: Database marketing agency Merkle has acquired data quality solutions provider CognitiveData, a company that has quickly grown since coming on the scene in 2001 as a result of its proprietary data hygiene technology. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The move reflects the growing importance of data and analytics to today’s marketers and, there-fore, to marketing service pro-viders and agencies. The current economic environment is simply accelerating trends that have been pushing marketers toward a closer examination of data over the past few years, such as increasing costs and demands from higher-ups for greater accountability.

Epsilon recently created a new business intelligence division, Epsi-lon Targeting, which combines its data services, databases and co-op Abacus under one umbrella. Also, last week, marketing and informa-tion services provider Telematch Inc.

: Toyota and its AOR Saatchi & Saatchi LA are launching a nationwide, integrated campaign to promote the new, third-gener-ation Toyota Prius. With the new push, the carmaker hopes to reach a more mass audience than previ-ous Prius generations.

The campaign, which works under the tagline “Harmony b e tween man , na tu re and machine,” includes social network-ing, events, digital programs, out-

made two acquisitions to improve its data dashboarding, analytics and database management.

Even more traditional advertis-ing agencies are shining a light on data, with WPP recently part-nering with Omniture and Ogilvy North America partnering with Unica and Pluris in order to enhance their data offerings.

The economy “is driving sig-nificant attention to data quality” among marketers, said Don Pat-rick, COO at Merkle.

In fact, in the past year, five out of Merkle’s top 10 clients have signed up for CognitiveData’s services. Merkle has been offer-ing CognitiveData’s services to its clients for two years.

However, the real reason why data quality has become so impor-tant in 2009 and why an acquisition like this makes sense for Merkle is because costs continue to rise for mail, and marketers are looking for ways to be “smarter” about how they go to market, said Patrick.

“Once marketers learn to mail smarter, they continue to mail bet-ter even after the economic envi-ronment gets better,” he said.

Peg Kuman, CEO of Telematch, agrees. “Particularly in a climate like this, people are much more focused on knowing who their best customers are,” Kuman said. “To that degree, the more you can learn about what makes buyers respond and what makes non-buyers non-responsive will make you a better marketer.”

While Merkle’s expertise lies in building databases and high-vol-ume data input, CognitiveData’s focuses on refining small sets of data to optimize postage savings

: The FTC filed suit in Chicago federal court on May 14 against companies it said were responsible for millions of deceptive, computer-ized phone calls offering extended vehicle warranties.

In two related complaints, the FTC took action against the promoter of the warranties, Transcontinental Warranty Inc., as well as the tele-marketing companies hired to carry out the campaign: Voice Touch Inc. and affiliate Network Foundations LLC. The companies could not be reached for comment.

“The FTC is seeking a tempo-rary restraining order to put an immediate halt to these calls,” said chairman Jon Leibowitz.

The agency contends the com-panies are operating a “massive telemarketing scheme” to deceive consumers and pressuring them to buy extended warranties. Accord-ing to the FTC, one defendant claimed that he makes 1.8 million dials daily.

The American Teleservices Association governmental affairs director Joshua Scism applauded the FTC’s action. “We are extreme advocates toward compliance and consumer protection. We want above-board play.”

of-home installations, print and TV. Toyota is aiming for sales of 180,000 Prius units in 2010; this year’s goal is 150,000.

“The idea for this campaign... came from the vehicle itself,” said Mike McKay, Saatchi LA execu-tive creative director. “Nature gets lower emissions, and man gets a bigger vehicle. From that, we set off to find ways of articulating that that were as innovative as the vehicle itself.”

: Pet marketers are finding that social media is helping connect owners to pets, pets to owners and pet products to both, in what is expected to be a $45.4 billion industry this year.

Pet Airways, a new pet-only airline that will offer cross-country flights for pets only, is using social media to help promote its new brand and to help with animal adoption through a new partnership with pet-focused ad network DogTime Media. The idea behind the partnership is to extend the reach of DogTime Media’s DogFinder pet adop-tion program, a Web site that helps connect pets with owners and encourages consumers to look beyond their local regions for pets available for adoption, because pets now can be flown. Traditionally, consumers look for pets within 50 miles of their homes.

The partnership cross-promotes both Dog-Time’s pet adoption services and the new Pet Airways, which will launch in July.

“We are co-promoting because we both believe in the welfare of pets,” said Alysa Binder, EVP/founder of Pet Airways. “We really want to offer a more caring safe envi-ronment for pets who are travelling, and we really like DogTime Media’s site, and its pet adoption and pet rescue initiatives.”

This year, an estimated $45.4 billion will be spent on pets in the US, up from $43.2 billion in 2008, according to the Ameri-can Pet Products Association. Those costs include food, supplies and medicine, vet-erinary care, live animal purchases and grooming and boarding.

Like Pet Airways, Feline Pine, an all-natural kitty litter, has sponsored a new cat blog that is aimed at raising money for animals in shelters.

