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by Craig DePole
Competition is stiff – new mail solicitations arrive every day. Through the mailbox or the inbox, organizations must build a connection with their donors right from
the star t to begin a long and fruitful relationship. Here are seven ways to improve your welcome package … and ulti-mately improve retention.
1. Make it timely. The surest way to tell your donors you care is to thank them right away. An email “welcome” should be almost instantaneous. In the mail, it should take no more than two weeks. Donors, and especially baby boomers, are all about instant gratification. Technology makes it possible to get that “welcome” out in less than two days at a reasonable cost. Imagine the warm feelings you’ll create when that acknowl-edgment arrives promptly. Your mother would be so proud!
Publication of the Direct Marketing Association of WashingtonMarch 2010 Vol 49 | No 3
Marketing AdVents
How Welcoming Is Your Welcome Package?
2. Make it personal … and not just in the salutation. The welcome let-ter should be welcoming. This letter is about the donor and should sound like an individual wrote it – not an organiza-tion. Just think how that acknowledg-ment letter would read if this were the only donor who gave to you all year. A teaser on the outer envelope or the subject line in the email that says “wel-come” is not enough.
3. This is not a test. The package should not rattle off a series of facts and figures about your organization: “We have 27 regional offices, serve 250,000 individuals, had 1 million visitors.” Instead tell the donor a story about how the organization has made a difference in one specific region. Tell about one person whom you served and why that matters. Remind the donor what impact your organization had on one visitor and its correspond-ing rippling effect. If you can capture the work of the organization in a story or a photo, you will make it easier for the donor to connect with the organization.
Lenticular is a powerful print-ing medium
that captivates view-ers. It is a printable plastic that enables the printed piece to display flip, multi-phase, or morphing animation, and even 3D images. Lenticu-
lar does not require the viewer to use any special glasses or viewers.
The use of lenticular for direct mail is not yet widespread. The primary factors con-tributing to this are a lack of familiarity with the processes required to produce effective pieces and a higher cost than conventional paper pieces. The higher cost makes it a good fit for campaigns with a high customer value.
Lenticular Direct Mail Gets Attentionby Kevin naughton
• The Power of Lenticular:Research conducted on the impact of len-ticular magazine inser ts found that these ads grab and retain the attention of read-ers longer than traditional adver tising. Customers viewed them five times longer and spent 85 percent more time reading the rest of the ad compared to the non-lenticular version.
Viewers of the lenticular ad rated the test product—an automobile—higher across the whole range of product per-ceptions tested. They were more likely to select the adver tised product as their first choice in the category. Viewers of the lenticular ad were more likely to use the adver tiser’s toll-free number and website to get more product information.
DmAWef ............................................................... 2
PResIDenT's PeRsPeCTIVe ...................... 3
fuLL-seRVICe Imb ........................................... 4
DIReCT DIGITAL mARKeTInG ............... 5
PRoDuCTIon 360 ........................................ 6
enVeLoPes CounT .................................... 7
PRoDuCTIon .................................................. 9
PosTAL DeVeLoPmenTs ...................... 11
LooKInG GReAT In DIReCT .............. 11
neWs noTes ................................................. 12
A LoVe / HATe THInG ............................. 13
@bRIDGe ConfeRenCe 2010 ........... 14
VoLunTeeR sPoTLIGHT ..................... 15
Mailing and Fulfillment
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Attendees at the educational foundation’s “Professors’ In-stitute” on January 6 heard about the future of direct marketing from stan Rapp. one of our industry’s most
successful and prescient leaders, stan co-founded Rapp Collins Worldwide and is now chairman of engauge, the Atlanta-based, full-service marketing agency with exper tise in the areas of digital and interactive.
The informal dinner presentation was a streamlined version of the session stan presented at DmA09 in san Diego. In his talk, stan makes a strong case that, going forward, the merger of direct and digital lies at the core of what marketing will be.
In stan's view (and that of many industry observers), tradition-al adver tising—which is non-measurable and has been dominated by what stan calls the “media/agency/nielsen complex”—has wast-ed some $2 trillion in the 20th century. In shor t, with no engage-ment, no brand-building, and no Internet connection, stan describes 60 percent of print media adver tising as “garbage.”
In an interview with BtoB’s Chris Hosford, stan ob-served that, “It’s impossible to truly integrate all the channels that marketers must contend with, including search, email, mobile, and social … We’re putting media ahead of strategy, talking about how to run this mobile campaign or that email campaign … but where are the big ideas? no wonder Cmos are going crazy.”
stan’s solution is to package direct marketing into two “pil-lars”—digital and direct—a concept he dubs “iDirect.”
Stan Rapp Talks Digital and Direct by nanCy rathbun SCott
“Without interactive marketing, direct marketing will go under,” stan says. “The Internet gives direct marketing afford-ability and accessibility. Direct provides a framework of ac-countability and addressability. Put them together and we’re seeing the bir th of a new marketing discipline.”
With Tim suther, Acxiom Corporation's senior vice presi-dent of global multichannel marketing services, stan co-chairs The DmA’s new iDirect Leadership Committee, whose mis-sion is to “usher in the next era for marketing based on a new and emerging set of customer-focused actions and processes that can be powered by ad-vanced data systems.”
stan notes, “iDirect is the future of marketing. It is the growth engine at the confluence of digital and direct that en-ables customer engagement to drive a better RoI than ever before.”
stan acknowledges that, while iDirect is the future, no-body is precisely sure what it will look like. but the “perfect storm” would involve merging marketing across all channels, from online to offline, together in multi-variate, measurable touch points: mail, email, web, mobile, social, and CRm. “What has been mistakenly viewed as separate disciplines, to the detriment of both, actually are one and the same. iDirect is interactive, informative, insightful, individualized, innovative, iterative, and is grounded in what the Internet makes possible. It is the market-ing mantra of the digital era—the most responsive, affordable, and accountable solution in an intercon-nected world.”
saying the industry’s appreciation of direct’s dominance in marketing is “about time,” stan observes that the intersection of measurable direct marketing with the Internet “has made Dm affordable.”
The four fundamentals of iDirect described in stan’s new book, Reinventing Interactive and Direct Market-ing, are:• Data is the new black.• Optimization hinges on a 360-degree view.• Confluence of insight and media.• Accountability and execution.
In an energetic Q&A following stan’s remarks, longtime DmAW member Jim Doyle earned stan’s appreciation when he observed that, to the upcoming generation of iDirect us-ers, “i” has an even more centric meaning. Jim said, “To my 17-year-old son, the ‘i’ stands for ‘I’ -- as in, I get to chose the tunes I listen to, the video I watch, who I talk to, who my friends are.”
finally, in the new world of iDirect, stan sees plenty of new career options for those with direct marketing savvy. In inviting marketers to “live the life of the digital-era consumer and business customer,” stan suggests the likelihood of such titles as, “Chief Keeper-upper” and “Chief Conversation manager.”
To see The iDirect Revolution’s San Diego slide presentation, check out slideshare.com.
A Document Services Firm.
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• Presort and commingle services• Statement rendering and other time sensitive correspondence• Marketing and other outgoing document communications services• Premium-item based mail marketing capabilities
From acquisition packages to thank you letters, CMS assists many nonprofit organizations like yours. Let CMS be your single source for all your mailing needs.
CMS offers a full spectrum of services, all under one roof, to assist non-profit organizations in acquiring more donors, raising more funds and building stronger relationships. Partner with CMS to increase your response rate and return on investment.
