Recent Direct Marketing Association (DMA) research indicates that direct marketing is becoming increasingly important to brand-building. "DM News" published this article: Lines between DM and brand marketing blurring: DMA.
From the article: "Direct marketing’s scalability, measurability and undeniable ROI has moved it to the forefront of all marketing, including branding,” Eugenia Steingold, senior research manager at the DMA and author of the report, said in a statement."
Well, of course! Isn't it much easier for a CEO or CFO to allocate marketing funds to programs that are measurable? Again, it's easier to justify programs that you can quantify with real numbers that prove the marketing investment paid off--either in new customers acquired, new sales made, or new relationships forged.
More from the article: “The findings of our latest report show that direct marketing tactics designed to increase consumer awareness and action are ubiquitous — from URLs on all marketing materials to 800 numbers, to calls-to-action in TV, radio and print ads — and across every other type of marketing media”
It's so gratifying--I remember years ago when I had to fight to get an 800 number included in a print ad. The creative types at the "general" ad agency simply didn't want to ruin the integrity of their art-work. Ha--it's nice to be proven RIGHT.
In all seriousness, this integration of brand and direct marketing just makes sense.
"The report examines how direct marketing and brand building are being integrated in today’s multichannel environment to increase response rates, sales, profitability, and brand awareness."
And, just how big of an impact does DM have on marketing, overall? "Respondents report 64 percent of their marketing dollars are allocated to DM and 36 percent go to mass marketing. Nearly 70 percent of brand marketers rate personalization as having a positive or strong positive effect on brand, and 64 percent rate targeting as having a positive or strong positive effect."
Bottom-line: Direct Marketing and all the tools associated with DM is the backbone of today's marketing world.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Friday, June 8, 2007
Using Mobile Marketing for Social Networking
The Coca-Cola Company is hoping its new mobile site for social networking, Sprite Yard, will become the MySpace of the cellphone world. This is reported in an article from Commercial Alert.
Over the past 2 weeks, we've discussed Mobile Marketing a lot. Well, Coca Cola is about to dive into this area-- head-first -- with their new mobile site. According to Mark Greatrex, Senior VP for Marketing Communications and Insights of Coca-Cola, "People will type in codes from Sprite bottle caps to redeem original content, like ring tones and short video clips called mobisodes. Recently, one of the most redeemed prizes from Coca-Cola promotions has been virtual clothing and furniture to use in virtual online worlds." Yes, we now have other worlds for our alter-egos (i.e., Second Life) to vicariously live through. Coca-Cola is definitely using cutting-edge marketing here.
It will be interesting to see how widely and quickly Sprite Yard is adopted by teens. Not many big companies have been brave enough to do this to date, and those who have tried have had mixed results. For example, BudTV (introduced by Anheuser Busch last February with original content), is cited by the article as having lagging web traffic.
However, the fact that Coca-Cola is the first to really commit to using mobile as part of their marketing mix is a good sign that this may become a viable channel for direct marketers. Kudos to Coke for being pioneers in this exciting new space!
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Save the Environment--with Direct Mail?
Want to save the planet? Start by cleaning up your direct marketing
Marketers are realizing that by re-examining data hygiene, they can help their company reduce its environmental footprint
This is the title and description of a recent article in BtoB Magazine. Interesting take and rationale behind why direct marketers should ensure that their list is as clean as possible prior to mailing.
From the article: "Results of the 2007 ImagePower Green Brands Survey, released in May, demonstrate a shift in attitudes about environmental issues—in short, they're no longer on the fringe. Nearly all Americans display environmentally friendly attitudes and behaviors compared with a year ago. The online survey of more than 1,500 U.S. residents, conducted by WPP's Landor Associates; Cohn & Wolfe; and Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, also found that corporations are increasingly expected to ensure their business practices are sustainable.
In light of such evidence that "green" is moving mainstream, marketing's proverbial four "Ps"—product, price, place and promotion— may soon be joined by a fifth: protecting the planet."
Well, whatever rationale it takes--it just makes good sense to make use of the data hygiene and customer data integration (CDI) processes available to us today. It may be time to examine today's practices to make sure that your process is as up-to-date as possible, that you are using the latest technology that will result in the cleanest possible data.
Let us know if you'd like our white paper on data management. We provide an overview of tools and practical list cleaning advice.
And, heck, you can even pat yourself on the back--you're doing your part to save our planet :)
Marketers are realizing that by re-examining data hygiene, they can help their company reduce its environmental footprint
This is the title and description of a recent article in BtoB Magazine. Interesting take and rationale behind why direct marketers should ensure that their list is as clean as possible prior to mailing.
From the article: "Results of the 2007 ImagePower Green Brands Survey, released in May, demonstrate a shift in attitudes about environmental issues—in short, they're no longer on the fringe. Nearly all Americans display environmentally friendly attitudes and behaviors compared with a year ago. The online survey of more than 1,500 U.S. residents, conducted by WPP's Landor Associates; Cohn & Wolfe; and Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, also found that corporations are increasingly expected to ensure their business practices are sustainable.
