By Mindy Charski

How do you connect customers who are literally out of reach? It’s a challenge Anritsu Company faced when promoting its BTS Master Base Station Analyzer, which tests the quality of a cell tower’s base station. After all, many in the campaign’s target audience — which included U.S.-based technicians and network managers at four top cellular companies — spend much of the day in the field.

“When you have a customer who is so busy and in and out of the office all the time, it’s pretty hard to know which way you’re going to be able to reach them,” says Katherine Van Diepen, Anritsu’s director of Marketing Communications.

So the Morgan Hill, Calif.–based company created an integrated marketing campaign for its lead generation to 1,417 of its contacts. The effort was created by a local agency, Beasley Direct Marketing.

A dimensional mailer arrived first and included a letter, additional product information and a response card to set up an in-person product demonstration. An e-mail followed a week later, and a high dose of telemarketing began soon after. Prospects also could request a demo via a personalized landing page.

The result? Total captured leads from the mailer and e-mail combined (i.e., people who completed the form and requested more information) was 4 percent. That climbed to 8.6 percent with the telemarketing efforts.

Van Diepen says a sale valued in the millions also resulted from the campaign, with additional potential sales added to the pipeline.

Why the strategy worked
Four key aspects of the Anritsu campaign contributed to its success:

1. Clever dimensional mail. The box stood out because it looked exactly like the product itself with images on every side, including depictions of buttons and ports. “The benefits of our product are it’s smaller, more portable and battery operated,” Van Diepen says. “We wanted to show its dimensions and how easy it is to hold to give customers a true product experience. They also saved the box to show others in the company.”

2. Skilled telemarketers. Anritsu hired Direct Marketing Partners to manage the telemarketing effort. The callers set up appointments with both prospects who had and hadn’t responded off the list. They discerned which targets were no longer appropriate and contacted new prospects whose names they received through referrals on the original calls.

3. Personalization. The recipient’s first name appeared on nearly every campaign element. “We know from experience and all the research that personalization on campaigns can increase response rates from 50 to 130 percent,” Van Diepen says. The product benefits were also tailored to each carrier’s technology. “We wanted to let them know we had the solution that would address their specific technology,” she says.

4. An enticing giveaway. Targets would receive a free MP3 player at the demo, which Van Diepen describes as “a door opener.” Some carriers ban such gifts, but by loading a podcast about the product onto the player, the company transformed a giveaway into acceptable collateral.

Do you have a similar success story to share? Submit it to our Brag Room.

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Polycom Campaign Generates Noise with Customers

Radio Station Mixes Channels to Lure Advertisers

How lumpy mailers are helping marketers boost response rates.

By Christine Hansen

Lumps in your gravy? Not so good. But when found in direct mail, lumps generate curiosity and demand attention.

AlphaGraphics, for example, scored an impressive 21-percent response rate by including lumpy, or dimensional, mail in a recent multichannel campaign.

“It’s more important than ever to do something unique in your approach that will attract consumer attention,” says Jesse Himsworth, AlphaGraphics channel marketing manager.

The marketing firm, which has more than 260 owner-operated locations worldwide, sent a branded Rubik’s Cube to 1,880 customers and prequalified prospects to showcase its digital color and direct mail capabilities.

The dimensional piece included a personalized insert outlining the company’s key benefits and directing recipients to a personalized URL. Once visitors arrived at the PURL, they were asked to complete a brief survey regarding marketing service needs. Upon completion, visitors were offered their choice of a $20 gift card from one of three stores.

How follow-up added another dimension
The visit to a PURL also generated an automatic e-mail to that recipient’s AlphaGraphics sales representative. Within four hours, the sales representative would call the lead to set up an appointment and deliver the gift card.

“Our owners are extremely busy people, meeting impossible deadlines day in and out,” Himsworth says. “The dimensional piece was a way for us to help them attract customer attention and gave them a turnkey solution so they could really focus their energy on sales.”

That’s why AlphaGraphics also supported the campaign with webinars on best practices for building lists, a sales process plan with a timeline for pre-calls, mailings and post-calls, and suggestions for what to say during pre- and post-calls.

Himsworth says the centers that adhered strictly to the sales process plan achieved the highest responses. Too, some of the centers made the sales representatives responsible for the costs of the direct mail pieces, which motivated the sales representatives to produce the highest quality lists possible and which, in turn, led to much higher response rates.

“Too often marketers put all their energy into worrying about the creative for a piece, and neglect everything else,” Himsworth says. “When combined properly though, the creative, list, offer, strategy and process of a campaign can produce exceptional results.”

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Treating Prospects to a Dimensional Mailer Cuts through the Clutter

Dimensional Mail Reaches Executive Class

By Mindy Charski

Marketing to marketers is not, as you might imagine, always easy. But enterprise marketing software company Neolane (neolane.com) has done well reaching other marketers since learning that chewing gum helps its message stick.

In advance of last fall’s pro baseball championship, Neolane sent out about 500 baseball-themed mailers to other marketers, touting the benefits of the company’s marketing automation capabilities. “Our real objective was [creating] another touchpoint to be able to create a dialogue, starting with a personal phone call as follow-up,” says Kristin Hambelton, senior director of marketing at Neolane, which caters to corporate marketers in high-tech, retail, entertainment and travel.

Given that its audience is both time-pressed and inundated with any number of other offers, the company decided that a colorful dimensional package with concise messaging was the ideal approach. “I think people are intrigued about opening something,” says Hambelton. “It’s this whole childhood mentality of ‘Oh, I got a little present. I want to open it.’”

The mailer, which Massachusetts-based Neolane created in-house with help from a freelance designer, arrived in a white box with a label that read, “Is your cross-channel marketing ready for the big leagues?” Inside were a pack of bubble gum and four postcards nestled in blue or orange crinkle-cut paper shreds — Neolane’s signature colors.

One card, measuring about 6.5 by 4 inches, featured a personalized greeting and overview from Hambelton along with a link to an online demonstration of the cross-channel marketing software. The other, slightly larger cards contained mini case studies that explained how major corporations have benefited from the software. The cards and a sticker on the gum package included a URL with more detailed versions of the case studies.

Of the 500 mailers sent, Hambelton says, 58 people clicked through to the software demo and 69 to the case studies. Since prospects were already in Neolane’s database, the firm used its own software to track them after the visits and had sales associates call them as the baseball championship series was unfolding. “This achieved our goals in terms of people visiting the Web site [and led to] two accounts moving further along the sales cycle,” she says.

Hambelton says she wasn’t surprised that the mailer worked, as Neolane learned a while ago that audiences respond well to its baseball-themed packages — and the chewing gum in particular.

Of course, other recipients were just as impressed with the message and the overall dimensional package. “You just don’t see it a lot,” says Hambelton, “so I think it makes you stand out.”

Interview by Lara Jensen

Sports fans can access content from any number of media outlets these days, so it can take some fancy maneuvering by marketers to target them effectively. Thus far, the National Hockey League has done pretty well keeping its fans satisfied. For instance, attendance at games has increased by about 1.2 percent this season — and now rivals attendance figures for pro basketball games in the United States. Meanwhile, NHL revenue, already more than $2.6 billion, is expected to rise by 6 percent during the season.

Perry Cooper, senior vice president of digital and direct marketing at the National Hockey League, works hard to keep NHL rinks filled. Recently, he crafted a strategy to gather crucial data from the league’s various consumer touch points to create better-targeted communications. Direct mail, including the league’s merchandise catalog, anchors these efforts. Cooper talked recently with Deliver® about why his strategy is scoring with fans.

Deliver: How is the NHL’s direct marketing program evolving, especially in light of current economic conditions?