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DMAW Executive Committee & Board of Directors 2010
Executive Committee
President—George Lizama, Production Solutions, Inc., 703-734-5700 [email protected]
Vice President and President Elect—Kristin McCurry, MINDset Direct, 703-538-6463 [email protected]
Secretary-Treasurer—Hilary Baar, The Lukens Company, 703-845-8484 [email protected]
Immediate Past President—Graham T. Ruffels, Victory Production Management, 215-272-5600 [email protected]
Board of Directors
Co-Chair, Programs—Vickie Norman, Rob-ertson Mailing List Company, 703-209-6320 [email protected]
Co-Chair, Programs—Robbin Wilson, Convergence Direct Marketing, 301-656-5516 [email protected]
Chair, Marketing—Suzanne Cole Nowers, Nexus Direct, 757-961-3220 [email protected]
Chair, Membership—Michael DeFlavia, Lautman, Maska, Neill & Company, 202-296-9660 ext. 14 [email protected]
DMAWEF Liaison—Alan Rich, Nova Label Co., 301-386-4433 [email protected]
Barbara Armentrout — Marketing General, Inc., 703-706-0337 [email protected]
Kathy Calta — Vertis Communications, 410-949-2267 [email protected]
Jaime Natelson — Avalon Consulting Group, 202-429-6080 ext. 106 [email protected]
Jean Simmons — Catholic Relief Services, 410-951-7458 [email protected]
DMAW Educational Foundation Karen Depew, Executive Director, 301-652-7074 [email protected] Fleishman, President, [email protected]
DMAW Executive Director Donna Tschiffely, [email protected], fax 703-481-DMAW
PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIvEby george lizama
We’re into the month of March. The Ear th begins its change in tilt, everything around us begins to thaw, and our companies are nearing the “turn” of
the year’s first business quar ter. And, your DMAW Board of Directors—both continuing members and new – is working to provide all of you in direct response a strategic, stimulating, and informative year.
DMAW Marketing AdVents: (ISSN 0896-4742) is published monthly by the Direct Marketing Association of Washington, Inc., 11709 Bowman Green Drive, Reston, VA 20190-3501. Periodicals postage paid at Herndon VA and at additional mailing offices.
Postmaster: Send address changes to DMAW Marketing AdVents, 11709 Bowman Green Drive, Reston, VA 20190-3501; email [email protected] • website www.dmaw.org
The DmAW and DmAW education foun-dation have committed to work more closely together this year, not only to speak with a consistent voice, but also to provide a stimulating array of programs and events. our audience is not just our current membership, but also the up-and-coming prospects entering the field of direct response. our association is the aggregator of insights, innovation, and best practices in our industry, but we must also reach out to a new generation of practi-tioners who will help to keep our indus-try robust and strong.
Although we’re only into “month Three” 2010, there is much to observe among you:
• The “wise” have gotten a sense of what the year may bring.
• The “foresighted” are planning and testing multiple, integrated modes of direct response in an effor t to find the synergies among multiple facets.
• The “pragmatic” are experiencing a spring awakening as they refresh their control packages with updated graph-ics and copy to maintain momentum.
• And, our industry’s new media prac-titioners are doing the same by in-troducing improved website graphics,
increasing the ease of website naviga-tion, and moving out into other new platforms.
updating, tweaking, refreshing, and simpli-fying with the hope of staying lean, effi-cient, and innovative is the prevailing first Quar ter strategy. It’s a lot like the clean-ing-up and cleaning-out of our own attics and garages—the ritual “spring cleaning.”
And so, this march issue provides in-formation for efficiency and housekeeping, including strategic and tactical advice on production, the u.s. Postal service, and the new tracking tool known as the Intel-ligent mail barcode or Imb. In addition, we have great sections on direct response strategy, insights into the growing field of fulfillment, and a technique called lenticu-lar direct response.
I want to thank those who continu-ally make the time and effor t to provide us ar ticles of great interest, relevance, and value. I hope that you will contact nancy scott and arrange to share your ideas with your fellow members -- good ideas, lessons learned and/or insights into any of the growing disciplines within our industry.
Here’s looking toward spring and “new life” in direct response.
DMAW has launched its Facebook page!
The url is http://www.facebook.com/pages/DMAW/176372976658
Please visit and become a fan! It’s a superb way to keep up with what’s going on and you’ll help us out because -- as soon as we get to 100 fans -- we can register our DMAW Facebook page and make it an easy-to-find, direct link.
Fan Us NOW!
Jointly Sponsored by DMAW and DMAWEF, the ceremony was held last December at National Geographic.
See www.dmawef.org for images from the evening's festivities.
Best of Direct 2009
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The move to Intelligent mail® bar-codes pushed by the u.s. Postal ser-vice is the most significant change in
recent postal history. Driven by the need to improve efficiencies and reduce costs, the Imb enables unprecedented transpar-ency that will help both customers and the usPs measure performance and track individual items throughout the mailing lifecycle.
The usPs provides two options for using the Imb—basic service and full service. The full-service option provides the best benefits, including the deepest postal discounts and free Address Change service (ACs™). Indirect benefits include item-level tracking and lowered complexity for additional services. Considering these, moving to full-service Imb appears to be the way to go for mailers.
Full Service requirements • Apply an IMB on all pieces with re-
quired fields and 11-digit delivery ZIP™.• Maintain uniqueness for mailpiece,
tray, and pallet identifiers for 45 days.• Submit mailing documents electroni-
cally (using mail.dat® and mail.XmL™).
Implementation strategiesThe right software and implementation strategy are impor tant to reduce head-aches and to maximize the benefits avail-able through full-service Imb. The Imb can be applied either upstream during mailpiece creation or downstream during the sor ting process. both strategies have their relative advantages and disadvantages, but downstream application of Imbs using a sor ter seems to be the easiest to imple-ment and easiest to manage.
Full-Service benefitsTo promote the use of full-service Intelli-gent mail barcodes, the usPs has provided several incentives that can significantly ben-efit mailers:
• Additional discounts—first-Class mail that complies with full-ser-vice requirements earns an additional discount of $3 per 1,000 pieces. standard
Full-Service IMB: What’s In It For You?
by george vargheSe
mail earns $1 per 1,000 pieces.• Free start-the-clock information—no-
tifies mailers when the mail was inducted into the postal network.
• Free ACS information—With basic service, the cost of ACs for first-Class mail is $.02 for the first two hits and $.08 for every additional hit. standard mail in-curs a cost of $.05 and $.10, respectively. but with full-service Imb, ACs information is free for the first 95 days for first-Class mail and 30 days for standard mail.
Additional, indirect benefits ACS and Confirm® ser vices are easier to use. full-service manages the uniqueness of the individual mailpiece. both ACs and Confirm can utilize this uniqueness to tie the response from usPs back to the indi-vidual pieces. The Imb specification allows ACs and Confirm services to be selected through the application of the right service code in the assigned fields in the barcode, eliminating the need for additional en-dorsements or markings.
No PLANET Code needed. for mailers hesitating to use Confirm services because of the difficulty of applying a PLAneT Code and/or the constraints on the design of a mailpiece, the Imb eliminates the need for the PLAneT Code.
Sharing mail with complementar y ZIP Codes™ between sites can significantly improve qualification levels and postage discounts. This will be valuable for those presor ters challenged by very large play-ers who are able to provide lower prices because of their higher volumes. even if there are no extreme competitive threats, sharing complementary mail can result in improved profits and/or reduced costs for mail owners and preparers, and can benefit the usPs as well by having more mail pre-sor ted to a deeper level.
Unique codes facilitate better mail tracking. because full service requires unique mail identifiers for 45 days, presor t-ers and mail preparers are able to trace mailpieces back to the mail owners. This is an impor tant component of a move up-date compliance strategy because the mail owners of non-compliant pieces can be identified, and appropriate actions can be initiated with them.
George Varghese is senior product manager at BOWE BELL + HOWELL. Based in Wheeling, IL, with operational centers in Durham, NC, and Bethlehem, PA, BBH is the recognized leader in the development of superior production mail
equipment and software technologies. For more information on Full-Ser vice IMb, download the free white paper, “Getting the Most from Full-Ser vice IMB,” at http://www.bowebellhowell.com/white-papers. Contact Eileen Sarro at 919-767-7625.