In light of such evidence that "green" is moving mainstream, marketing's proverbial four "Ps"—product, price, place and promotion— may soon be joined by a fifth: protecting the planet."
Well, whatever rationale it takes--it just makes good sense to make use of the data hygiene and customer data integration (CDI) processes available to us today. It may be time to examine today's practices to make sure that your process is as up-to-date as possible, that you are using the latest technology that will result in the cleanest possible data.
Let us know if you'd like our white paper on data management. We provide an overview of tools and practical list cleaning advice.
And, heck, you can even pat yourself on the back--you're doing your part to save our planet :)
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Partnering for Real
Tonight at the gym, I ran into an old friend who works for Gartner. Everyone knows of Gartner, Accenture, Deloite . . . etc. As consultants, we compete against them on different types of consulting gigs and we see them at many of the conferences we attend.
As we worked out, I asked her how it was going over at Gartner. She smiled and said, "I love my clients -- most of them." She went on to outline that it is sometimes difficult to get the "right" relationship established with your clients. There are lots of reasons: personalities, core competencies, corporate cultures, etc. And sometimes, despite all of the best intentions, it just doesn't work out.
We've thought about this topic a lot -- and thank our lucky stars every day for the clients that we work with on a daily basis. We've established some great relationships over the years, and hope to continue to do that over time. In fact, we even developed a partnering guide called Creating the Best Partnerships.
This is definitely an important topic. Picking the "right" partner for your important projects can make or break a marketing database, a multi-channel strategy, and can impact your bottom-line profitability. Our wish for you is to always pick the best partner for the job -- and one that ultimately helps you achieve your marketing goals.
As we worked out, I asked her how it was going over at Gartner. She smiled and said, "I love my clients -- most of them." She went on to outline that it is sometimes difficult to get the "right" relationship established with your clients. There are lots of reasons: personalities, core competencies, corporate cultures, etc. And sometimes, despite all of the best intentions, it just doesn't work out.
We've thought about this topic a lot -- and thank our lucky stars every day for the clients that we work with on a daily basis. We've established some great relationships over the years, and hope to continue to do that over time. In fact, we even developed a partnering guide called Creating the Best Partnerships.
This is definitely an important topic. Picking the "right" partner for your important projects can make or break a marketing database, a multi-channel strategy, and can impact your bottom-line profitability. Our wish for you is to always pick the best partner for the job -- and one that ultimately helps you achieve your marketing goals.
Poor Data Quality = CRM Failure
This article from BtoB Magazine, How marketers can make the most of CRM data, hits home with RRW. I think the technical term is called "preaching to the choir".
It emphasizes how a CRM implementation can never be a success if the underlying data is of poor quality. If names are old and addresses are bad, CRM system users will NEVER trust that system. And, they won't use it. What a waste of (a ton) of money.
From the article: "Cleaning existing bad data can require a great deal of time and effort, so company leaders who have invested time and money into a new system can be prone to ignore the importance of fixing the bad before bringing in the new. If these data are not taken care of in advance, they will be transferred to the new system and can completely defeat the purpose of upgrading. CRM often involves a significant investment and a substantial amount of employee training, so if you're not using a new system to its full advantage, you'll only end up hindering your business."
The great news is that traditional direct marketers have developed tools to address data quality. Heck, we had to--who wants to pay postage on mail that can't be delivered? So, we are positioned to be key players in CRM installations--we have the expertise, the vendor contacts and the knowledge of appropriate data hygiene and customer data integration technology.
RRW has written a white paper that speaks to the importance of data quality and also provides an overview of the various tools available. Let us know if you'd like a copy.
It emphasizes how a CRM implementation can never be a success if the underlying data is of poor quality. If names are old and addresses are bad, CRM system users will NEVER trust that system. And, they won't use it. What a waste of (a ton) of money.
From the article: "Cleaning existing bad data can require a great deal of time and effort, so company leaders who have invested time and money into a new system can be prone to ignore the importance of fixing the bad before bringing in the new. If these data are not taken care of in advance, they will be transferred to the new system and can completely defeat the purpose of upgrading. CRM often involves a significant investment and a substantial amount of employee training, so if you're not using a new system to its full advantage, you'll only end up hindering your business."
The great news is that traditional direct marketers have developed tools to address data quality. Heck, we had to--who wants to pay postage on mail that can't be delivered? So, we are positioned to be key players in CRM installations--we have the expertise, the vendor contacts and the knowledge of appropriate data hygiene and customer data integration technology.
RRW has written a white paper that speaks to the importance of data quality and also provides an overview of the various tools available. Let us know if you'd like a copy.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Social Shopping the next "In" Thing?