The blog, Romeothecat.com, follows the life of Romeo, a cat who was adopted from a shelter and is now working to raise money to help other animals find homes and proper care. Each month, it runs a Furpower Dona-tion Challenge, in which viewers are called to send in their pet photos and stories and a $1 donation, which is then given to a selected pet friendly charity or service. Feline Pine sponsors the competition and runs ads.

“People that go to the site are people that love their cats and are people who are spend-ing time thinking about the products that they buy for their cats,” said Bob Shaw, CEO of Concentric Marketing, the agency that works with Feline Pine. “The goal of Romeo is to build a community of people that are engaged and interested in the travails of these cats and as a sponsor, it gives [Feline Pine] a way to be a very grassroots brand.”

Feline Pine has found that connecting with pet fans in this social way to be more meaningful and relevant than through tra-ditional advertising.

“Social media is so great when you have that kind of psychographic target that you

have on Romeo the cat,” said Shaw. “Tar-geting people who are cat indulgent can be difficult to do through traditional media, and what social networking does is allow the cat audience to find us.”

Unlike traditional cat litters, which tend to position their advertising more like a cleaning product than a pet product, Feline Pine aims to connect with consumers on an emotional level similar to how cat food marketers connect, Shaw said.

“The pet food business does a lot to con-nect owners on an emotional level, but the litter business has been terrible about this,” he said. “From a marketing perspective, we’ve understood that there is an oppor-tunity to connect with consumers around their emotions to connect with pets.”

Feline Pine also is connecting with con-sumers on a recently launched Twitter feed. Feline Pine’s staff veterinarian will use the social feed to post comments on pet health and invite questions about pet health.

“The goal is to give people access to us and see us as a brand that cares about cat health,” Shaw said.

: List marketing is in the spotlight on June 15, with not just one, but two events focused on the channel. The Direct Marketing Asso-ciation will honor Adrea Rubin, CEO of Adrea Rubin Marketing Inc., as 2009 List Leader of the Year for her contribution to the industry over 35 years. Also, in partnership with the List Leaders Group, the DMA will host the FastForward 2009 conference.

Rubin chairs this year’s FastForward event, which differs from its usual format.

“I said that I would take the reins only if I could change it,” Rubin explained. The event will be an inter-active half-day work-shop facilitated by Edie Weiner, author of FutureThink: How to Think Clearly in a Time of Change.

“It’s an exciting time for our industry, but it’s also a challenging time,” Rubin said, pointing out the shift in client prospecting from using just lists to a variety of media. “So many choices are being taken away from the customer [during the recession] if we can give them choice, than that’s great.”

Rubin worked at the DMA and Direct Media before starting her company in 1990. Both she and past List Leader winner Fran Green of ALC said they were told that the list industry was wonderful for women when beginning their careers at a time when other industries had glass ceilings.

“Adrea is a terrific choice for this year’s Leader,” Green said. “She’s strived to make a difference not just at her company but shared her passion with the greater industry.”

The beta installation of the HP Inkjet Web press was initiated in December at O’Neil. Other installations are expected this year at The CPI Group and Taylor Corp., in addition to Consolidated Graphics and Courier Corp.

“If you have the horsepower, with the right software and servers, it is truly just about feeding” data to the press, said Lucanish, referring to the throughput capabilities of the inkjet press. In the past, when clients wanted digital jobs faster, O’Neil would have had to add more presses, he explained.

O’Neil is in the process of converting all of the healthcare materials it prints to the inkjet press. During open enrollment months, O’Neil produces up to 11 mil-lion healthcare booklets in a month with personalized information, such as a list of pharmacies within five miles of the recipi-ent’s home.

With the inkjet press, O’Neil can increase its productivity and offer clients high-quality color for almost the same price.

: Marketing campaigns with a music tie-in that include free, downloadable music track offers to target a younger demographic are gaining popularity for brands as diverse as Zippo lighters and Vitaminwater.

“Zippo has a deep heritage with music” due to the lofting of the lighters by fans at concerts, said Rick Gardinier, chief digital officer at agency Brunner, which recently launched a Zippo campaign that partners with Rolling Stone magazine and Real- Networks for a microsite in support of indie rock music. Because of this heritage, it made sense to build a campaign around contemporary music in an effort to help the Zippo brand maintain relevance with its target audience of young men age 18 to 34, Gardinier explained.

The “hub” of the campaign is a recently launched microsite at ZippoEncore.com, which features exclusive content and lives within the Rolling Stone Web site. The cam-paign also will be supported with social media and print ads in Rolling Stone. Banner ads on RollingStone.com and Pandora.com will run through the fall.

“Zippo has advertised with Rolling Stone for years, but to really go this deep on an online partnership together is a first,” said Gardinier.