Intelligent Mail Barcode Specifics
by Allen Hepner
The Intelligent Mail Barcode is comprised of five fields:
• Barcode ID: an optional endorsement line.• Service type: indicates the class of mail and additional services.• Mailer ID: the six or nine digits assigned by the U.S. Postal Service.• Serial Number: non-unique or unique.• Delivery Point Zip Code.
Using the Basic IMB, mailers must populate these five fields to create a barcode that can qualify for automation rates for letters and flat mail.
Full-Service IMB has some additional requirements:
• First, unlike the Basic IMB, Full-Service IMBs must remain unique for a minimum of 45 days. This requirement is the difference between Basic and Full-Service IMB on the individual mailpieces.• In addition to having a unique barcode on every mailpiece, all trays, sacks, and containers must also have unique IMBs applied that remain unique for that same 45-day period.• The mailer must submit postage statements electronically, using a postal service-approved method such as Mail.dat or Postage Statement Wizard, and must also schedule appointments through the FAST system for drop-shipped mailings and all origin mail entered locally.
USPS Approval Is Required:
In order to qualify for Full-Service IMB and to receive additional benefits, the mail preparer must be approved by the Postal Service. Mailers using in-house resources to produce Full-Service Intelligent Mail must go through the same qualifying processes as lettershops, printers, and software providers.
Allen Hepner is director of sales of GrayHair Software Inc., an independent, enterprise-wide Confirm ser vice provider. Reach Allen at 856-924-2269 or [email protected].
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Deadline for registration: 48 hoursbefore the event, space permitting.Registrations received after thatwill be charged the onsite rate and are subject to space availability. Cancellations must be received 48 hours in advance. no-shows will be billed. Register online at www.DmAW. org and click on events, or mail with payment to DmAW.
Thursday, march 18 monthly networking Luncheon
national Trust for Historic Preservation1785 massachusetts Ave., Washington, DCmembers $30, nonmembers $45blackbaudRegister at www.dmaw.org/monthlyluncheon
monday, July 26 - Wednesday, July 28, 20105th Annual bridge to Integrated marketing & fundraising Conference
Gaylord national Hotel and Conference Center on the Potomacin national Harbor, mD
first Tuesday of each monthAnnapolis Direct marketers' socialeva bowie at [email protected]
Last Wednesday of each monthYoung Professionals networkingJenna silverstein at [email protected]
CALENDAR
by JoSh gorDon
In researching an upcom-ing ar ticle I’m
writing for Hotel Interactive about the less-is-more value proposition of good direct digital marketing programs for the hospitality indus-
try, I discovered a fascinating repor t from forrester Research’s Henry Har teveldt entitled, “Hotels Will Rely on the Web To survive 2010.” The repor t is a great read and gives plenty of context to the impor-tance of direct selling for hotels (though the value of direct selling is increasing in all industries right now).
The repor t also lightly touches on the value of social media for hotels. un-surprisingly, the inherent difficulty any company encounters in trying to acquire real, measurable profit from social media is present for hotels, too. selling directly to consumers is impor tant for business in any industry. but while social media may superficially appear direct, it does not deliver the results expected from direct communications with consumers.
one of the chief hurdles for com-panies seeking to make money by using social media actually comes from the various social media entities. offering services for free suppor ts rapid adoption and growth, which in turn creates bulg-ing technology costs for expansion and sustainability. Paradoxically, the value of social media for business is to leverage the audience that already exists, as hosted by the social media entity. If facebook or Twitter, for example, must begin charging the public for use, then businesses would be less inclined to adver tise or use social media because audience volume could be dramatically reduced. In shor t, it’s risky to ask consumers to pay to use social media. marketers gravitate toward eyeballs, and social media will have fewer eyeballs in a pay-for-use environment.
Social StillCan't Beat Direct Digital Marketing
Socially Direct?Interestingly, while social media seems to masquerade as a direct channel, its most broad application and usefulness is found in mass awareness. social media allows large numbers of consumers to interact with a single message, but creating profit from those interactions is still a cumber-some process and a drain on resources.
marketers must also remember that expectation-setting for any new marketing channel is vital from day one. social media still qualifies as a new marketing channel. A business that uses social media exclu-sively for creating awareness of special offers and discounts is only conditioning its “fans” to expect the same in any inter-action with social media. Therefore, any attempt to use social media in a different respect will likely be met with criticism and attrition.
The point is, when it comes to direct digital marketing and opening a direct line of communication with consumers, the primary direct digital marketing chan-nels of email, the web (specifically the website) and mobile are still the best bet for real, measurable profit. social media is tempting, but it is difficult to make a strong argument for its value as a direct channel.
Josh Gordon is director of marketing at Knotice (www.knotice.com), a leading provider of fully integrated direct digital marketing communications. Check out The Lunch Pail, a Knotice blog at http://lunchpail.knotice.com. Reach Josh at [email protected] or 330-922-0855, ext. 112.
The Right Mobile Phone App Offers Outstanding Connection To Your
Market.
On his January 28 “positive disruption” blog, marketer Tom Martin reports that the University of Texas has developed a mobile phone app that provides university news; sports; a president’s blog; GPS-enabled interactive maps; a directory of faculty, students, and staff at the university; and interactive maps of landmarks on the university grounds, complete with live audio links. Martin, who is a UT alum, calls the mobile phone app “a lifelong tether to the university.” Hmm.. worth considering.
Source: http://tommartin.typepad.com
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PRoDuCTIoN 360 by Cheryl KeeDy
• Conference Bag Stuffing• Collating• Notebook Assembly• Shrink Wrapping/
Poly bagging• Packaging• Applying Labels/Stickers• Folding/Inserting• Electronic Counting
• Banding• Gluing• Poster Rolling• Double-stick Taping• Multi-hole Drilling• Mailing Services• Mechanical Assembly• Ink-jetting• Customized Services
(301) 731-4242www.roiworks.org
Tell us to stick it!( or stuff it, glue it, fold it . . . )
2010_Sourcebook_Ad.indd 1 12/3/09 10:37:34 AM
booking air-line flights in advance ex-
emplifies the “val-ue” of planning ahead. Consider this scenario.
When you first star ted your search, eight weeks in advance
of your scheduled trip, you actually had a choice of the “best” air line flights. every-thing you wanted was available: a good price, direct flight, aisle seat, and no charge for the second bag. but you didn’t pull the trigger. four weeks later, your flight options were dramatically reduced, and you paid more for a connecting flight, reluctantly ac-cepted a middle seat, and returned a day earlier. You really weren’t surprised. This wasn’t the first time you threw away good money and settled for what was available, not what you wanted.
Production Schedules Function the Same Way. In our business, that type of “oppor tunity-cost” relates to what we can save with clear, careful, concise production schedules. In this economy, as we focus on ways to do more with less or work at identifying creative approaches to lift response, the production schedule often gets woefully ignored. sometimes we wait all the way up until the ar t has been pro-duced! but ignoring production schedules has a real cost.
Here’s An Example of How Production Schedules Save Money. How many times are tests foregone because there’s not enough time in the schedule? The following exemplifies how an adequate production schedule initiated well in advance of your mailing dates can reduce costs and expand oppor tunities.
• You’ve been playing it safe. Let’s say you’ve been holding back on your acquisi-tion mailings and your donor file is really star ting to show its age.
Why Adhere To A Production Schedule?
• You see a need. You’ve identified an intriguing acquisition test format that could jump star t your program, but you’ve put the package on hold because the test-ing costs are too high at 50,000 pieces.
• You’ve planned ahead so you have time to react. A review of the forecasted mail schedules for the renewal, appeal, and acquisition programs reveals an op-por tunity. Although two months away, the upcoming summer mail dates for all three programs fall within the same two-week window.