Cooper: Our direct program is entirely new, and while this wasn’t specifically in response to the economy, it is helping us weather the downturn better than might be expected. We have a brand-new direct marketing team that is focused on monetizing our customer engagements across all touch points, including our NHL Center Ice network and Shop NHL and live-streaming games on NHL.com.

A big part of the picture is a new relational database that will capture transactional data across many of these NHL businesses. (The database was slated to launch in January.) Previously, the NHL had no defined strategy to capture customer data or to use this information to cultivate relationships. The goal is to be able to customize as much consumer-facing content as possible.

Already, the results from several tests of targeted communications and from our new, more immersive Web site have been impressive. We’re seeing growth across all of our businesses. Part of this is because sports fans are resilient, meaning they still respond to focused marketing during an economic downturn. But also, we’ve been “under-penetrated” until recently. Our direct marketing efforts have put us in a position to be successful right now. In a better economy, we’d be seeing even more of an upturn.

Deliver: Where does mail fit into this new cross-channel marketing initiative?

Cooper: Direct mail is central to our efforts to go deeper into analytics. By looking at data from recency-frequency-monetary value analyses, the multi-source penetration of customers and whether someone is a displaced fan — meaning they don’t live in the state of the team they are a fan of — we believe we can be successful in direct mail.

Having one central repository of customer data, for example, will make it easier to determine the favorite team of our fans. We recently tested a merchandise catalog customized to feature the favorite team of the recipient on the cover. Overall, the results for the customized catalogs were at least 35 percent better than with a generic cover.

Deliver: What does direct mail do better than the NHL’s other marketing efforts?

Cooper: As nice as the Web is, there is a still a big desire among consumers to receive something tangible. We have a very loyal audience that wants to sit down and look at our catalog at their leisure. A lot of those people then go to the Web.

When we’re doing a good job of targeting, the ROI on direct mail is terrific. Which is one reason why we will be increasing the circulation of our catalog by 20 percent to 30 percent in 2009 and delivering a targeted message to more than half of the names.

One of our goals is ensuring that new customers are exposed to our entire portfolio of offerings. So when someone new is acquired through Shop.NHL.com, for example, we will turn around and send him a targeted catalog when this is appropriate. Having a reservoir of names that you can use in as many places as possible is what makes any business successful.

Deliver: Do you have a favorite piece of direct mail that you’ve personally received?

Cooper: I’ve always been a fan of what Land’s End does. Really being able to tell a story and romance a product is something the brand has done well over time. This is something we aspire to do around the right products.

Also, I recently received an insert card from an entertainment magazine asking me to subscribe. I’d been feeling unable to connect with entertainment as much as I’d like. Plus, the price was great and the creative was clever. There was a big, glossy image that hit on all themes in the magazine — music, movies, books and popular culture. That’s really all you need to do: Hit the benefits, hit them hard and make sure the visuals play off of that.

Deliver: Do you have a direct mailer that you hold onto for some reason?

Cooper: I grew up a big sports fan, so I like sports nostalgia. There’s this direct mail piece from a football helmet maker that showcases collectible mini helmets from the 1970s, and I think it is great. The company must have gotten my name from some football list, but other than that it’s not a very targeted piece. Still, the uniqueness of the helmets and the nostalgia attached to them takes me back to a moment in time, which is why I keep the piece.

Interview by Pamela Oldham

Deliver® recently caught up with Dr. Samir Husni, the University of Mississippi professor and lecturer widely known as “Mr. Magazine,” to discuss the future of branded print marketing communications.

In the second of our two-part interview, Husni talks about what the future holds for catalog marketers and what custom publications must do to remain relevant in an increasingly digital and eco-conscious world. (Read the first part of the interview here.)

DELIVER: What’s ahead for catalog retailers?

SAMIR HUSNI: We’re going back to the psychological aspect of “wishing.” The whole mentality has changed from something that is nice to have to something that is needed. Even when you look in the catalogs and see the designs and then weigh the offers, they’re now based on need as well as want and desire.

DELIVER: Is catalog messaging changing?

HUSNI: Some of them are trying to be more magazine-ish. The Avon brochure, for instance. They’re introducing a little article here and there, like Lands’ End. They’re trying to be part of that experience, trying to create the experience so it’s not like they’re just selling. Instead, they’re [saying], “We’re giving you advice, we’re giving you tips, and we’re helping you.” It’s putting a human touch on those brochures. If there is one major change that is taking place right now it’s that we are humanizing catalogs. It’s not, “Here’s A, B and C.” We’re now telling you, “Here’s A, B and C — and B might look much better on you.” The more we humanize catalogs, the more we add to the brand experience, the more we add to that sense of community and sense of belonging.

DELIVER: How can catalogs be more relevant?

HUSNI: What we want to see even more than just relevancy is the catalog must become like a magazine. I don’t want somebody sending me a message on every page that says, “Go to the Web. Go here. Look here. See how this looks, here, there and there.” I want my brand experience within that catalog to remain there until I want to order something. Then send me to the Web [to buy].

DELIVER: You’ve talked about the comeback of the print catalog. What kind of environmental challenges does this highlight?

HUSNI: We need better education because there’s this myth that catalogs, that paper, all that stuff is hurting the environment. What about the batteries that we are using [to run] our laptops? What about the electricity that we are spending? At least magazines and catalogs can be recycled. I have five laptops sitting at home. What do I do with these things? It’s good to care about the environment, but we need to educate our public rather than just say, “We’re going green.” And why should we be the only ones going green? A laptop is not essentially the best environmental answer to the catalog.

DELIVER: Are you seeing any particularly exciting innovations in printed corporate marketing communications?

HUSNI: Now is the time for innovation. To me, the first step in innovation is focus. Give me something that will stop me in my tracks. When I see my name on every ad or I see something in the ad that specifically talks about Samir, that stops me. Technology is enabling ideas. We can easily afford to create five design covers of the same magazine now, based on different demographics and psychographics of five different audiences. We can experiment with new textures. There’s a book that came out in Germany, for instance, that is made of edible paper. We have chips we can put into magazines that talk to you. The problem is a lot of us are still using whatever innovation comes out in the marketplace for the sake of innovation, and that’s the biggest mistake we can make. I want to create and come up with innovative ideas that make my product a must-have rather than a nice-to-have.

DELIVER: Any other final thoughts?

HUSNI: One of the things that I really believe we’re going to be seeing more and more in the future is putting all that data we have to better use. We have to create this feeling that we are visiting with you, that I am your best friend and you can’t wait to come see me so we can talk about things that interest you and that I have the answers for. That’s why content is so important. We have to be in the business of selling content because content is our conversation with our audience, and we have to be the ones who start that conversation. The customer has all the questions. [They’re saying], “I’m waiting for you to start the conversation with me and start answering my questions.” Any piece of media that comes to me that does not start the conversation is one I consider to be a failure.

Interview by Pamela Oldham

Want to sell more products and services through your print pieces? Maybe you should stop trying so hard to simply sell.

That’s the advice of Dr. Samir Husni, one of the nation’s most highly regarded authorities on modern magazine publishing. Known widely as “Mr. Magazine,” Husni serves as director of the Magazine Innovation Center at the University of Mississippi School of Journalism, where he is also professor and Hederman Lecturer. He maintains his own Web site, authors an annual guide to new magazines and conducts regular interviews around the country about contemporary publishing.

Deliver® recently talked with Mr. Magazine about the direction of custom magazines, catalogs and other printed communications vital to the marketing mix. In the first part of a two-part interview, Dr. Husni urges CMOs to view print marketing as a matchmaking function, one in which their publications focus less on the hard sell and more on fashioning a unique, relevant and seductive experience. Read the second half of the interview with Dr. Husni here.