Music also plays a key role in a new pro-motion from Glaceau’s Vitaminwater, which has partnered with MySpace Music to launch

a new flavor, Sync. For the promotion, 24 million bottles of Sync will feature a MyS-pace Music logo, and promotional codes printed under each cap will allow purchasers to download a free MP3 music track.

On the Zippo/Rolling Stone site, visitors can find two exclusive videos by the band Shinedown and a free, downloadable track, as well as additional content such as exclu-sive interviews, a message board and a cata-log of rock-themed Zippo lighters.

There’s also a CRM component. Micro-site visitors are required to opt in to view much of the content. Those who sign up will receive a series of e-mails, including messages with a thank you theme, for their birthday, special offers and around live events sponsored by Zippo.

Zippo also recently launched Facebook and MySpace pages that reference the company’s rock music ties and ZippoEncore.com.

: Commercial printer Consolidated Graph-ics and book printer Courier Corp. are the latest companies to place orders for HP’s new high-speed Inkjet Web Press platform, with installations planned for the second and fourth quarters, respectively.

The HP Inkjet Web press prints with a resolution of 1,200 dpi at full press speed of 400 feet per minute. Such high-speed inkjet presses are widely expected to give a boost to digital print because of their ability to bring color to variable data print cost effectively, compatibility with a wide range of media, including uncoated offset stock and newsprint as well as their speed.

Océ currently has a similar press com-mercially available, RR Donnelley is using one that it developed in-house, and other manufacturers are expected to come to market with their own versions.

“The current economy is accelerating the demand for digital print,” said Jan Riecher, VP and GM Americas, HP’s graphics solu-tions business, at a recent open house for trade press to see the new press. With busi-nesses spending less on print and looking for ways to reduce inventory, digital is an important strategy for increasing the ROI of print and reducing inventory, and “the Inkjet Web Press is a significant next step” in digital print technology, he continued.

“I look at what HP has developed as a game changer,” said James Lucanish, presi-dent at O’Neil Data Systems, which hosted the open house.

: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has released its first official click measurement guidelines, which are meant to help combat click fraud. Key industry leaders agreed upon the guidelines to help ensure that advertisers only pay for legitimate clicks.

“The interactive industry has been talking about the question of clicks for a long time,” said Joe Laszlo, director of research at the IAB. “It took time to build a consensus.”

Click Forensics, a third-party click auditor, was part of the working group of 32 com-panies that created the guidelines, including search giants Google and Yahoo.

Tom Cuthbert, president and CEO of Click Forensics, said he believes the guide-lines are a “good start” for the industry: ”Our hope is that the entire advertising community will embrace them – the more that commit to them, the better quality traffic advertisers will have available to them to buy.”

Laszlo pointed out that more advertisers have become aware of the questions sur-rounding the reliability of click counts and those buyers of click-based advertising have exerted increased demand as they become savvy about the market. “The industry has reached the point in its process of maturation

for these sorts of guidelines to set a baseline for everyone and to give buyers greater assurance that they get what they paid for,” he said.

The guidelines, he explained, set up an industry standard so vendors and advertisers will use the same terminology to talk about different stages in the lifecycle of a click: “There are also a very specific set of rules about how you filter the clicks you’re counting and how those processes should work.”

Click Forensics admitted that it believes there are still things missing from the guide-lines that might evolve in the future. “A natu-ral evolution might be a click ID, a unique identifier that passes between the seller and the buyer to make sure they are talking about the same click,” Laszlo said.

Define the technical lifecycle of a click and offer standards by which clicks should be measured and counted

Establish standard terms to help streamline click-based media buying

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: RR Donnelley & Sons has expressed inter-est in acquiring all or most of Quebecor World’s assets and properties, and is offering to pay the printer’s debtors approximately $957 million cash and 30 million shares.

A letter to Quebecor’s top executives, which RRD released to the press, indicates that it first expressed interest in acquiring Quebecor World last August, but never received any response. Quebecor World is currently reorganizing as part of bankruptcy proceedings in the US and Canada.

“Quebecor World and RR Donnelley have long represented a strong strategic fit with one another,” said Thomas J. Quinlan III, president and CEO of RR Donnelley, in a statement.

: Vibe Media Group will launch a new print and online brand in June.

TheMostmag.com debuts June 1, to be followed by a 300,000-circulation print tabloid, The Most, on June 16. This will be distributed nationwide on a newsstand-only model. Both the Web site and print maga-zine are targeted to the same young, urban demographic as Vibe magazine, but The Mostis more focused on celebrity culture, enter-tainment and gossip than the music and lifestyle content of Vibe.

“We think launching The Most [now] is a very smart, very savvy move because there’s a hole in the marketplace,” explained Danyel Smith, editor-in-chief of Vibe and president and editorial director of Vibe Media Group. “There is not a celebrity and lifestyle magazine that focuses on the urban community with the quality, beauty and excellence we have, and we know there’s an audience for it.”