• You discuss the benefits and de-velop a plan. The program directors agree the “test format” can be slightly modified to fit their individual program needs. A plan is formulated to combine test vol-umes -- a perfect strategy for increasing quantity, reducing package costs, and test-ing the format performance across mul-tiple programs.
• You gang print, you save money, you make it work. fur ther investigation of benchmark pricing for this specific “in-line” format reveals savings of more than 50 percent when the quantity is increased from testing at 50,000 to a rollout quan-tity of 150,000. most impor tantly, because the discussion star ts months in advance of the targeted mail dates, the schedule allows time to create the additional ap-peal and renewal formats, maximizing the testing value and the savings from gang printing.
Creating forecasted production schedules -- as many months ahead as possible and across as many programs as possible -- can be as simple as recording a few critical dates for each project:
• ar t and data release • proof approval• postage due• in-home deliveryGathering input from the collective
team (internal and external) contributes to a production schedule that is targeted but manageable. You’ll want an actionable and nimble production schedule that sup-por ts what’s reasonably possible within a targeted budget, yet allows for some adjustments.
sharing the forecasted production schedules with your internal and external teams, across programs and marketing
channels, is a big step toward breaking down the silos of communication and is guaranteed to reveal additional oppor-tunities to suppor t the integration and branding of your organization’s message.
big-picture, forecasted planning of your production schedules puts you in the driver’s seat, where you are best posi-tioned to identify improvements that can save money, enhance product quality, and fur ther advance your organization’s direct marketing initiatives. It’s a proven process that pays for itself time and again.
Investing more time in the advanced planning of your production schedules will deliver!
Cher yl Keedy is the director of Product Development Ser vices at Production Solutions, a direct response production management firm ser ving the nonprofit and agency community since 1987. Cher yl’s focus is to identify the direct mail trends, processes, and unique formats that can provide a strategic advantage for PS clients. She has been a member of DMAW since 2003. Contact Cher yl at 703-734-5700 or [email protected] to explore the customized solutions that will enhance your direct mail program.
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allied ad_squareFinal.pdf 1/27/10 11:13:45 AM
ENvELoPES CouNT by eD glaSer
How many times have you picked
up a piece of mail only to toss it be-fore opening? That happens because the marketing team forgot to ask the single most im-por tant question
when planning a direct mail campaign: “Is it relevant?”
Today, a catchy visual or phrase or a snappy tune or rhyme that gets caught in your head is not enough to stand out -- no matter what your medium of communication.
As marketers, we often promote the features of our product or service with-out thinking first about the customer. In all forms of offline and online communications, relevance must take the driver’s seat: rel-evance of message, relevance of vehicle, and individualization.
In this over-communicated world, if it’s not relevant, it gets deleted, unsubscribed or tossed in the circular file. If you are implementing a cross-media campaign, all three might happen to one promotion.
Customer relationship management systems capture a wealth of information about customers, including demograph-ics, buying patterns, and preferences, yet these databases are underutilized because we don’t know how to translate this in-formation into a relevant, more successful campaign.
enter variable data printing. As you plan your next direct mail or cross-media marketing campaign, you might want to “go digital.”
Digital production is best suited and priced for relatively shor t runs of personal-ized print, while offset production is usually priced and best suited for longer runs of static print.
unlike static, digital can be precision targeted, highly relevant, and personalized to a smaller list. It’s impor tant to know something about the recipient to personal-ize the piece with relevance. Digital results are generally much better than static, with
But Is It Relevant?personalized one-to-one communica-tions showing response rates of 10 to 30 percent.
The one-to-two-day turnaround time with digital means a timelier, more relevant message is sent to potential customers, increasing the odds of conversion and boosting RoI. Digital gives marketers the ability to provide detailed tracking and repor ting through codes, phone numbers, and offers. It also provides more accurate counts and an affordable way to test vari-ous messages, campaigns or offers. You can make endless changes to each piece with-out impacting the cost, ultimately leading to better response rates.
some say variable data printing is truly a revolution. The marketplace has come to realize that to be effective and relevant, the postcard has been usurped by the ability to digitally produce letter packages, which can yield much higher response. And, while online competition is taking the punch out of many traditional marketing vehicles, digital is proving otherwise, breathing new life into direct mail by providing meaningful ways to connect with customers.
Ed Glaser is director of marketing at Colortree, a Richmond, VA-based envelope manufacturer with more than 20 years of responsive and reliable ser vice to DMAW members. Colortree is a preferred vendor of direct marketers. For more information, visit www.colortree.com. Reach Ed at 804-545-2566 or [email protected].
An Industry Veteran Says Networking Is Key to Success
“Having been in charge of purchasing for several agencies and at the height of large volume direct mail, I can tell you that [finding the right vendor] is just like looking for a job--and relationship building is the key … So, my recommendation would be to network at some industry luncheons, some local chamber meetings, etc., and start forming your own relationships. The younger the buyers are that you meet, the less likely that they will be committed to the same vendors--with no questions asked.”
Source: Craig J. Staley, senior marketing executive
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with membership cards that are environmentally friendly
Go “green” …
MEMBERSHIP CARDS ONLY, LLC1-800-77CARDSFor more information, visit our new website: www.earthkards.com
Level 1 EarthKard Go “green” without spending any more money than for traditional cards!
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WELCOME PACKAGESContinued from page 1 (top)
4. Offer a virtual tour. The welcome package should give the new donor a high-level “look around”: volunteer op-por tunities, giving clubs, monthly giving programs, upcoming events, an oppor-tunity to sign up for the email blasts or to opt out of list rental. All of these are ways to engage and promote a dialogue with the donor. Incentivize the new donor to check out your website if they joined through the mail.
5. Credential yourself. show the donors they selected the right charity and remind them that it was a sound investment. of-fer transparency – let them know where they can find your financial information, annual repor t, and IRs form 990. Let them know how much money goes to program work. Include testimonials and other independent seals of approval, such as the better business bureau’s Wise Giv-ing Alliance, Charity navigator, or Guid-estar, if your scores are wor th promoting. Remember, just because they sent you a
gift doesn’t mean they are convinced they should have.
6. Encourage feedback. You want to be-gin a dialogue with your donors and to do that you have to engage the donor in a conversation. Ask the donor to fill out a brief questionnaire to help you get to know them. offer a low-cost premium like a calendar, if you already have some in inventory, or some other useful item that is branded. The response may be low but you will allow the most engaged donors to show themselves, which you can then segment for fur ther specialized treatment. 7. Be brief. Remember this is the begin-ning of a conversation, not a complete disser tation. Keep it upbeat and impact-ful, but don’t exhaust the donor with too much. make the package visually appealing and easy to navigate. If there is a lot of information that you need to send, break it up into two mailings – a welcome letter followed by the Welcome Kit, or warmly
welcome in a shor t letter and package the rest of the information in a folder or booklet.
When you send out a welcome let-ter, you’re fulfilling more than just benefits and IRs requirements. You’re fulfilling expectations about the organization and the donor’s desire to positively impact the world. use the oppor tunity to remind donors that they made the right choice, and begin to build the relationship right—right from the star t.
Craig DePole is a senior vice president at Newport Creative Communications and heads up the new Washington, D.C. office. Newport Creative specializes in providing multi-channel fundraising programs that produce uncommonly good results. Our personalized approach to each client’s program produces highly efficient, high-impact campaigns at highly competitive prices. Contact Craig at 800-934-0586 x432 or [email protected] to learn more.
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PRoDuCTIoN by CryStal uPPerCue
nothing beats direct
mail for the im-pact of imagery. not email, cer-tainly. Perhaps not even video carries the dra-ma of a vibrant, colorful photo-
graph you can hold in your hands. Done right, you can almost taste it. That’s what Cinnabon discovered last holiday season when they sent nearby businesses post-ers displaying the company’s delectable, gooey cinnamon buns.