DELIVER: What role do branded communications, especially magazines, play in helping companies meet marketing objectives?

SAMIR HUSNI: One of the latest trends today is what we refer to as the “grand experience,” that engagement process we used to have in the good old days — before we surrendered that time to the Internet and computers, when people received a magazine and immediately felt they were a part of a community. The magazine in hand is an experience that you enjoy as you flip the pages, as you engage with that magazine and as you lose yourself in reading it. If the audience is clearly identified and the relationship between the audience and the brand is the best matchmaking effort, then we have a very successful effort. Every time somebody loses themselves within that experience, you know they become addicted to it — and therefore will become users of that brand.

DELIVER: Are there companies that produce quality branded communications?

HUSNI: There are, but it depends on the magazine and whom it aims to target. A good example is Mine, the customized magazine created by Time Inc. and Lexus. Mine offers a mix of articles that reflect my lifestyle. The minimal amount of ads within the magazine show me the new Lexus RX, but are customized to speak to me, without being intrusive. I believe that good journalism helps market good products. When you have branded content, you must know who your audience is and try to create a relationship with that audience. Take some time to study the lifestyle and values of your audience. I always say that we’re no longer in the business of counting numbers. Now we’re in the business of finding customers who count.

DELIVER: What’s the role of “customer” publishing in the marketing mix today?

HUSNI: We’re lagging behind Europe and other countries in custom publishing. I am glad you mentioned customer publishing because I have been one of those people who have been trying to push the American custom publishing industry to add the “E-R” to custom publishing. “Custom publishing” is a good term, but “customer publishing” is an even better choice because now, we are laser-targeting the product to that specific customer. matchmaking

Marketers are in the business of reaching a very specific audience. Who else [but custom publishers] can create something that is specifically targeted to the needs, wants and desires of that customer? That’s why I use the word “matchmaking.” Who is better than a custom publisher at being a matchmaker between the brand and the user of the brand?

DELIVER: In your view, what is the state of catalog marketing? Should marketers think of catalogs as similar to magazines?

HUSNI:Anything you hold in your hands and can view with your eyes evokes a different response in your brain than just looking at your computer screen or touching something. It’s the combination of our sight and sense of touch — those two senses create a completely different reaction that makes us view things differently. So that’s why catalogs are making a comeback. They declined when everybody said, “Oh, let’s put all the catalogs online.” But more and more companies discovered that the more [print] catalogs they cut, the less traffic they pulled to their online sales sites. So they are now using the catalog as the means to put the brand in your hands and then [to get you to] go online to order. Human beings love that sense of ownership. We want to hold something in our hand and say, “This is my Lands’ End catalog,” “This is my Cosmopolitan magazine.” You can never say anything on the Web is yours, including your own Web site. We want the sense of calling it ours; this is mine … showing it, displaying it on our coffee table, throwing it in the recycling bin; doing whatever you want to do with it because it’s yours.

DELIVER: You spoke about the need to engage customers so they immerse themselves in the brand and lose themselves in the pages of a magazine. Is that also true of catalogs?

HUSNI: It’s a shopping experience. I’m one of those few people who do not actually believe in this myth of a separation of “church” (editorial content) and “state” (advertising goals) in magazines. When people pick up a magazine, they are looking as much at the ads as they are looking at the articles. So when it comes to a catalog, it’s one big shopping experience. It’s like you are strolling along Fifth Avenue and you are seeing all these products in front of you. You’re flipping pages until something stops you. Then you either go online to order it or you take a second look or a third look or you show it to somebody. That doesn’t happen on the Internet as easily. [With a print catalog], you can flip through and go back and forth easily without having to squeeze your eyes or tilt your head back to see the screen better or any of that. So it’s not only psychological; it’s physical, too.

By Pamela Oldham

When Jessica Paindiris became marketing director for industry-leading Massey Knakal Realty Services, she found herself taking on a customer communications problem that wasn’t just strategic — but frustratingly systemic, too.

“We had more than 75 brokers among three offices in the New York City metro area, each using three or more vendors for direct mail printing and distribution, all doing their own thing. Nothing was consistent,” says Paindiris, who joined New York’s top building sales firm two years ago.

The bookkeeping nightmare was just as bad, according to Paindiris: “Our accounting department had to chase down back-up for hundreds of invoices.”

DIY Direct Mail

To increase efficiency, Paindiris turned to a solution whose popularity has rapidly spread among many corporate marketers: a Web-to-print program, essentially an online and automated prepress process. Aided by MSP, a direct mail marketing company in Freedom, Pa., she installed a program that allowed each broker to create his or her own Web-to-print direct mail pieces tailored to specific clients.

Each broker gets a customizable online template. The template can be changed according to corporate standards, guidelines and size of the piece. From there, brokers choose targets from either their own mailing list or from a preloaded database.

Efficient and Convenient

Once approved, the pieces are printed and in the mail within two business days — a far cry from the several days that it often took for traditional print programs to get rolling. “Previously, they spent hours and hours just labeling postcards,” recalls Paindiris. “Efficiency has definitely improved.”

Automated invoice and payment features in the program add to its convenience, says Christopher Wright, director of sales and marketing at MSP. “Time is money,” he says. “MK corporate personnel were spending dozens of hours chasing down invoices and receipts, and that cost has been eliminated because the process has been completely automated.”

Enterprise-wide Web-to-print solutions allow marketers flexibility while also remaining consistent with corporate branding and messaging, Wright explains. And, the savings can be significant, he says. “You’re printing on demand, printing as it’s needed. There’s no waste, no obsolescence, no hidden costs.”

Saving on Time, Money and Storage Space

The savings on design fees and other labor costs eliminated by the Web-to-print effort can be significant for a major company like Massey Knakal — whose brokers mail between 50,000 and 75,000 pieces a month. Wright and his clients are reluctant to provide specifics on the savings they’ve realized, wary of tipping competitors. However, Wright tries to sum it up by repeating an old adage:

“Time,” Wright says, “is money.”

Storage space is money too, another concern minimized by Web-to-print. In the past, experts note, companies that managed centralized direct mail and printing programs for multiple operating units — including franchises and individual sales representatives — commonly printed large numbers of “shell” materials. These materials sat in a warehouse waiting for future customization and distribution.

But the expected cost savings was quickly negated by the expense of rapid inventory obsolescence, program inflexibility and service issues. The long lead times required for even modest customization led users to abandon corporate and franchise policies and take their printing elsewhere — especially those in intensely competitive environments where speed is as valued as cash.

By: Vicki Powers

The free calendar has been a marketing staple for as long as anyone can recall, a branded thank-you extended by businesses ranging from banks to fast-food chains to car repair shops. Now cable TV provider Comcast has made the old new, crafting a recent mail campaign that integrated the time-honored calendar with a fresh digital twist.

Just before the year began, Comcast began sending out branded calendars to customers in select areas in hopes of engaging its audience via bold graphics and some money-saving offerings. The calendars are filled with coupons for on-demand movies and discount offers on Comcast digital video recorders. They also provide links to free software and invitations to create a personalized link on a Comcast Web site.

Comcast also cleverly tied in monthly events or holidays with a message that promotes Comcast products. For instance, on the date a pro football championship was to be played, the message on the calendar read: “Enjoy the big game in Comcast HD.”

Breen says the calendar — which was mailed to customers in several states in the Northeast and Midwest — is largely a gesture of appreciation, but it also allows the cable giant to communicate more intimately with its audience about the value of the cable service. “We’re happy with what our customers have bought, and we want them to get the most out of what they have,” says Karen Breen, vice president of marketing strategies for Comcast’s North Central Division. “This is really important in tough economic times for people to realize the value they have.”