“This is a very complementary brand to Vibe,” added Vibe publisher Edgar Hernan-dez. “What we’ve seen traditionally is that celebrity-themed magazines draw a female audience, but everybody — whether through

social networking or TV or magazines — just wants to consume as much [celebrity] informa-tion as they can. I can’t pinpoint a certain age or gender that wants this type of entertain-ment; it’s definitely a 21-year-old and older audience, but I would say there’s no really sound demographic that we can point to.”

: Oregon-based craft beer distillery Deschutes Brewery has selected North and Campbell Consulting Group Inc. as its agen-cies of record for creative and PR.

The new appointments were made to help the 20-year-old, privately owned beer maker manage its marketing as it moves toward national distribution by 2020, said Jason Randles, marketing manager at Deschutes. The beer currently is distributed in 14 states; the most recent addition is Utah.

“[In the review process] it was clear the both companies realized the potential that the brand has yet to tap into,” Randles said. “We're just beginning to grow our coverage, and we are doing it at our pace.”

Previously, the company had worked with

Oregon-based DVA Advertising & Public Relations and Lad Communications.

Mirror Pond Pale Ale and Black Butte Porter are the company's most recognized products, and Randles said the next cam-paigns would focus around getting recogni-tion around the umbrella Deschutes brand in addition to the specific products.

“Every brewery has to find a balance [between focusing] on the beer and [the] lifestyle,” Randles said. “We found a sweet spot with the positioning, ‘the greater the challenge; the greater the reward.'”

The company plans to use a combination of retail point-of-sale, social media and organ-ic search. It has already seen great uptake through blogging on its own site and other beer aficionado blogs, Randles said.

Mr. Riggs ... in the boardroom ... with the golf clubs.

The Most magazine is taking a grassroots approach to self-promotion, using its Twit-ter account and the Twitter, Facebook and MySpace power of big sister Vibe to build excitement for the launch.

A Facebook account for The Most and a mobile program also are in the works. The second issue of The Most is slated for January 2010.

Vibe Media Group tested the tabloid concept of The Most with the January 2008 and 2009 issues of Vibe; they were some of the magazine’s best-selling issues of the past two years.

Vibe’s readership is split fairly evenly between men and women, and median read-er age is around 29, per MRI. Vibe, which had a total paid and verified circulation of 817,825, supported largely by subscriptions, as of December 31, announced plans earlier this year to cut its guaranteed rate base 25% in July to 600,000 copies.

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: Like many other industries today, the pharmaceutical industry is undergoing a miniature revolution. New regulations, bud-get constraints and marketing models, and the availability of new technological tools, are pushing pharma companies to change almost every aspect of their traditional sell-ing strategies — including CRM.

A May 11 report from Frost & Sullivan, Global Pharmaceutical CRM Markets, notes “The turbulent pharmaceutical industry is demanding cheaper and innovative CRM solutions that will enable [more] flexibility.”

One major factor that makes this billion-dollar industry so “turbulent” for CRM pro-viders is the changing sales force structure. Matt Wallach, EVP and GM of pharma CRM provider VeevaSystems, explains that, from 1990 to 2005, the pharma industry was in an “arms race” to get as many sales reps in the field as possible. However, now that big blockbuster drugs are coming off pat-ent and a parade of lookalikes has invaded the market, covering more ground doesn’t guarantee more sales. The new generation of niche drugs “doesn’t require the same type of investment in your sales force and CRM system to be successful,” Wallach says.

Infrastructures that have been in place for five or 10 years simply cannot change as quickly as the market demands.

“It’s great for pharma companies in terms of flexibility and usability and pricing, but more importantly, to have a choice of the model that you need or want,” explains Thi-baut de Lataillade, VP of global marketing for France-based Cegedim Dendrite, which boasts 35% of the market share in pharma CRM. “Some companies, small and big, will need a SaaS model for specific reasons, and within those companies there may be specific divisions that want a model that is different, with more customized things.”

Pharma companies also are demanding CRM tools that work across, and help to integrate, multiple channels. Physicians get their information online now more than ever, and it is essential to be able to continue an online rapport during an in-person meet-ing or over the phone.

“Companies are really looking to being in other channels and giving sales reps more to do, like sending an e-mail to a doctor for a Web meeting or providing feedback in person to a question that a doctor called in to the call center yesterday,” notes Mike Madden, solution partner at EMC Consulting.

Even with all of these extras, CRM prod-ucts may command lower prices than the old infrastructures. The global economic down-turn, loss of patents and fears of forthcom-ing legislation will make pharma companies more wary of how they spend their dollars, even on a strategic tool like CRM.

“The larger CRM platforms cost a lot of money to implement and operate, and pharma companies not only have to engage customers differently to sell, but cut costs,” says Madden. “The former bloated model definitely drives folks to look at their major investments again.”