Looks good enough to smell.Aroma is impor tant to Cinnabon’s mar-keting strategy. Located primarily inside shopping malls, Cinnabon relies on the delicious smell of its freshly baked prod-ucts to lure customers inside. Cinnabon’s direct mail campaign, however, targeted nearby prospects outside the reach of its signature scent. Posters featuring pic-tures of giant cinnamon rolls were mailed to 60,000 businesses located within a two-mile radius of 100 Cinnabon stores. Designed to be hung in employee break rooms, the posters reminded area work-ers that Cinnabon was just a coffee break away.
each poster also included 20 perfo-rated coupons. Cinnabon president Geoff Hill repor ted that the redemption rate of the coupons was an impressive 4.6 percent. That workers chose to take Cin-nabon up on their coupon offer was great news, Hill said. but the main objective was to raise awareness about the stores among nearby workers who might not have time to peruse the local shopping mall.
Direct Mail: The Same old--and Only--Touchy-Feely
Smells good enough to open.scent has the power to trigger images, memories, and emotions like no other branding tool, yet is usually ignored by marketers, according to “Whiff! The Revolu-tion of Scent Communication in the Informa-tion Age,” by C. Russell brumfield. In the near future, brumfield says, every product and experience will offer a unique scent capable of delivering a strategically focused branding message.
Paper can be infused with microcap-sules that release an aroma each time it is touched, adding the sensation of smell to the direct mail experience. To prove a point: Royal mail in the u.K. used the tech-nology for a mailing of its own to 6,500 top media decision makers. In referring to the A4 “chocolate” letter, Anthony miller, head of media development at Royal mail, says: “from our own results, this was the highest recall we’ve ever had for a cam-paign, at more than 80 percent.” other adver tisers also took up the aromatic mail-ing; a chain of garden centers, for example, used the scent of freshly cut grass. Cost: Adding the smell ups production costs 10 to 20 percent.
Hear this.A colorful picture isn’t the only direct mail offering that capitalizes on the recipient’s senses. As technology evolves, sound, too, is being added to print media. Also called “web-enabled print” ads, tiny touchables can be affixed to a magazine page that readers can “click on” to make something happen. for example, an adver tiser might mail a coupon or send a free sample to a customer who clicks on the ad. snappables are a really cool technology that -- given the chance -- most people can’t resist. And magazines aren’t the only delivery vehi-cle. Think direct mail, newspapers, apparel, brochures, in-store displays, packaging, etc.
“mobile-activation marketing” --al-ready well accepted in Asia-- is the end game for technologies applied to print. Linkme’s technology combines visual, voice, and audio recognition -- which means you can connect a print image to your mobile phone via voice and sound. All you have to do is say something like, “nike tennis shoes
in november 3 issue of Woman’s Day,” and the image will appear on your mobile phone.
A taste of things to come.meanwhile, the Australia Post repor ts on another sensual possibility from Down under. With Peel ‘n Taste® technology, the flavor of a product is replicated and applied to a compact, dissolving wafer-thin edible filmstrip and tipped onto the mail piece. each strip is individually packaged in tamper-resistant, easy-to-open sachets. It is cost-effective, easy and safe to use, and consumers love it. find information on producing flavored, edible filmstrips that can be tipped onto your mail pieces at www.firstflavor.com.
Can touch be far behind?marketingProfs repor ts that many con-sumers use touch to gather information or make judgments, even when an item’s physical form has nothing to do with its value. Interactive devices such as foldouts, die cuts, embossing, wheel char ts, slide char ts, and various textured varnishes con-tribute to the direct mail experience.
so, when it comes to marketing im-pact, never dismiss the power of sight, smell, taste, sound, and touch. Direct mail still does it best.
Crystal Uppercue is the marketing manager for EU Ser vices, a 400-employee direct marketing production facility based in Rockville, MD. Download a free white paper about cross-media campaign planning at www.euser vices.com. Contact Cr ystal at cuppercue@euser vices.com.
Content Marketing Keeps Going Up
Junta42’s January 2010 survey of 259 marketing professionals reports that six in 10 plan to increase their spending on content initiatives. Current popular content products include:
• Social Media (other than blogs) 72%• Enewsletters (63%)• Blogs (63%)• White Papers 48%• Article Marketing 48%• Case Studies 46%• Online Video 42%
Source: http://www.junta42.com/resources/content-marketing-
spending-2010.aspx
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SQN Communications | Leesburg, Virginia | Washington, DC | Hagerstown, Maryland
If you’re looking for best-of-breed direct marketing services that are
priced right and get results, call Brent Stinar at
877.667.6869 extension 100.
Or, visit our website: sqncommunications.com
Raising money and growing sales are
hard enough, especially in this economy.
Paying too much for a “partner” that
doesn’t get it is just bad business.
At SQN Communications we’ve provided
scalable, effective creative solutions for
direct marketing for 13 years — award-
winning design and copy that’s fresh,
smart, and deliver results. Today, smart
clients are looking to do more with less,
and we’re happy to oblige.
Today, SQN announces a strategic
partnership with OneSource Production
and Andrew Hogan Consulting, adding
fundraising and direct marketing
consulting and production management
best-of-breed services to our strategic,
winning creative offerings.
No agency mark-ups.
No monthly retainer.
No bloated overhead.
SQN Communications, OneSource
Production, and Andrew Hogan Consulting:
Fresh. Smart. Just right.
SQN_3LocalBrands_Ad_ADVENTS.indd 1 12/4/09 5:04 PM
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SQN Communications | Leesburg, Virginia | Washington, DC | Hagerstown, Maryland
If you’re looking for best-of-breed direct marketing services that are
priced right and get results, call Brent Stinar at
877.667.6869 extension 100.
Or, visit our website: sqncommunications.com
Raising money and growing sales are
hard enough, especially in this economy.
Paying too much for a “partner” that
doesn’t get it is just bad business.
At SQN Communications we’ve provided
scalable, effective creative solutions for
direct marketing for 13 years — award-
winning design and copy that’s fresh,
smart, and deliver results. Today, smart
clients are looking to do more with less,
and we’re happy to oblige.
Today, SQN announces a strategic
partnership with OneSource Production
and Andrew Hogan Consulting, adding
fundraising and direct marketing
consulting and production management
best-of-breed services to our strategic,
winning creative offerings.
No agency mark-ups.
No monthly retainer.
No bloated overhead.
SQN Communications, OneSource
Production, and Andrew Hogan Consulting:
Fresh. Smart. Just right.
SQN_3LocalBrands_Ad_ADVENTS.indd 1 12/4/09 5:04 PM
PoSTAL DEvELoPMENTS by ellen Paul
I t seems that the u.s. Postal service—
which admits to having lost $3.8 billion last year—has overpaid the Civil service Retirement sys-tem $75 billion.
fur thermore, the method for calculating this amount due was unfair says the usPs’s office of Inspector General (oIG).
The problem dates back to 1971 when the u.s. Post office Depar tment of the u.s. government became the usPs, a quasi-independent agency. specifically, the usPs appears to have taken on more than its fair share of pension costs for individu-als employed prior to 1971. [So let me un-derstand: This problem has been ongoing for 39 years?? And someone in OIG just caught it now? What was the rush?]
Red-Ink Faced According to oIG, this is the third time the usPs has been overcharged for Civil service Retirement system (CsRs) payments. [Wait a second. Three times?! Once could be an honest error. But three times? My father used to say three times was a habit. He may have been on to something.]
In 2002, the usPs discovered it had overpaid the CsRs $78 billion. Legislation the following year corrected that. but in 2004, the usPs oIG realized there was another $27 billion overpayment to CsRs for usPs “double dippers”—people who had retired from the military before go-ing to work for the usPs. Those funds were returned to the usPs in 2006. And now oIG has found $75 billion dating back almost 40 years! [A few keystrokes on my $5 CVS pocket calculator shows $75 billion would have funded USPS losses equal to last year’s gargantuan $3.8 billion for almost 20 years! No wonder there’s no postage increase in 2010. After this mess, to propose that with a straight face would take cajones the size of a planetoid.]
