Case Study Monday: Responsys and Intrawest

As many of you know, the National Center for Database Marketing Conference (NCDM) was held last week in Las Vegas! For our Case Study Monday, we wanted to highlight the winners of the 2007 NCDM Database Excellence Award in MultiChannel Marketing. This year it went to Responsys and Intrawest for delivering a "winning customer experience through e-mail, direct mail and call center." That's what we call a slam dunk!

Here's their success story as outlined in Marketwire:

Responsys, a leading global provider of on-demand email and marketing automation solutions, and Intrawest, the world leader in experiential destination resorts, announced today they have won the prestigious National Center for Database Marketing (NCDM) Database Excellence Award for outstanding achievement in the Multichannel Marketing category.

The winning "Destination Countdown Campaign" was selected for a Silver Award from hundreds of highly qualified direct marketing initiatives based on originality, customer centricity and measurable results. The groundbreaking campaign targeted resort visitors with a perfectly timed sequence of high-impact, highly individualized email and direct mail communications, and significantly boosted resort bookings and customer loyalty for Intrawest.

"Intrawest understands that great marketing involves delivering a difference at every customer touch point and across multiple channels," said Scott Olrich, Chief Marketing Officer, Responsys. "It is exceedingly rewarding to work with leading resort company Intrawest to set a new standard for sequenced multichannel communications that drive sales and positive brand sentiment. We are thrilled to share this NCDM award honor with them."

Intrawest developed the groundbreaking Destination Countdown Campaign in order to deliver the best customer experience to travelers from around the world. The company designed a triggered marketing campaign to offer lift tickets, ski schools, ski rentals and activities to customers who had made a reservation through the web site or Intrawest call center. Customers received highly targeted emails prior to the check-in date that were tailored to their individual purchase profile and familiarity with the resort. The messages included snow reports and useful information regarding weather conditions and transportation services. Post-reservation, the program sent personalized direct mail and email campaigns to ensure customers were satisfied with their resort experience and to secure return visits.

"As a leading owner and operator of North America's most exciting resort destinations, it's important that we interact with our customers in ways that work best for them," said Randy Cuff, Director, CRM Development, Intrawest. "This means that we need to leverage all the necessary channels in a way that is relevant to each customer. Responsys helps us develop smart multichannel marketing campaigns that drive huge increases in sales and customer loyalty."

Organized jointly by DIRECT Magazine and the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), the NCDM Database Excellence Awards are presented during this year's NCDM conference in Las Vegas, December 10-12, 2007. The awards, which are judged by leading experts in the field of database marketing, honor organizations that have demonstrated ingenuity and creativity in leveraging their marketing databases.

Kudos to both organizations for utilizing multiple channels to create a winning customer experience!