Cost-cutting or no, de Lataillade predicts that the pharma CRM space will continue to see growth, particularly in value-added data management services.

“If you put bad data into your CRM system, you will get very bad results,” he points out. “So, the key development we see is in services to merge, clean, format and qualify the data.”

“Pharma companies will strategically move ahead to be productive and efficient within their limited resources,” concludes Sujith Eramangalath, team leader and senior analyst, European Healthcare IT, Frost & Sullivan.

Additional scrutiny on pharma sales prac-tices — which once included a heavy dose of entertainment and perks for doctors — also has changed strategies and created the need for new, smarter, more flexible tools.

Flexible CRM systems, such as those run as software-as-a-service (SaaS), will be in higher demand going forward, as pharma companies continue their rapid evolutions.

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By Chantal Todé: Customer satisfaction with many of the largest online retailers fell 3% since last year, according to the annual Top 100 Online Retail Satisfaction Index from ForeSee Results and FGI Research.

The research, which employs the method-ology of the University of Michigan’s Amer-ican Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), is based on surveys of more than 22,000 visitors to the top 100 e-retail Web sites by sales volume, as reported in the 2009 Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide.

This year’s aggregate score of 73 indicates that some online retailers may be dropping the satisfaction ball.

“There are clearly some challenges ahead for retailers,” said Larry Freed, president and CEO of ForeSee Results. “We’re in a far more competitive environment than we’ve ever been in the life of the Internet. There is less consumer spending going on and the same number of retailers. At the end of the day, those that satisfy their customers are going to be the winners.”

Satisfied online shoppers are more likely to purchase online than dissatisfied ones, more likely to recommend a Web site and more likely to make a purchase from the brand offline, according to the survey. This year’s survey also found that consumers are

more price-sensitive than in previous years, when price has had a relatively low impact on overall satisfaction.

“Price is playing a bigger role” in the cur-rent retail environment, Freed said.

“Up until about six months ago, price had a limited impact on changing customer behavior for this list of top 100 retailers,” he explained. “Now, price and merchandise are the two factors with the biggest impact when it comes to customer satisfaction.”

The change in the role of price has been driven by the economy, he added.

Netflix, with a score of 85, and Amazon, with a score of 84, led all e-retailers for the fifth straight year.

The online retailers posting the biggest improvements include Kohls.com, with a 6% gain for a score of 76, and Costco, with a 3% gain for a score of 74.

However, scores for more than half of the top 100 e-retailers declined. Apple.com slid nearly 6% for a total of 75, and now trails Dell.com and HPShopping.com.

CVS.com’s score declined 8% for a score of 71, putting it behind Walgreens and Drugstore.com.

NeimanMarcus.com’s score lost 7% for a total of 70, and Williams-Sonoma.com and Talbots.com each lost 6.4% for a score of 73. l

OPTIMIZED

By Sara Holoubek: Following Apple’s announcement of 1 billion iPhone app downloads in just nine months, Compete released its quarterly Smart-phone Intelligence report, indicating 28% of smartphone users have spent $5 to $50 on a mobile application. These early signs of ancillary revenue have marketers asking what it takes to build a successful mobile application — and what the price is.

As with any new technology, mobile applications have not yet found their line item in the marketing budget. “A marketer can easily spend $50,000 or more building a mobile app for the iPhone, only to then realize that they need to spend $50,000 more to build the same mobile app for another platform,” said Daniel Ruben Odio-

Paez, co-founder and CEO, PointAbout.com. This investment reality, coupled with the fact that a relatively low percentage – estimated by Odio-Paez as 2% to 5% – get the majority of the traffic, means that marketers should heed the advice of those who have found success.

Patrick O’Donnell, a founder of Urban-spoon, has some ideas. When the iPhone app store opened last July, Urbanspoon’s restaurant search app was one of 552 applications available; today, there are more than 35,000. This early traction, as well as being featured in Apple advertising, gave Urbanspoon a boost.

“The best promotion you can get is to be in the top 10 or top 25,” O’Donnell said. “The trick is, you need to get there first.”

Yet advertising alone does not make a successful product; Urbanspoon’s iPhone application is now in its 10th version. “We were happy to discover that people upgrade when we release a new version,” he said.

A similar consumer-focused process has led to the success of TripIt’s iPhone application, launched last month. “TripIt already had a mobile Web app for about a year, so we based much of our iPhone app on that concept,” said Scott Hintz, VP, business development and co-founder.

This experience provided Hintz with three guiding principles: Keep it simple, solve a real-world problem, and set expectations with the audience when launching beta.

“Most of all, listen to the feedback and act upon it,” Hintz said. l

Price is key to e-commerce satisfaction: ForeSee survey

The best iPhone apps combine utility, simplicity

Q What was your approach?

A At the core were two quizzes: “Who should I vote for?” and “What political party am I?” When people took these quizzes, before they got their results, we showed them an ad to sign up and hear more from the Obama campaign.