The calendars also allow Comcast the chance to educate recipients about its array of offerings beyond its cable service. “Direct mail enables us to have more room to say what we want, and we do leverage it quite a bit,” notes Breen. “We were trying to think of an innovative way to talk about our product benefits and features that would have a life and context to it.”

In the first few months of the campaign, Breen says, anecdotal feedback has suggested that the effort will prove fruitful. Customers have called Comcast to get their own calendars and are also asking to be added to the mailing list for next year’s version.

As the year progresses, Comcast will track redemption of the on-demand video coupons, which are sprinkled throughout the calendar, to determine how many calendars are prompting consumer action. Breen says the company will also study Web traffic to determine how many calendar recipients are being driven online.

Breen says the idea for the calendar grew out of a series of creative direct mail pieces that Comcast designed in 2008, featuring bold graphics that promoted the Comcast user experience. Many of those images were included in the calendar.

In addition to the mailings, the calendar was also used as a free-standing insert in newspapers and given away at Comcast service centers in the targeted states.

As media become more fragmented seemingly with every new technological breakthrough, today’s multi-channel marketers often find themselves struggling to make the platforms work in unison. And though many fail, a growing number of brands are indeed figuring out how to successfully integrate their communications outlets — and the payoff has been sweet.

Clothing manufacturer Fair Indigo is among those that have tasted the success of a winning multi-channel effort — and now executives are craving more.

Not very long ago, the company, which specializes in clothing made in non-sweatshop factories, kicked off a multi-channel balancing act with staggering scope. Fair Indigo launched a Wisconsin retail store, a robust Web site and a catalog — all at the same time.

Rob Behnke, the co-founder and president of the company, says one of the big reasons for the simultaneous launches is that he and the other founders figured that starting the channels together would make it easier to integrate them. Given that each had experience in different marketing channels — “We have all done one or many channels,” Behnke explains — they believed they could get each one up and running without harming the others or giving one more importance than the others.

“What we learned in looking back is that, when you launch one channel and then another, you’re working with the infrastructure that was built for the first channel,” Behnke notes. “The new channels often take a back seat. What ends up happening is the store experience becomes an afterthought experience. We could easily see ourselves falling into that trap, and we wanted to create the best experience in each channel from the start.”

Meanwhile, they integrated the platforms by utilizing the same order-entry system for catalogs and the retail store as for the Web site. In doing so, Behnke and his partners have ensured that customer information is stored centrally irrespective of the channel that gleaned it. (The company also offers a call center where customers can make additional purchases; however, this wasn’t started at the same time as the store, site and catalog.)

The order-entry system also lets Fair Indigo salespeople bring up a customer’s purchase history across the three platforms. This allows the company to better tailor future offers to that customer.

So far, the system has served the clothing maker admirably. For example, the catalog has consistently posted strong response rates and, from 2007 to 2008, Behnke and his partners grew it by 74 percent. Further, Behnke estimates that about 8 percent of shoppers who visit the retail store are drawn by items in the catalog. And once in the store, Behnke points out, shoppers are also more likely to add on to their catalog order with “impulse” buys of chocolates, coffee, jewelry or other small items.

But Behnke warns other marketers, even those who have proven equally adept at multi-channel balancing acts, that cultivating customers via each channel and remembering to value each channel equally remains a challenge.

“It’s a natural tendency to say, ‘These customers are [more profitable] than these customers because we make more money from them,’” Behnke says. “At the end of day, we really have to make sure we treat every customer and every channel equally.”

INFORMATION BOX

Fair Indigo at a Glance

* Mails its catalog to 3 million households annually.

* Estimates that 5 percent of in-store shoppers bring a catalog in with them, and that another 3 percent who come in without the catalog have still been driven by it to the store.

* Grew its catalog circulation by 74 percent from 2007 to 2008.

By: Paul Gillin

If you’re like many mid- to large-sized businesses today, you’re probably experimenting with online customer communities. But smart marketers realize that no single channel should be relied on to reach consumers. So we’ve decided to offer a few tips for those of you looking for fresh ways to mix your mail, digital and other media to promote an engaging marketing message.

Remember: In these new forums, community is content. By leveraging contributions from your customers and promoting interactive features on your Web site, you can revitalize direct mail content. Consider, then, these 10 ideas:

1. Make a direct-mail piece a membership card to your exclusive community – Mail recipients a unique code they can use to gain access to a members-only area with exclusive offers and information.

2. Surprise them with pertinent mail offerings — Despite what some think, Web-savvy customers do enjoy relevant mail offerings. Drive members from the computer to the mailbox by letting them provide their mailing addresses in exchange for special offers – coupons, product samples, etc. — made exclusively through the mail.

3. Get members to nominate their friends - Every page on your website should have an option for visitors to share it with a friend. Expand that with the option to key in a mailing address. Members of your community can nominate friends to receive a membership card by mail or kick off a members-only coupon.

4. Create a contest – Invite members to write a slogan, upload a photo or share a relevant video. Use direct mail to invite prospects to go online, submit their entries and see what others have contributed. Arouse their curiosity and let members provide the content.

5. Turn contest entries into direct mail – Have members of your online community vote on content, such as photos submitted by other members. Publish winning entries as a calendar and send it out via direct mail.

6. Create a greeting card promotion – People love to send greeting cards to their friends, so make it part of your ongoing campaign. Give members a palette of creative greetings with images and slogans that relate to your business. Enable them to personalize the greetings and specify a mailing address. You do the mailing.

7. Stage special online-only events – Drive direct-mail recipients to an interactive webcast or chat session with your CEO or a product-line visionary. Only visitors with the special tracking code on the mailer can participate. That makes the event special and gives you a way to track response.

8. Rock the vote – Customers like to learn what other customers are thinking. Launch a survey or poll and promote it to your mailing list. Recipients can vote online and register to see results. You can even distribute results as a mailer.

9. Tease them – Post a “Top Ten Tips” list and promote some of the items via direct mail. Drive recipients online to see the tips they missed. You can do the same with winning entries to a contest or even with advice submitted by your members.

10. Take to the airwaves – Start a series of audio or video podcast interviews with thought leaders in your field. Burn the first five recorded programs on CDs and mail them as promotions. Invite recipients to visit your website and register to subscribe to future programs

By looking to your growing online community as a source of material, you can unlock treasure troves of new content to feed your direct-mail campaigns.

Paul Gillin is an author, speaker and writer who advises businesses on online marketing. He is the author of The New Influencers: A Marketer’s Guide to Social Media and the newly-published Secrets of Social Media Marketing.

By: Joseph Jaffe

Convergence is very often a losing value proposition. History is littered with countless examples of failed attempts to bring two seemingly opposite items together. The car-boat, for example, lives large in secret agent movies and that’s about it. And your TV–VHS–microwave combo is probably best left for an auction online … in about a millennium.

Perhaps the only documented example of a successful convergence is the clock-radio, which would be super-relevant — if people still listened to radio.

This brings us to modern marketing, where attempts at convergence abound. Recently, there have been rumblings in the new marketing world from some agencies that have begun to combine “social media” and “search.” They hail it as a step forward. But if you ask me, it’s a largely surprising — and even perplexing — move that signifies much of what is wrong with the industry today.

Let me explain …

Social media — or, as I refer to it, conversational marketing — is not always visible to the untrained eye. Indeed, many word-of-mouth conversations happen offline (face-to-face); they are not measurable and are very difficult to qualify. In the digital arena, it’s all too easy to fall into the trap of “too much information.” We measure because we can, when in reality we might not be measuring the right things and/or in the right way.

