since planted a raspberry patch and apple and plum trees on their 10 acres, and have added two cabins, one of which they use as their master bedroom and the other "for grandchildren and bad dogs, " says Allen.
The challenge is to master the total media ecosystem and use it to best position their brands in this new world of free discourse and connected consumers.