Q What if the quiz showed that partici-pants should vote for McCain?

A Those were great people to show an ad to and win over!

Q Why did the Obama campaign want to take this approach?

A It really wanted to make an impact in certain key states, and it also wanted to demonstrate its Internet and tech savvy, with which it was very forward-thinking on the entire campaign. It also wanted to be really efficient with its dollars.

Q How did you target people to partici-pate in the online quiz?

A Part of our process includes geo-graphic targeting, and the campaign had a bunch of key states — swing states, mostly — they wanted to target. We were

able to use our technology and specific ZIP code level tracking to get into counties and states they wanted to be in.

Q How did you find those people?

A We spend a lot of time making sure all of our quizzes are SEO-friendly. We also spent a lot of time trying to maximize the viral aspect of the campaign through social media and word of mouth. People could post “badges” of their results on social networks and forward the quiz and results to others, so there was a whole viral component.

Q Once people took the quiz, what hap-pened with all that information?

A We shared the relevant data with the Obama campaign, so those were the leads we shipped to them. They also became part of our database and membership, so we could theoretically retarget if we needed.

Q What were some results?

A Over the three-week period that the campaign ran, about 200,000 people took one of those two political quizzes. The total campaign we screened to reach about 80,000 individuals that met the defined criteria, and we generated 12,000 leads.

Seth Lieberman, CEO of Pangea Media, talks about an online quiz-based campaign element created for Barack Obama during the last few weeks of his 2008 presidential campaign.

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USPS.indd 1 5/11/09 1:24:51 PM

rices on a first-class stamp went up last week — the third straight annual rise — but the increase will have little, if any, impact for me.

In reviewing my own mail over the past several months, in addition to all the e-mails and texting, I’ve notice a couple of things that have now become standard. One, I’m using less checks, because I’m paying all of my bills, with the exception of rent, online. As a result, that book of stamps that used to last less than a month now carries me through for quite some time.

And that’s the problem.This week starts a four-day National Postal Forum in

Washington, an annual gathering of postal officials and mailing industry professionals. US Postmaster General John Potter opens the forum the morning of May 18, to be followed by another, likely much anticipated, session: a financial briefing on the US Postal Service.

The past several weeks have not brought much good news for the USPS, and the revenues generated from the stamp price increases will do little to ease its financial stress. With a $2.8 billion deficit last fiscal year, the USPS recently reported a year to date loss of $2.3 billion so far this year, which began October 1, citing an “unprecedented” decrease in volume and revenue, given the recession and electronic mailing alternatives.

The USPS has pointed to its cost-savings efforts: cuts in work hours, realigning carrier routes, freezing top level salaries, cutting travel budgets and more. And it also has floated the idea of a five-day mail delivery schedule.

But the bottom line remains that there is less mail, and it will only continue to decrease. E-mail and other electronic messaging have cut into mail volume substantially. At the other end, as costs rise, direct mailers also are seeking other alternatives.

What can be done? Some advocates continue to push for a five-day delivery week. That could have immediate cost savings but, at the same time, leave a delivery void that will no doubt be filled quickly by another company, potentially leading to future erosion of customers for the USPS. But at the rate of the drop in postal volume and revenue and the growing losses, alternatives may be limited.

Others say the agency should be fully privatized. If that was the case and it was a private company or bank, the USPS would clearly be one of those in line for a bailout and a likely overhaul.

Direct mailers looking to cut costs while increasing effec-tiveness need look no further than cleansing and qualifying customer and prospect addresses. The solution goes further than simply utilizing address cleansing software, though. Instead, consider employing managed address services to avoid wasted costs and lower response rates resulting from undeliverable-as-addressed (UAA) mail.

Organizations who distribute a significant amount of direct mail are often unaware of UAA mail’s cost impact. Approximately 3.4% of US Postal Service First-Class Mail is undeliverable because it is UAA. For USPS Standard Mail, which includes marketing and promotional offers for business retention and new business generation, that figure jumps to 6.4 percent. In fact, Standard Mail accounts for 63% of all UAA mail and, unlike First-Class Mail, UAA Standard Mail is destroyed without any notification to the

Hardly a day goes by when a headline doesn’t proclaim the death of branding at the hands of the almighty, all-measure-able Internet. Yes, measurement is important and whenever possible we should drive toward direct metrics. But here’s our collective challenge: The vast majority of retail commerce still takes place offline — nearly 90% overall in 2008 and higher for key brand categories like automotive, according to Lehman Brothers Internet Data Book June 2008.