There is no question that one tangible outcome of social media success is high organic search-engine rankings. Search engines reward relevance, and contemporary consumers place more emphasis than ever on trusted, credible conversations among their peers. That doesn’t mean, though, that we should oversimplify the cause and effect to be the shortest distance between two points.

Ultimately, the skill sets required for success in social media and search are more different than alike. Recognizing their similarities is crucial, but reorganizing based on them is conceivably shortsighted.
Either way, it is incumbent upon us to continue to look for new synergies, without necessarily trying to streamline the process to a fault.

Joseph Jaffe is president and chief interruptor of crayon, an advisory group.

By: Joseph Jaffe

In my latest book, Join the Conversation, I predict that by 2012 we’ll see organizations with newly created “conversation departments” dedicated to dialoguing with customers. I talk about a Chief Conversation Officer, who could very easily replace or trump the oft-beleaguered Chief Marketing Officer. I outline a time when all customer conversations are essentially unified under one roof.

Why?

Perhaps one of the biggest failings of marketing — and I apologize if I seem to be singling out the direct marketers here because, in fact, I’m not — is that it is too focused on acquisition. Time and time again, we seem to ignore our lifeblood, our existing customers, in favor of the elusive “masses.” We’re constantly tripping ourselves up in fine-tuning calls to action, offerings and offers, instead of dividing our attention between those who might buy us and those who already do.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not calling for an end to the practices that you hold so near and dear. Rather, I’m challenging all of us to find a new balance between — no, a better of way integrating — the demands of acquiring customers and the challenges of retaining them.

I’d even take it one step further by truly delivering on the promise of integration, which means connecting the dots. If we can discover a bridge between prospects and loyalists, perhaps we can then uncover marketing’s true sweet spot.

If you think about it, we already have in some ways. Some call it “word of mouth,” others “viral marketing.” Still others refer to it as “buzz” or “influencer outreach.”

At the end of the day, it’s about rewarding those who might be enticed to join our conversation without alienating or neglecting those who are already true to the brand.

Today, loyalty is frivolous and fleeting. We marketers are constantly being tasked with reinvention and revolution and are only as strong as our last transaction or customer interaction. By committing to conversation, we can take significant steps toward spanning the chasm that separates “us” from “them.”

I can think of one major computer manufacturer that is living this and delivering against this value proposition on a daily basis. Its executives have discovered the power of conversation — not just monitoring, but indeed effective response and responsiveness. Every customer complaint, compliment, question or concern deserves and mandates our time, our effort, our investment.

As I tell my son, “Take the wax out of your ears and start listening.” You’ll be overwhelmed in both the best and worst possible ways. And your professional life will never be the same.

Joseph Jaffe is president and chief interruptor of crayon, an advisory group.

By: Lekan Oguntoyinbo

As media channels fragment, so do the architects of the campaigns designed to utilize those channels. Where once companies allowed a lone agency to develop and execute a campaign across numerous media channels, a growing number of businesses are now using multiple agencies to cultivate various aspects of the same campaign.

Take, for example, recent moves at Turner Sports, which provides sports programming and entertainment for a wide range of fans. In expanding its offerings for stock-car racing enthusiasts, Turner Sports has worked to calibrate marketing pitches made on a recently developed Web site for car enthusiasts with a catalog that offers assorted racing paraphernalia.

Traditionally, this would mean the brand turning to a single agency to help craft the message. But as new portals emerge, brands are finding that many of the traditional agencies aren’t doing the same quality work as, say, smaller, newer shops. As a result, brands like Turner are now using multiple agencies to drive its messages home.

In Turner’s case, the company farms out work on the racing Web site to Datran Media, a New York digital marketing solutions provider. Meanwhile, it’s in-house marketing team develops the catalogs. In some instances, a third agency may be brought in to handle TV or mobile media.

Though this “multi-agency” model isn’t completely new, the trend appears to be picking up in recent years. Many forward-looking brands have realized that not all agencies are equally equipped to handle the new channels. Sure, a major marketer may know traditional outlets such as TV, but may not have the chops to do great digital work. And the smaller boutique agencies may come up with great marketing ideas for new media, but may find themselves lost navigating the particular challenges of, say, direct mail.

Meanwhile, the company also uses select direct marketers to help fulfill its strong commitment to mail.

“My philosophy on direct mail is, don’t get thrown away,” says Norman Miglietta, director of marketing and advertising of new media for Turner Sports. “The second is to get them to open it up. The third is to get them to take action. We offer three different ways for them to do this. They can go online, call an 800 number or fax in an order.”

As a result, many companies are now seeking specific expertise in a channel.

“We are not a traditional ad agency,” says Sean O’Neal, chief marketing officer of Datran Media. “We don’t just offer media planning and buying. But we offer a capability that most ad agencies don’t – inbox marketing capability.”

Marketing tips for attracting post-recession consumers

By Paula Andruss

Two years ago, consumers bought McMansions with no money down, racked up historic levels of credit card debt and indulged their coffee habit daily. Today, they’re more likely to opt for a downsized home, paid-down debt and a cup of joe they brewed themselves.

Whether you think the recession is over or not, there’s no doubt it has taken a toll on consumers’ purchasing habits. Most aren’t spending as freely as before, and many are learning to be happy with less.

But the news is not all bad for marketers. New research from Communispace and Ogilvy & Mather Chicago suggests that while post-recession consumers may continue to keep a tight hold on their wallets, there are new consumer characteristics emerging that marketers can tap into to drive sales.

How consumers have changed
The Communispace and Ogilvy report, which gathered consumer insights in the fourth quarter of 2009, found that consumers who embraced frugality plan to continue in that vein. Seventy-eight percent believe the recession has changed their spending habits for the better, with only 21 percent saying they personally will go back to spending like before the recession hit.

“Historically the pattern has been that Americans spend their way out of a recession,” says Manila Austin, Ph.D., Communispace’s director of research and co-author of the study. “But we heard people saying they weren’t going to do that this time. Consumers are more aware and also more cautious.”

Chris Fedorczak, brand planner at The Richards Group branding agency in Dallas, agrees that consumers have become cautious, and says that trend is unlikely to change soon.

“People are more conscientious and deliberate when it comes to financial matters than they have been in years,” he says. “This behavior will not quickly evaporate.”

To entice frugal consumers to buy, marketers would do well to focus on value in their messages. The study found that while 92 percent of respondents are using coupons, 91 percent are shopping at discount stores and 90 percent are buying more store brand or generic products, those shoppers are typically not willing to sacrifice quality for price. Buying fewer but higher-quality products was preferred by 73 percent of respondents vs. 27 percent who said they’d go for a larger number of lower-quality items.

“It’s not enough to simply shout about constant sales or gimmicky promotions,” Fedorczak says. “Marketers need to understand their customer’s nuanced sliding scale of value, and they need to position their brand within that range to be most relevant. Price is always a component, but it’s rarely the only consideration.”

That idea rings true for Danny Wong, marketing manager of Blank Label, a Boston-based provider of men’s dress shirts that consumers “co-create” with the manufacturer by choosing their own colors and design elements.

Wong says many of the company’s customers say that they previously shopped mass brands or visited their local tailor and paid upwards of $150 for a custom shirt, and they appreciate the fact that Blank Label allows them to co-create a shirt that’s made to fit them in both size and style, all at a more economical price.

“They’re impressed by the value as well as the innovation,” he says.

As a result, Blank Label is pushing the concept of co-creation as a marketing and branding strategy, a tactic Wong says has been good for business.