As an aside, if this money were owed to the IRs there would be gazil-lions of dollars of penalties and interest tacked on! but moving on…The oIG has recommended the $75 billion be re-turned to the usPs’s CsRs pension fund. Any excess monies could be transferred to the usPs’s retiree health care fund, which has been limping along on congres-sionally sanctioned payments of late. [Now Congress can use those suddenly freed-up dollars to buy more stuff from Halliburton or finish the Bridge to Nowhere.]
There must be a lot of bright people working for oIG and CsRs. After all, we pay them a lot of money to keep track of our money, right? [They must be smarter than I am. They have government pensions and can retire in style. I can’t retire at all until I’m 90--my 401K evaporated last year.] so who authorized these payments, anyway? The auditors from enron?
Ellen Paul watches the postal system for AdVents. You’ve read her articles for years—now she wants to hear from you! Speak out and speak up on matters marketing and postal. Join her blog, http://paulandpartners.blogspot.com.
by luCinDa lineberry law
most mar-keting strate-
gies by their very nature are designed to sell, not to retain. And in a world that is geared to newer, better, faster ... oh how quickly does
that bright-and-shiny-new feeling wear off? Let’s face it, retention is the least glamor-ous facet of marketing. but it is, as they say, where the rubber meets the road.
In san francisco, a think tank of e-commerce gurus was hanging on every word of a brilliant entrepreneur whose successful beauty business was astounding naysayers with its continued success, all while other online beauty sites were drop-ping like flies. All of his comments were interesting, but as tends to happen, a single idea flipped the switch that illuminated the
LookING GREAT IN DIRECT
proverbial halogen bulb above my head. He was explaining that his company
had a policy of sending customers a single orchid with a thank-you note three days after their orders are delivered. (set aside for a moment that this generous gesture was made possible through a clever deal with the orchid company and very gener-ous margin on his goods.) When asked why he went to such lengths, he stated simply, “I treat every customer as if she were the woman I am dating.” Wow. oh, WoW! so, what does that mean, I pon-dered. And pondered. for 12 years I have pondered and this is what I came up with:
Get to know, really know each other. use membership strategies for package inser ts. become a club that your customer really wants to continue to be a member of. Don’t stalk or creep. Always use selective follow-up. And make sure your customers can be proud of their association with you.Don’t kiss and tell. selling addresses and
phone numbers is a rookie move.Be supportive. strong customer service is money in your bank.Listen more than you talk. Your customers will tell you how they are feeling and so-cial media applications, like Twitter, are a great way to listen in.
I'm not suggesting that orchid deliv-eries are in your future. In fact, I’ve never gotten them from a guy or a company. All I am saying is, business and personal relationships are basically the same. main-taining them requires similar skills. master them in direct response and you’ll not only have great customer retention, and you may have a leg up in your personal life!
Lucinda Law consults with clients on retail strategies, repositioning, and branding, with an emphasis on customer acquisition and retention. Lucinda also ser ves as vice president of sales and marketing for Color Me Beautiful Brands International, where she is responsible for the successful marketing of five unique cosmetic brands in multiple channels of distribution, including direct mail, e-commerce, and television retailing. Contact her at [email protected].
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NEWS NoTES
■ CDR Fundraising Group has acquired MINDset direct. operating as a division of CDR fundraising Group, mInDset will continue to provide the nonprofit com-munity with innovative strategies for high-value donor programs. mInDset is a com-plement to the company’s current suite of fundraising and marketing services, which include direct-marketing and advocacy fundraising, online marketing, list brokerage and management, cause marketing, public relations, major-donor strategy and orga-nizational consulting. mInDset’s principal, Kristin McCurry, is pleased to be joining CDR fundraising Group. “mInDset and CDR fundraising Group are so well aligned that it was a natural match for us,” she said. for more information, contact bethany frye 301-858-1500 or [email protected].
■ The CMS Group of baltimore, mD, has acquired Victory Direct Marketing, a premium-item based direct mail mar-keting firm. The acquisition will expand the breadth of Cms’ services and extend its reach into existing and new ver tical markets. Victory will continue to oper-ate as Victory Direct marketing, a Cms Group Company. The Cms Group owns and operates Corporate mailing services, Inc. (Cms) and management Resource services, LLC (mRs) in the document, mail, and managed services industries. Victory Direct marketing was founded in 2009 by Graham Ruffels, president of DmAW in 2008. Ruffels will remain as the company’s president. for more information, visit www.victorydm.com or contact Graham Ruffels at [email protected].
■ Sunrise Data Services has entered into an agreement to acquire Patriot Data Services (PDS). sunrise Data services (sDs), founded in 2004, is an innovative, fast-paced, response-oriented data pro-cessing provider. sDs is a sister company of HsP Direct, a direct mail fundraising agency founded in 2001 by Jamie Hogan, matt schenk, and Amy Paul. The acquisition of Patriot Data services represents major growth for both sunrise Data services and HsP Direct. Contact Jen smith at 703-793-3220 or [email protected].
■ MindZoo (www.mindzoo.com) has relocated to marco Island, fL. Though mindZoo will maintain operations in the DC metro area, the new headquar ters of-fice is located at mindZoo, 848 bald eagle Drive, marco Island, fL 34145. for more information contact Randy Jones at 239-389-0014 or [email protected].
■ With the impending retirement of its longtime Ceo Chuck Dashner, MMI Direct, which provides merge-purge, list fulfillment, and other data processing ser-vices, joined the PmG family of businesses. mmI Direct moved to PmG’s building in Columbia, mD, in november.
■ DirectMail.com™ signed with Capital Hospice, a nonprofit providing exper t end-of-life care to patients and families in need in nor thern Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Prince George’s County, mD. under the terms of the one-year contract, which includes two, one-year renewal options, Directmail.com will manage all aspects of the organization’s $2 million di-rect mail program, overseeing its year-end, special appeal, acquisition, and renewal mailings. Contact Jeanne Zepp at [email protected].
■ Onset has hired Justin Testa as the company’s new president. With more than 28 years of sales, marketing, and general management experience, mr. Testa brings to onset a strong background in product management and marketing strategy re-sulting in increased revenue and market share. “onset holds a strong position as the global leader in innovative measure-ment, data logging, and monitoring solu-tions,” says Testa, who recently served as the executive vice president and business unit manager for Cognex Corporation. Contact evan Lubofsky at [email protected].
■ Clash-Media, the online customer-acquisition specialist, has announced a strong star t to 2010 with the opening of a new office in for t Lauderdale, fL. The new office will suppor t Clash-media’s drive to extend its geographic reach in the u.s. and expand its client and par t-ner services. It will be headed by Jeff Pavelcsyk, who joined the company in 2009. The florida office will extend the
complete range of lead generation and customer acquisition services offered by Clash-media from its new York office, as well as enhance the focus on the compa-ny’s education initiatives. Contact Christo-pher Petix at 212-946-8525 or [email protected].
■ Anthony Plamondon has joined The Lukens Company (TLC) as vice presi-dent, West Coast operations. With over 20 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising on behalf of clients in public television and radio, visual and perform-ing ar ts, zoos, aquariums, environmental, political, health and advocacy groups, Pla-mondon significantly expands The Lukens Company’s capabilities in the non-profit marketplace. He most recently served as the director of membership and de-velopment operations at the museum of Contemporary Ar t, Los Angeles (moCA). "We are accelerating our effor ts to build The Lukens Company into a leader in integrated, multi-channel direct response marketing for nonprofit organizations, adding exper tise and experience in all media," said Walter Lukens, TLC’s founder and president. Contact [email protected] or call 703-845-8484 ext. 294.