Thus, for most marketers evaluated on success in driv-ing offline sales, online metrics such as clicks, interaction rates and Web site visits are likely to be less useful than proven brand marketing tools such as awareness/favorabil-ity, purchase intent, reach or frequency. These metrics certainly aren’t perfect, but they’re tested, understood and comparable to metrics from other media.

mailer, unless the mailer pays extra fees to the USPS.For large mailers, UAA mail represents significant waste,

both from a cost and business opportunity perspective. Improving address quality and selection is actually a process that can have long-term benefits. Using a quality man-aged address services vendor with extensive expertise in understanding this process and in-depth knowledge of postal regulations can help direct mailers understand their current address environment – for example, how did an organization build their address database and what issues are inherent in the design? Who is accessing it and why?

It’s also important for mailers to measure the quality of their addresses — how many addresses are bad, to what degree, and for what reasons? What are the returns on investment of the various services to address the root issues?

Additionally, mailers need to fix the process by determin-ing the proper combination of one time (get it clean) and recurring (keep it clean) operational changes to significantly reduce UAA mail, often by more than 50%. This includes the use of automated tools and services in conjunction with manual operations, all performed by addressing experts.

By following a “Get it clean, keep it clean” mantra, mailers can reap the benefits of clean addresses for years.adam.collinson@pb.com

What we brand marketers don’t talk about enough is how the Internet can be used to measure brand metrics. Today, we can easily, accurately and economically measure important attitudinal metrics online. Econometric measurement also has made real advancements, making it possible in certain categories to develop statistically significant ROI models matching offline purchase data to online ad exposure.

Econometrics is not the holy grail of online measurement. Statistically valid econometric measurement still requires large media budgets. Results are aggregated and delivered months after media stop running. However, econometrics does represent an extremely valuable bridge until online budgets show up routinely in marketing mix models.

While the online brand industry still a way to go, its foun-dation is strong, recent progress has been tremendous and measurement capabilities are improving. Marketers must balance using measurement technologies to stay on the cut-ting edge, but also remain realistic about what’s possible and practical given available tools. So, let us measure wherever we can, not fear to act where we cannot yet measure pre-cisely and, while we evolve, remember that brand marketing fundamentals are as important as ever, even online.andrew.atherton@brand.net

: NBC shows such as The Office and 30 Rock aren’t just popular on television. The net-work also makes full episodes of these and other shows available to consumers online and through the mobile phone. And, noticing strong use of the latter channel for content viewing, NBC sought a way to translate its partners’ online ads to the mobile phone.

“NBC Universal has this vision to put video on every platform we can in the digital space, and we want to make sure we bring our brand partners along with us,” said Steve Andrade, SVP and GM for NBC.com. “For those advertisers who buy on air, they’d also like to be part of it online and on mobile, and we wanted to give the advertisers a one-stop shop.”

Enter Kiptronic, a mobile services provider that worked with NBC to develop a soft-ware-as-a-service (SAAS) program through which NBC and its partners could use the same video ad creative both online and on the mobile phone.

“NBC said, ‘Hey, we know where [mobile video] is going, we need a way that keeps us in control, that allows us to eas-ily publish content, allow our sales people to traffic ads into this content — we need it to work like Web video,’” explained Bill Loewenthal, president and chief executive for Kiptronic. “That’s not easy, because the way browser-based online video ad serving works is completely different than what’s in mobile. Up until now, if companies really want to participate in mobile video, it had been a siloed, separate process [from online video] in how companies have to dis-tribute, host and measure their advertising, and it doesn’t fit into their workflow. ”

The Kiptronic platform works in con-cert with NBC.com’s existing Web-based advertising infrastructure, which depends on DoubleClick’s Dart product to serve ads and measure impressions. The mobile

Confessions of a

M a i l T r a c k e r

video ads run as pre-, mid- and post-rolls during episodes of NBC shows.

“One of our main challenges was to find a solution that could help us get integrated with the normal, familiar tools our adver-tisers use,” said Robert Angelo, director of mobile for NBC.com. “In this case, the Dart server [is] where [advertisers] serve the

ads and track the ads and impressions. We worked directly with Kiptronic and pretty much created this workflow and helped them build out this product to allow us to dynamically serve our ads to the mobile space the same way as online.”

Loewenthal believes that this is a first step toward improved options for advertisers on

the mobile phone. “Publishers want to be able to run multiple ad campaigns so they can maximize the revenue on their content and serve multiple advertisers, and they want to better target that to the end user,” he said. “Then there’s the idea of tying it into banners on the WAP pages and everything, and you’ll see that all happening.”

Alloy.indd 1 5/14/09 10:42:20 AM

www.dmnews.com | May 18, 2009 | DMNEWS | 13

The new age ofdirect agenciesAs the economy sputters, marketers now offer a front seat to direct and digital agencies who offer measurement and ROI. But, in DMNews’ first annual Agency Business Report, we found that DM agencies also continue to evolve in order to stay relevant in a complex age of cross-channel marketing

By Sharon Goldman: They are leaders in sectors ranging from traditional DM and digital to emerg-ing channels. They remain steeped in the science of data while offering greater con-tributions to a company’s overall brand strategy. They struggle both to reorganize their own internal organizations to reflect the number and complexity of emerging channels as well as to educate their clients about today’s turbo-charged marketing space. They enjoy newfound respect and access to the C-suite.