“People are looking for value, and when they hear about co-creation at a cost similar to what they’re already paying, they think it’s special and different,” he says.

Redefining the American dream
Making purchases that are special to them also reflects another consumer trend emerging from the Communispace and Ogilvy study, referred to as the “reincarnation of the American dream.”

More than 90 percent of respondents say they would rather have respect from family than status, as well as have a smaller house without a big mortgage than a big house with a mortgage to match. That means personal relevance may become even more important as marketers reach out to their customers.

“The last few years have been challenging, but they have helped people clarify what is truly worth it, and what they will — and will not — do for money,” Austin says. “People still want things, services, experience; but they are seeking to align spending with their personal values.”

Fedorczak adds that the American dream never died — it’s simply being redefined. “People will no longer lust after the lifestyle of the Joneses,” he says. “Instead, they will carefully examine what makes them truly happy before they buy.”

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Demography Is Key to Survival

By Sandra Beckwith

When a coveted upscale retailer finally opened a store at the Eastview Mall in Rochester, N.Y., last January, the mall’s marketers wasted little time using the event to lure well-heeled patrons from across the entire state.

“This was a great opportunity for us to expand our market reach,” says mall marketing director Marie Karasinski. “We knew that certain shoppers outside our immediate market would want to know they could now shop at this store in person, instead of online or by traveling to New York City.”

While the local promotion for the store opening focused on publicity, Karasinski chose direct mail to reach out to shoppers in high-income ZIP Code™ locations in Buffalo, 90 miles to the west, and in Syracuse, 90 miles to the east. An 11-inch by 11-inch postcard announced the store opening and also trumpeted a popular outdoor apparel retailer slated to debut inside the mall six months later. Nearly 15,000 of the oversized postcards were mailed to a total of nine ZIP Code locations in the two distant markets.

The postcard’s size assured that it stood out in a homeowner’s mail — but the real features were in its messages: Each piece included driving directions from the recipient’s community to the mall. The nine sets of driving directions — one for each ZIP Code location — were generated on the design end; the printer handled reproduction and mailing. The direct mail piece also offered shoppers a complimentary cup of coffee from a popular mall kiosk near the new retailer’s location.

“Direct mail gave us a more targeted reach than other mediums,” says Karasinski. “We could use our market research to reach the person who might be willing to shop here, or one who already does and would want to know about the new store.”

While Karasinski declined to discuss the specific results of the campaign, she says both the mall and the upscale retailer have warmly embraced the effort. “They way exceeded their goals for the opening,” she says.

By Steve Cuno

If you’re a marketing-agency client, you’ve likely heard the axiom “Clients get the advertising they deserve.” If you haven’t heard this, either you don’t get out much, or creative people mind their tongues when you’re around — although only someone who doesn’t get out much would even entertain the latter possibility.

The axiom about clients has endured since “Anonymous” first iterated it. But does it hold water? I was a client myself the first time I heard it, and I didn’t much care for the sound of it. It seemed as if agencies were trying to blame their failures on … well, me. Now, after 30 years of working on both the client and agency sides, I believe Anonymous was onto something.

There is no need to assume that, by “the advertising you deserve,” Anonymous meant only bad advertising. If your agency delivers work that you like and that nails objectives, good for you. You deserve it.

But you also deserve it if your agency persistently misses the mark. Even if you have an incompetent agency (they’re out there), you’re not off the hook. When advertisers complain of “always having to redo the agency’s work,” I answer, “That either means you have a lousy agency, you’re a lousy client or both.” It only sounds untactful. In reality, it is generous. I could say, “Either you won’t fire a bad agency, you can’t resist tinkering with good work, you give poor direction, you’re just plain mean, or a combination of the above. In any of these cases, you’re a lousy client and you get the advertising you deserve.”

Let’s take these criticisms in reverse order.

You’re just plain mean — Put bluntly, you like to bully and no agency will please you. Sadly, you may have little motivation to change, since your agency and your employees earn their living acting as if they like you.

You can’t resist tinkering —It is appropriate for you to point out bona fide errors for the agency to correct. Tinkering is another matter. I once sat for 30 minutes while a client mulled changing “happy,” which was buried in body copy, to “pleased.” Another client stopped a press to remove a period after a headline. Another, who wanted justified type but couldn’t abide hyphens, tied up an art director with endless kerning. Another delayed a direct mail launch in order to personally select the standard rate stamp we were to use.

Obsessive-compulsive tinkering has little or no effect on sales, but works wonders for sapping morale and driving up costs. Here are two recommendations before questioning whether the agency is up to snuff:

1. Know what matters. You will not increase sales by changing “like” to “such as,” enlarging the logo or avoiding the use of a preposition to end a sentence with. (Yes, I meant to do that. And it didn’t kill you.)

2. When you evaluate creative work, ask yourself, “Though I might have nuanced it differently, does the approach work?” If it does, get out of the way and approve it.

Learn to let go, or your advertising will never rise above what you would have done on your own—which rather negates the point of hiring an agency, and results in naught but the advertising you deserve.

You give your agency poor direction—The cure is a solid strategy. With your agency’s participation, define your target market, objectives, incentive offer, key claim, copy points and overall tone. This provides a stationary target for your agency. Hold to it when it’s time to evaluate work.

You will also help the agency immensely by being upfront as to the inner workings of your organization and the personal agendas of decision influencers.

You won’t fire a bad agency — Bringing on a new agency is a big project. Moreover, dismissing the old one can cost good people their jobs. So first, please be sure the problem isn’t you. Review the above-referenced points with all the self-honesty you can muster. Otherwise, you may only trade hampering one agency for hampering another.

If the evidence points to the agency, level with the shop’s principals. Explain your frustrations. Lay out expectations. The agency may share concerns as well. Together, decide if it’s worth another try. Beyond that, if the need for a change becomes abundantly clear, face up to it. Any client that does nothing to improve its agency’s performance, yet refuses to replace it, gets the advertising it deserves.

If you’re getting great work out of your agency, pat yourself on the back: It is the work you deserve. But if you’d like the work to improve, it’s going to be up to you to deserve it.

Steve Cuno heads the RESPONSE Agency in Salt Lake City. He is a popular speaker and is the author of the book Prove It Before You Promote It: How to Take the Guesswork Out of Marketing (John Wiley & Sons). E-mail him at Steve@ResponseAgency.com. Read his blog at http://www.responseagency.com

By Bruce Britt

It’s the question every business is now forced to ponder: how to steer through a long, crippling recession? Those seeking authoritative, real-world advice would be wise to consult the brass at Ford Motor Co.

In late 2008, just as a brutish economic downturn was blindsiding the American auto industry, Ford began a monthly market share surge that would prompt the company to boost 2009 production by 16 percent. Now, having dodged the consumer retrenchment that helped throw its U.S. competitors into turmoil, sales are up and Ford has former naysayers examining the company’s efforts for clues to success.

Of course, when the auto crisis exploded into full national view last year, many observers thought that Ford, the second-largest of the Detroit Three, would be the hardest hit. However, it has been Ford’s two domestic rivals that have suffered more. One’s CEO was canned by the President of the United States. The other automaker was sold to foreign interests. Both were recipients of large (and somewhat unpopular) government-funded bailouts that required drastic job cuts and plant closures. And even with the bailouts, both still were forced into Chapter 11.