Good News for Direct Marketers: All Large Companies Are in the
Media Business
Tom Wilde, CEO of Boston-based RAMP, says large companies need to deal with audience fragmentation and deconstruction of content. “It used to be [that people consumed] a complete magazine, a complete program, a complete newspaper.. the web has made it possible for users to deconstruct that content and consume just the pieces they are interested in.”
Such content deconstruction puts pressure on companies to ensure that content is consumed in the right context, that brand is protected, and that they can monetize that content effectively. He emphasizes that all large companies are now media companies. "Even if you’re a B2B manufacturer, you need to be a media company because that’s how marketing is going to take place.”
Source: http://alwayson.goingon.com/permalink/post/34067
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LENTICULAR Continued from page 1 (bottom)
by bill rueSCh
• DM Results: bridget brandt, senior mar-keting manager at sage software, utilized lenticular in a recent campaign. An A/b test was conducted with lenticular vs. a con-ventional gloss-paper postcard. According to brandt, the lenticular outperformed the conventional two to one.
Carolyn Goodman, president of Goodman marketing Par tners, used lentic-ular on a b2b promotion for 3D software giant Autodesk. “The format was perfect to demonstrate the product’s effectiveness. ” While she didn’t conduct a true A/b test, the lenticular campaign outperformed
I envy the print-ers for one thing in par-
ticular : They are updated regular ly by paper-merchant reps who call on them with the latest develop-ments, updates,
and changes. I get my information either secondhand or by attending seminars and showings hosted by the merchants. In the last two weeks, I attended a seminar on preparing ar t files for printing, direct mail, the danger of the opt-out initiative, and digital-printing advancements. I never know what a customer is going to ask of me and I have to be prepared.
Yesterday, sappi paper sent Daniel Dejan, their nor th American eTC Print/Creative manager, to town to speak about graphic design and file prep. I thanked Dan-iel for his presentation, but didn’t thank him enough. You see, the printers depend on the ar tists and graphic designers to keep the presses rolling. The graphic de-signers need the printers to produce their products. but to hear them talk about each other, you’d think there is a war going on. The printers say that graphic designers don’t even try to prepare their files cor-rectly, that they think because something looks right on the screen it will print right. Designers, on the other hand, think that the printers are screwing up their files, and
A Love/Hate Thing
if they just knew what they were doing the jobs would all run smoothly.
stop the bickering. mr. Dejan framed the problem as having its roots primarily in the graphic programs and in the design-ers failure to take the finishing steps nec-essary to make sure their files are correct.
I can tell you from my personal ex-perience that computer design has com-pletely overhauled the printing industry. When the first design programs were introduced, they created more problems than they solved. over the years we have seen definite improvements. The programs are much better, but still far from perfect. Could they get even better? Yes. Are they striving to implement technology that would fix the disconnect between printer and graphic ar tist? not really. Daniel says that he has recommended changes that are possible, but are shrugged off as too expensive, or time consuming, and aren’t wor th doing.
Millions of dollars ever y year are wasted in printer and designer time because the needed tweaks aren’t happening. Printers and designers need to get together and insist that the software is improved. Maybe working on changes that would throw up red flags when art is incomplete or wrong isn’t sexy, but it would go a long way in reducing wasted hours and angr y phone calls.
“The single most impor tant thing a designer can do to communicate the job to the printer,” Daniel says, “is to provide a hard-copy dummy.” Herein lies the rub: most files are now emailed to the printer or go by way of ftp. It used to be that the print rep picked up the ar t and delivered it to the printer. Hard-copy dummies were more common then. We have gotten away from them today, but they are still critical
to successful communication. I hate to say it, but it seems to me that we need to take a step backward and have the print reps pick up the disk and hard-copy dummy to take back to the shop. We’ve lost an im-por tant communication oppor tunity along the way.
The second most impor tant task for the designer is to pre-flight their own files. A good pre-flight program provides infor-mation about problem spots like low-res photos, but also tosses all the false star ts and junk that accumulate as the design de-velops. It’s like delivering a finished statue without cleaning it up or sweeping the debris around it. It’s not just ugly; it con-fuses the rip, leads to wrong fonts being selected, and other problems.
every printer in the world would love for Daniel Dejan of sappi to personally instruct the graphic designers, but that isn’t possible. What is possible is that the word gets out about dummies and pre-flights. Then, most of the problems would be re-solved early.
As for Adobe and the others: Come on, give us a break. Listen to Daniel, take his advice, and endow your programs with the tweaks needed to stop the war.
Bill Ruesch has been in and around the printing business since 1968 when he worked for a cold-web printer in Tucson, AZ. For the last 20 years he has been a self-employed print broker working in Salt Lake City, Utah. Bill has a blog called Talking Through My Hat, which can be found at http://www.billprintbroker.com. His motto is “the only printer you need to know.” Reach Bill at [email protected]. Sappi’s website is www.sappi.com. If you would like to discuss other design-print problems with Daniel, his company email is [email protected].
previous campaigns. Goodman states, “since the lenticular piece we created drove traffic to a specific landing page, and there were other media channels directing traffic to that page, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly how much traffic was a result of this direct mail effor t. However, we did see a significant bump in traffic right as, and af-ter, our seeds arrived in our mailboxes.”
other case studies repor t high read rates but no meaningful lift in response. The bottom line: lenticular won’t rescue a bad offer or a bad list.
• A Good Fit if Lifetime Customer Value is High: The front-end costs and higher
unit costs for lenticular can be cost pro-hibitive for some smaller campaigns. Life-time customer value must cer tainly be taken into account. The sage study cited above was for a quantity of 1,500 but the customer value and the return were sub-stantial enough to warrant the higher cost. Lenticular is typically more practical for higher quantity mailings.
Kevin Naughton is director of sales and marketing of PrintComm, Inc., a direct mail producer located in Flint, MI. He produces direct mail for several clients in the DC Metro Area. For more information, contact Kevin at 800-935-1592 x119, [email protected] or visit www.printcomm.com/.lenticular.html
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@BRIDGECoNFERENCE 2010
Why Should I Believe You?
by miChael margoliS
Join the AMI All-ProTeam for Mail Success.
Call: 703-370-0382E-mail: [email protected] Wheeler Ave, Alex, Va 22304-6148
DIRECT MARKETING SERVICES
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Let AMI run the ball for you, tomaximize postal discounts… slashcost… ensure speedy delivery…spare you the stress… and scorethe results you seek in the mail!
Contact AMI for a FREE Consultation or Customized Mail Project Checklist.
AMI Ad :AMI Ad 8/6/08 3:45 PM Page 1
I f you’re a di-rect marketer or fundraiser,
odds are you’re a pretty good storyteller. You know when to use evocative
words and emotional triggers. You’ve learned what grabs people’s attention and how to motivate them to take action. You’ve even got a dashboard of tools to help you benchmark and rationalize your every step.
between the tried-and-true and new technologies, you’d think everything was sunflowers and lollipops. except we all know things are not measuring up how we’d like them to. What if the cause is more than just a tired economy? mem-bership rolls are on the decline. Giving patterns are dramatically shifting. And our audience—the donors, members, and customers—are increasingly savvy about spotting a sales pitch when they see one. We have to stop using the “Great Reces-sion” as our excuse for why our numbers are down.
What’s the new storyline?The field of direct marketing and fund-raising needs a bigger mindset that re-flects the new age of communications. Audiences aren’t passive consumers who accept our message hook, line, and sinker. While we’re selling transactions, they’re increasingly seeking relationships and ex-periences. While we’re saying, “Trust me”; they’re asking back, “Why should I?” At face value, our audience has good reason to be cynical and discerning. We’ve all lost a little faith and confidence in the system. We’re questioning assumptions and mov-ing beyond just “good intentions.” We’re star ting to ask a lot more questions. espe-cially around what’s being sold to us. our expectations have grown. We’ve become a more sophisticated and conscious cul-ture. Thank you social media.
