Data helped internet auction firm shift into high gear

Manhattan, Kansas might not have the panache of its East Coast namesake, but it is home to at least one marketer who would be right at home on Madison Avenue. He's David Brotton, CMO of Purple Wave, a leading online auction company for “big, dirty, greasy equipment.” Over the course of 7 years, Brotton has built a sophisticated data-driven marketing engine that attracts both buyers and sellers of things like bulldozers, tractors and combines—some of which sell for more than $200,000.