Meanwhile, Ford has steadily moved toward recovery. The company refused the bailouts (a marketing coup in itself as it enhanced the impression that Ford’s circumstances weren’t as dire as others’.) And though Ford has certainly had its battles — the domestic auto industry has lost more than 400,000 jobs in the last decade — the company has avoided bankruptcy and other ugly public episodes that have befallen competitors. And more significant, Ford has begun to enjoy renewed success. In August, it reported that sales of new cars and trucks had edged up 1.6% in July from a year earlier, fueled by the government’s “Cash For Clunkers” program. The rise was the first year-over-year monthly sales increase for a Detroit automaker since January 2008.

Even a cursory peek under the hood of Ford’s success reveals some obvious keys to its reemergence: decisive leadership, innovative new vehicles and a streamlined lineup. An integrated marketing strategy has boosted Ford’s public perception and allowed the company key opportunities to recast the conversation about its products.

This is because, along with helping to bump sales, the marketing campaigns have also helped create an impression that Ford is stable and poised to ride out the recession. While other carmakers are forced to grapple with consumer fears about their solvency, the value of their warranty guarantees and the impact of foreign ownership, Ford is able to talk about its cars and trucks.
“Our biggest challenge is to improve favorable opinion and consideration,” says Ford senior director of marketing Matt VanDyke. “We’ve got to demonstrate to consumers that they need to put us on the shopping list. People know Ford, but they don’t know about the independent studies that show our quality is equal to, or better than, (foreign cars and trucks). So we’re inviting people to explore what we offer.”

Mixing in Mail

In extending this invitation, Ford has blended a range of marketing media in an effort to maintain a running conversation with a variety of consumers. Its marketing efforts have included massive Web portals, e-mail campaigns, personalized URLs and well-timed direct mail campaigns aimed at holding the brand faithful and luring competitors’ customers. Ford officials think the conversations have helped lead to conversions. “When we develop integrated marketing campaigns for model launches, direct mail is a key ingredient for us to be successful,” says VanDyke.

Tapping its customer database, Ford communicates with consumers who opt in based on Web site preferences or showroom leads. Most recently, Ford used direct mail to promote the 2010 Fusion. “We’ve looked at Ford sedans owners and those likely to be downsizing from bigger vehicles,” VanDyke says. “We reach out to those model owners and inform them about the Fusion, and invite them to come in and test drive and experience it.”

Another weapon in Ford’s direct mail arsenal is my FORD magazine, an opt-in, branded overview publication. “People want to know what we’re doing as a company, and (my FORD) provides a lot of that information,” VanDyke says. “It’s an incredibly efficient direct marketing tool that allows us to offer people our new product information in advance, general customer interest stories and private offers to generate additional sales for our brands.”

VanDyke says Ford customers consistently relate to the importance of direct mail. “Over and over, people tell us that when they print out pictures from our website on their personal printers, it doesn’t have that same emotional connection as the pieces we craft for projects like my FORD,” VanDyke says. “We will continue to make those pieces because customers continue to want it.”

A World of URLs

But customers also want the benefits of digital marketing components, and Ford is blending the Web into its marketing practices to satisfy them. According to VanDyke, more than 80 percent of Ford customers go online before they go into the showroom, which could explain the company’s pervasive online presence. At the company’s main site, consumers can spec out models, build and price vehicles and watch rich videos to experience and understand the product.
“What we find is that with the Internet, we can really provide the information people want while capturing the information they want to share with us,” VanDyke says. “By the time people show up in the showroom, they know exactly what they’re looking for.”

In July, the company launched www.fordvehicles.com, which also highlights the benefits of its cars and trucks. An additional site, www.fordstory.com, includes information about the company, sustainability, green technologies and other topical issues.

The company also recently launched letfordrecycleyourride.com, a site dedicated to explaining Ford’s role in the “Cash For Clunkers” program, which lets consumers trade in less fuel-efficient cars for vouchers toward more eco-friendly rides. Ford augmented the site’s message with more than 4 million direct-response mailings that further explained how customers could take advantage of the program. The four-page, 10”x6” foldover mailers included information on new Ford products eligible for the federal program, along with eligibility requirements, local dealer information and a reminder that the government program can be combined with Ford incentives. The mailers were followed up with additional postcard and e-mail appeals.

Ford has mixed its Web and mail efforts with social networks, too. “We allow people to aggregate the (digital) content, share it with their friends and Facebook pages and learn how to follow us on Twitter,” says VanDyke. “With all this, we’re still scratching the surface in the kinds of things that we can do.”

Momentum in the Marketplace

Early indications suggest that the marketing push is working even better than some might have expected. Analysts and consumers have taken notice of the leaner, meaner Ford. Beginning in 2007, the company received more initial quality survey awards from J.D. Power and Associates than any other automaker. As of July ’09, Ford’s market share had improved eight out of nine months. The Ford Fusion posted 2008 sales of 147,569 (June 2009 sales were 18,561 — a 26 percent increase over a year ago). “We’ve got dealers and customers demanding more,” says VanDyke.

Still, Ford isn’t done. Says VanDyke: “There’s a really positive sense of accomplishment here, but it’s far from satisfaction.” He says that carmakers have to continue to fight negative perceptions by getting messages out to customers through whatever channels work best. He points to Ford’s promotions of the government program as an example of how good marketing can aid industry recovery — and he’s particularly impressed with a more traditional element of the campaign. “The reason direct mail is such a great way to do this is because it’s targeted,” he says. “It’s personal and it’s relevant explicitly to the people we are able to reach out to.”

By Paula Andruss

The recession is over.

That’s right, I said it. Whether you agree, of course, is up to you and the economic indicators you trust. But I’m hardly alone in my declaration. From news journals on Wall Street and politicians in Washington, D.C., to Web sites dedicated to high finance, sightings of economic “green shoots” have abounded, as have suggestions that the worst of the downturn is behind us. And even pessimists who disagree still concede that the slowdown probably won’t continue too much longer.

So what do you do when prosperity returns? I raised this to the Harvard Business School’s John Quelch — who recently blogged on marketing after the recession — to get a better handle on how brands can survive the current climate while arming themselves for the recovery. We agreed that you should consider these actions for when the economy bounces back:

• Get up close and personal. One-to-one marketing is a necessity. Use personalized marketing via mail, e-mail and social platforms — and ideally a combination of all three — to stay close to existing customers and reinforce their commitment to your brand.

• Identify customers least affected by the recession. Focus on the recession-resistant part of your market and use the extensive info you have on your existing customers. That way you can come out swinging when recovery arrives.

• Determine how your customer has changed. Consumers have rethought brand loyalties and spending habits. Direct mail is easily measurable, so use your pieces to test which messages they’re responding to now.

• Stick to your core. Evaluate your brands to determine which have suffered least and focus your post-recession resources there. Now is not the time to experiment — wary consumers want what they already know. Put rebranding and expansions on hold until people are more comfortable.

• Rally the troops. Motivate and incentivize your employees to deliver a positive experience for consumers reentering the market. Educate them on any changes you’ve discovered about your customers since the recession began.

• Practice cost-effective courting. Look to social platforms, e-mail and direct mail to drive prospective customers when normalcy returns. Mail catalogs containing extensive information on a suite of products in lieu of one-off promotions.

• Take advantage of the fire sale. Leverage recession-inspired bargains before they vanish. Printers have likely lowered their prices, and contractors are eager, available and ready to deal, so ask for a discount.

• Get moving — now. Boost your marketing efforts now. If you wait for a proclamation that the rebound is officially here, you already will be behind. People will think of you first if you’re out there when the economy does pick up.

Paula Andruss is a Cincinnati-based freelance writer. Her work has appeared in Marketing News, Crain’s Chicago Business, WomensWallStreet.com and Work.com, among other places. She also runs her own Web site, paulaandruss.com.