In an age of information over-load and attention deficit, audiences-expect something real and genuine. They want a fresh point of view. something that’s alive and generative. If you want to cut through the noise, give people some-thing to believe in. This means your appeal needs to speak to identity, not morals or social obligation. We need to stop guilting, shaming, and coercing people into the im-pulse buy. The shor t-term high is followed by a sense of remorse that rubs off on our clients’ reputations. Instead of the perfect pitch, we need to tell the story our audi-ence will self-identify with. When you do that, there’s nothing to sell.
What’s the Bigger Story?People don’t really buy a product, a mem-bership, or a solution. They equally don’t just donate to a cause. They buy the story that’s attached to it. Which means it has to mean something to them, or their dol-lars will go somewhere they do. so if the meaning doesn’t live beyond the transac-tion, the donor/member/customer rela-tionship isn’t going to be a lasting one.
Perception matters. Your client’s brand is only as strong as the stories people tell about it. Which is why we have a profes-sional responsibility to ensure our cam-paigns are more than just an oppor tunity shill and close the deal. These times de-mand that we approach our work from a more enlightened perspective.
This is not an easy issue to address. It begins by fundamentally re-examining the nature of our work. What’s the story we’re asking people to buy into? And is that a story that’s wor th believing?
Join us for bridge Conference, where michael margolis will expand on these concepts, and discuss new strategies for turning our clients’ suppor ters into true believers.
Michael Margolis advises businesses, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs on how to get others to believe in their stor y. As the president of Get Storied, Michael addresses the branding, strategic , and cultural dimensions of large-scale change. Michael is the author of several resources including his recent book, “Believe Me: a Stor ytelling Manifesto for Change-Makers and Innovators.” Visit www.getstoried.com or reach him at [email protected].
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Publisher : Direct marketing Association of Washington, 11709 bowman Green Drive, Reston, VA 20190-3501; website www.dmaw.org.Executive Director : Donna Tschiffely, [email protected] Editor : nancy Rathbun scott, Liberty Communications, 703-496-3259, fAX 703-310-7640, [email protected]: Terri Jones, 703-471-4902Production StaffDesign: Liberty Communications, 703-496-3259Printing: Good Printers, Inc., bridgewater, VA
Marketing AdVents is published monthly by the Direct marketing Association of Washington to bring its 1,300+ members news of DmAW’s varied activities and information of professional interest, including postal-related news. Columns, such as in this and other issues, represent a vital member service. members with industry-related educational information they wish to share are encouraged to submit articles. A helpful memo explaining guidelines for features is available from the editor.
FAST-ACTION DIRECTORy
DmAW Headquarters: email [email protected]: nancy Rathbun scott, editor, 703-496-3259, fAX 703-310-7640, e-mail: [email protected] Advertising: Terri Jones, 703-471-4902, [email protected]: must be related to DmAW events; contact DmAW Headquarters to inquire or schedule.Job exchange: submit by email to [email protected]; you will receive a reply confirming cost prior to posting. Deadline for print version is 15th of month preceding publication; electronic version posted to website within 48 hours. Cost: membeRs: “positions sought,” free; “positions available” at $100 for first 50 words. $1 for each additional word. noT-YeT-membeRs: $200 for first 50 words, $1 for each additional word.[note: If the nonmember advertiser chooses to join for $199 for 12 months, then the ad being placed and all subsequent ads are billed at the member rate, plus the advertiser receives print and electronic copies of AdVents and all other benefits of membership].news notes: send to nancy Rathbun scott, editor. Items of professional interest or significant personal news about members.Deadline for Articles and news notes: 15th of the second month preceding issue date (e.g., deadline for may issue is march 15.)DmAW educational foundation: send correspondence or charitable donations to DmAWef, 4414 Walsh street, Chevy Chase, mD 20815; Attention Karen Depew, executive Director; email [email protected]
by allen hePner2009 EMERGING LEADERMikaela kingDirector of online MarketingCDR Fundraising [email protected]
Allen Hepner is Director of Sales with GrayHair Software, Inc. GrayHair’s solutions address critical mailing activities such as Intelligent Mail barcode assignment, mail tracking, postage payment and reconciliation, Address Correction, UAA solutions and a variety of mail processing activities. For more information, visit the GrayHair Software website at www.grayhairsoftware.com or contact Allen at 856-924-2269 or [email protected].
mikaela, DmAW's 2009
emerging Leader, is a Phi beta Kappa graduate of Goucher College, where she earned dual degrees in economics and business manage-ment. A native of Long beach, CA., she now lives with
her husband and two miniature pinschers (who think they’re great danes) in severna Park, mD.
mikaela has helped raise more than $85 million for dozens of charities across all types of direct response programs -- direct mail, telemarketing, (c)4 advocacy, high-dollar donor and monthly giving -- and has spent the past nine years creat-ing and running online marketing programs for nonprofits. Besides her work for Bridge Con-ference, she has also served as a mAXI judge. other volunteer efforts include work with Defenders of Wildlife, mothers Against Drunk Driving, the society for the Prevention of Cru-elty to Animals, the Vietnam Veterans’ memorial fund, and the Wounded Warrior Project.
How in the world did you get into the direct marketing business? I spent several years in the for-profit world and realized I needed a career where I was “part of the solution.” figuring that my experience would translate well to non-profit fundraising, I made a list of causes I cared about and started applying to nonprofits. One eventually took a chance and hired me.
Any mentors or special people to whom you’d like to give credit? I’ve been fortunate to have a number of incredible mentors: susan Holleran, who hired me into the nonprofit world; Martha schumacher, the “fearless leader” of our team at Defenders; steve DelVecchio, who let me take on whatever projects I was crazy enough to volunteer for ; and Geoff Peters, who has more direct marketing knowledge in his pinky than I will have in my career.
What are the most helpful steps you took to advance your direct marketing career?finding people who know what they’re doing and learning from them. I learned a lot by volunteering to take on additional work—even the work that no one else wanted to do.
Any advice you’d offer a novice who wants to move up in direct marketing? find a cause you love, take any job that will let you work in that field, and work your tail off learning, listening, and doing.
Dm forecast for 2010 and beyond: I foresee greater integration across an increasing number of channels with more precise segmentation and content targeting, so data integration and analysis must rise to the challenge. Additionally, nonprofits will be pushed to become more sophisticated as tech-savvy baby boomers move into segments that are typically highly direct-mail responsive. Constituents will increasingly expect a dialogue with nonprofits. Peer-to-peer fundraising will start to allow nonprofits to truly monetize the social networking space.
Toughest marketing Project: The first thing that comes to mind isn’t a single campaign, but rather the challenge of marketing the internal value of breaking down silos and creating truly integrated programs across channels.
favorite online Campaign: A 4th of July campaign for a national veterans’ group that got a single veteran talking directly with the nonprofit’s constituents online about what Independence Day means to each of them. It combined the best of online: high constituent engagement; a real, highly personal dialogue and a strong mission-delivery element that helped an individual veteran.
mikaela's favorites
Restaurants Komi in D.C., Pazo in baltimore, Hon sushi
filmsI’m a sucker for a really cheesy, epic romance
booksGap Creek by Robert morgan, marcus Aurelius’s meditations and anything by malcolm Gladwell. I’m currently read-
ing first, break All The Rules, by marcus buckingham and Curt Coffman and
really enjoying it
musical GroupsIron & Wine, mike Doughty, marc broussard
and blue october
Websitesmarketingsherpa.com, nTen.org, facebook.com, twitter.com, lifehacker.com, pleasefind-this.blogspot.com, thinkgeek.com, Google images, opentable.com and despair.com—
their marketing is genius
Leisure InterestsTraveling, dancing, reading—and my husband
and I are enthusiastic foodies
Marketing AdVents
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