As we discussed on Friday, our monthly newsletter (which will be distributed today) will highlight the world of Mobile Marketing. I learned a lot in the 6th Annual Global Mobility Roundtable sponsored by USC's Center for Telecommunications Excellence this past weekend.
One of the topics that is closely intertwined with Mobile Marketing is Social Networking. Obviously, the wireless phone is becoming another way to interact with friends, business and all types of social networks. The concept that drives this is Web 2.0 -- as defined by Wikipedia, "a social phenomenon embracing an approach to generating and distributing Web content itself, characterized by open communication, decentralization of authority, freedom to share and re-use, and the market as a conversation."
In a post by Mitch Joel of Twist Image, he points out that a new social network is taking hold -- Social Shopping. In fact, Joel feels that by looking at how far online social networking has come in the past few years gives us a realistic indication of where Social Shopping is headed in the very-near-future. Joel states, "If we’re currently doing it to find other like-minded people who have similar interests, what makes you think we would not do the same thing to find others who are similar to us in terms of our commercial interests … especially if the price becomes more attractive as the social shopping network grows."
As direct marketers, we need to pay close attention to this rapidly growing phenomenon. It will change how our customers interact with us, and those who change their marketing paradigm quickly in order to embrace it, we believe, will become direct marketing leaders within their industries.
Jump on board!
Friday, June 1, 2007
Mobile Marketing - The Next Big Thing in DM
US MOBILE APPLICATIONS MARKET EXPECTED TO REACH $9.0 BILLION BY 2011, SAYS COMPASS INTELLIGENCE
That's $9 Billion, with a "B". This from new research from Compass Intelligence, a market analytics and research firm.
More from the article: "This year US businesses are expected to spend an estimated $3.8 billion on mobile applications, which include mobile and wireless-based custom-coded and packaged applications, including productivity, Enterprise Resource Planning, Email, CRM, security applications, and more. This market is poised for double-digit annual growth into 2011 and is primarily targeted to improve productivity and collaboration across businesses."
RRW Consulting believes that mobile applications and technology will enable and create a valuable new channel for direct marketers. We look forward to adding mobile programs to our arsenol (that already includes standards like direct mail, outbound telemarketing, e-mail and Interactive marketing). We hope that our clients will be some of the early adopters and hit the ground running when the right tools and services are in-place.
As a new homeowner, I was dreaming just yesterday of how wonderful it would be if while shopping madly in Linens and Things for new towels to match the color of my new bathroom, an umbrella for my new patio, window coverings (have you seen how expensive they are???), etc, etc, I received a text message on my cell phone offering me 15% off of my purchase. Not only would I have whooped for joy, but I can guarantee you that I would have spent more time, and money, in that store. The icing on the cake: Linens and Things would have had a loyal customer for life.
Now, that's the power of direct marketing. And, it's the power of direct marketing fueled by mobile technology.
Look for more on this concept in RRW's June Newsletter. Nancy is attending (today) a conference on the topic. She'll come back full of good ideas and the latest news on mobile marketing that we'll be sharing with our colleagues, in our newsletter to be published on Monday. Let us now if you'd like to be added to the distribution. You can sign up on our website.
And, have a great weekend. I know I'll spend it shopping and fixing up this new house.
That's $9 Billion, with a "B". This from new research from Compass Intelligence, a market analytics and research firm.
More from the article: "This year US businesses are expected to spend an estimated $3.8 billion on mobile applications, which include mobile and wireless-based custom-coded and packaged applications, including productivity, Enterprise Resource Planning, Email, CRM, security applications, and more. This market is poised for double-digit annual growth into 2011 and is primarily targeted to improve productivity and collaboration across businesses."
RRW Consulting believes that mobile applications and technology will enable and create a valuable new channel for direct marketers. We look forward to adding mobile programs to our arsenol (that already includes standards like direct mail, outbound telemarketing, e-mail and Interactive marketing). We hope that our clients will be some of the early adopters and hit the ground running when the right tools and services are in-place.
As a new homeowner, I was dreaming just yesterday of how wonderful it would be if while shopping madly in Linens and Things for new towels to match the color of my new bathroom, an umbrella for my new patio, window coverings (have you seen how expensive they are???), etc, etc, I received a text message on my cell phone offering me 15% off of my purchase. Not only would I have whooped for joy, but I can guarantee you that I would have spent more time, and money, in that store. The icing on the cake: Linens and Things would have had a loyal customer for life.
Now, that's the power of direct marketing. And, it's the power of direct marketing fueled by mobile technology.
Look for more on this concept in RRW's June Newsletter. Nancy is attending (today) a conference on the topic. She'll come back full of good ideas and the latest news on mobile marketing that we'll be sharing with our colleagues, in our newsletter to be published on Monday. Let us now if you'd like to be added to the distribution. You can sign up on our website.
And, have a great weekend. I know I'll spend it shopping and fixing up this new house.
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