By: Pamela Oldham

In a tight economy, donor dollars tend to shrink and, like private sector companies, many nonprofit organizations adjust by cutting marketing costs. But with lives potentially riding on their efforts, marketers at Susan G. Komen for the Cure — the organization dedicated to ending breast cancer — can never afford to simply cut back.

So, instead of just shrinking budgets, Komen for the Cure expanded its reach.

Several months ago, even as the economy was worsening, the group partnered with publishing powerhouse Meredith Corp. for a fundraising campaign that perfectly matched the two organizations: A direct mail subscription offer, dubbed “Read for the Cure,™” gave consumers a deep discount on magazines and an easy way to support a significant cause. Ten percent of the subscription prices benefit Komen.

“What Meredith brought us was a unique platform that extended beyond their own titles,” says Karen White, director of corporate relations for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. “They came to the table with a variety of titles and publishers and a strong donation structure that provides consumers with an easy way to support the cause.”

”Read for the Cure” performed 400 percent over projection in the test phase — delivering a $40,000 contribution to Komen. Meredith had initially guaranteed $10,000 in conjunction with the program, White says. For the next phase of the program, Meredith has guaranteed a minimum donation of $100,000 and will be adding an option for consumers to donate to the cause in addition to ordering magazines.

“We just received preliminary results from the first of two mailings Meredith will do this year,” White says, “and the program should totally eclipse that $100,000 donation.”

Marketing the Fight for the Cure

Begun 27 years ago when Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer, Susan G. Komen for the Cure is today a global movement. Its trademark pink ribbon has become iconic, an almost universal symbol of support for breast cancer research. Further, the Dallas-based organization is the world’s largest grass-roots network of breast cancer survivors and activists and its largest source of nonprofit funds for the fight against breast cancer.

Corporate partnerships have long played a major role in Komen’s success. Pink ribbon logos are found on a myriad of branded products, from kitchenware and yogurt to cruise ships and credit cards. These partnerships and sponsorships enabled Komen to invest an additional $55 million in research in fiscal year 2008.

The group leverages multiple marketing channels and counts mail among its most effective, says Tabetha Leinweber, director of direct marketing for Komen. For instance, she credits staple campaigns such as the group’s mailing label program with raising awareness as well as money. “People start calling us, telling us they want to be on the list to receive labels,” Leinweber says. “They want to know when the next mailing is coming out. The success of our label program allows us to generate donations, educate and increase brand recognition, and keeps Komen for the Cure top of mind with our donors.”

Targeting Together Works Wonders

Des Moines–based Meredith Corp. has teamed with Komen to sponsor initiatives such as a local Komen Race for the Cure® fundraising event to print commemorative “pink” issues of select titles.

“[Teaming up] with Komen is a natural partnership for our company because virtually all our titles are marketed to women,” says Jon Macarthy, consumer marketing director at Meredith. “Read for the Cure grew out of our trying to find other ways to use Meredith’s core competencies in direct marketing.”

Macarthy says the challenge wasn’t selling magazines. (Indeed, some of the titles offered through Read for the Cure aren’t even Meredith publications.) “The bigger hurdle was taking our expertise in selling a single or maybe two products in combination to more of a catalog approach,” he explains. “It was kind of a new animal for us.”

But even with the economy in the doldrums, marketers at both Komen and Meredith agree that the stakes in the breast cancer fight are too high for them not to push hard on campaigns like Read for the Cure (the disease strikes 1 in 8 women in the United States alone).

“There is a sense of urgency here, and that’s driven by our founder,” says White. “We are like people on fire. We have to get it done because there are so many people counting on us to find the cures and then deliver them.”

By Steve Cuno

Sometimes intuition serves us well. When it warns us to step away from a snake making a rattling sound, to keep our distance from the edge of a cliff, or not to eat something that smells rotten, I have to concede its value.

But experiencing too many right intuitive hunches in a row has its down side. It can lead us to believe that our first reactions are always right. In marketing, where people don’t always act the way you might expect, too much reliance on intuition can lead you to sabotage your own results.

The intuition wars

Veterans of what I like to call “intuition wars” know what I mean. For soldiers yet to visit that particular front, here’s an example: When a respected private college asked my agency to recruit MBA students, an intuition war erupted the moment we presented them with a classic direct mail package. According to the college representatives’ collective intuition, no one would read a four-page sales letter; the copy style was too … too … “marketing-y”; and, given the cost and value of an MBA, a $25 gift incentive would not lure, but insult, intelligent candidates.

Hopefully, I needn’t defend to you the value of long copy, compelling language and a strong incentive offer. But I had to defend it to them. At that moment, more than a hundred years of proven direct response tactics went up against the intuition of an entire college faculty, including marketing and advertising professors. Who were we to argue with all of those PhDs?

But argue we did. We convinced the client to let the four-page letter stand — “marketing-y” style and all — and to test the gift offer by sending it to half of the mailing list. In the end, the version with the gift offer produced eight times as many applicants as the version without. Moreover, this was the college’s most successful mailing ever. To its credit, college administration continued mailing the winning version (albeit grudgingly). In return for a modest investment in printing and postage — and for suspending intuition long enough to count results — the college enrolled millions of dollars’ worth of tuition-paying students.

Five tips for unleashing your marketing

Had the college’s collective intuition prevailed, the result would have been an unwittingly sabotaged campaign. This suggests some important lessons for all of us:

1. Be cautious of hunches. I realize that this advice flies in the face of what some apostles of New Age thinking preach. But the fact is, marketers who rely on their gut alone take an unwise risk. Consider the professor from a noted university who “knew” that there was no demand for an overnight delivery service, or the business machines leader who “knew” there was no value in personal computers. If you believe that your intuition is always right, it’s more likely you have simply failed to note the misfires.

2. Beware your comfort zone. Classic direct mail techniques are often the antithesis of popular advertising, and can make newcomers uncomfortable. But it’s important to remember that established direct mail practices became established by proving their worth, not by retreating to comfort zones. So rather than ask, “Is the headline cheesy?” — whatever “cheesy” means — ask, “Is this the kind of headline that experience shows tends to work?” If the answer is yes, tell your comfort zone that you’ll be staying someplace else for a while.

3. Trust what works for other direct marketers. When I was new to this business, I correctly surmised that what direct marketers repeatedly mail must have been working. I imitated what I saw — upbeat copy, short paragraphs, engaging leads, a killer PS, double-indented paragraphs, underlining, and strong calls to action — and response grew. Today, libraries and bookstores abound with publications revealing what works in direct mail. Study and imitate the winners.

4. Conduct your own tests. Proven techniques notwithstanding, every case is unique. What’s the best way to present your product? What incentive will motivate the most response? Which headline and layout work best? These are not questions of opinion, but of discovery. Embrace classic direct mail strategies, but test and measure the particulars.

5. Trust results. I still cringe when I recall a client for whom we tested three direct mail approaches. When his favorite lost, he declared the test invalid. “I know my customers,” he said. “They like what I like.” On the contrary, he didn’t, and they didn’t. Don’t decide what works. Let your customers show you.

Intuitive hunches are part of being human. While they often serve to keep us safe in a natural environment, they can sabotage us in the not-so-natural marketplace. You are wise to heed your intuition when it advises against petting a rabid coyote. But when it tells you that proven direct mail methods are unprofessional and will not work, I suggest politely overruling it.

Steve Cuno heads the RESPONSE Agency in Salt Lake City. He is the author of the book Prove It Before You Promote It: How to Take the Guesswork Out of Marketing and is a popular convention speaker for the Direct Marketing Association, the American Marketing Association, the James Randi Educational Foundation and others. He can be reached at Steve@ResponseAgency.com.