This is the world of today’s direct agen-cies, as we proudly introduce DMNews’ first Agency Business Report. In a series of online-exclusive profiles, you’ll read about 70 of the top direct and digital agencies, including their capabilities, service standards and corporate identities. You can access all of these profiles in our special section on DMNews.com.

It has been nearly a half-century since Lester Wunderman famously coined the term “direct marketing” in 1961 — which Wunderman CEO Daniel Morel points out was later said by Lester to be better put as “personal advertising.” But today’s DM agency leadership acknowledges that the past 10 years have truly brought a vast shift to the industry, due to the rise of digital; changes in consumer behavior; the emer-gence of many more marketing channels; and the need for agencies to reorganize the traditional way they do business.

“A lot of things have changed,” observes Epsilon CEO Bryan Kennedy, who started at the agency 13 years ago. “There’s no question that the complexity of the solu-tions and the amount of coordination for well-executed integrated channels has just become more complex as channels have really proliferated.”

Direct agencies used to have a much more straightforward role, as direct mail served as the primary one-to-one channel for most marketers. Just a decade ago, Kennedy points out, Epsilon managed databases for clients that focused on driving direct mail and only centered on names and addresses. Now, how-

ever, data have become more abundant and more detailed, and tools to analyze it have become far more complex.

“To take advantage of the rich data avail-able and to truly understand customer behav-ior and segmentation, agencies really have to be more nimble and have a much different toolset than existed 10 years ago,” he says.

For agency Draftfcb, that data complexity, as well as increased efforts to integrate cam-paigns across channels, means the company has had to break down walls of separat-ism between various disciplines, says CEO Laurence Boschetto. But, he also admits that hasn’t been easy.

“Anytime you have anyone going into uncharted waters, it’s very challenging because there are different audiences you have to impact,” he explains. “So, there are a number of different areas that need to be developed internally within our own organization, in terms of psychology and continued on next page

Laurence BoschettoCEODraftfcb

“Anytime you have anyone going into uncharted waters, it’s very challenging… taking large organizations and helping them see a new solution requires considerable heavy lifting.”

Daniel MorelCEOWunderman

“[Our business] is in an exciting time. It is 60% digital when, in fact, two years ago it was less than 20% digital.”

Direct marketers, he says, spent a long time feeling rather invisible in the ad world. “We were very much under the radar screen, we weren’t the visible part,” he says. “We were the guys working the data and the numbers, the stuff being done at retail and with production.” But now, Morel says, mail production accounts for less than 10% of what Wunderman produces.

“[Our] business is in an exciting time,” he explains. “It is 60% digital when, in fact, two years ago it was less than 20% digital. For Microsoft, for example, [our work is] all digital — we don’t produce a single piece of paper for them. With Ford it’s [becoming] exactly the same.”

In addition, DM agencies are becoming more “front row” for the client, he contin-ues. “We’ve escalated the discussion we

training as to why we’re doing what we’re doing to benefit our client’s business.”

He adds that educating clients about these new efforts is also challenging. “Taking large organizations and helping them see a new solution requires pretty considerable heavy lifting, [which means shifting] how they think, work and budget,” he says.

At the same time, today’s clients expect their agencies to wring more out of less – they want increased accountability and measurement to get the most from shrinking company advertising budgets.

“[Clients are] not satisfied with click-through rates,” says Bob Lord, who was named CEO of Razorfish last month. “They want to know if the product sold, and whether it helped their brand impres-sion. The line is blurring between direct marketing and brand. Companies see both as synonymous.”

But this tight-fisted client attitude actually bodes well for the direct and digital world these days, he adds, because DM can boast measurability that traditional advertising cannot — so more marketers are turning towards DM agencies and cutting back on traditional spend.

“While marketing budgets are contract-ing, I suggest we’re staying flat,” Lord explains. “With our targeting abilities we can be more effective in getting the con-sumer at the right time.”

And, agency leaders emphasize that while many things have changed in the DM world, one thing remains solidly the same: the value of data.

“It’s pretty amazing that it was not that long ago where everyone involved in an Internet company thought they had cre-ated and invented DM,” says Kennedy. “In fact, [direct marketing] is a discipline that’s rooted in data and collecting and analyzing and processing that data over a period of time. That has not changed.”

Wunderman CEO Morel notes that it’s obvious that direct agencies are not looked at as the “old envelope stuffers of yore.” Instead, DM is “becoming sexy, man,” he laughs. “Even my daughter thinks her dad is cool.”

Agency Business Report

have from the guy in charge of buying of print production to the guys talking strat-egy,” Morel says. “[We’re discussing] ‘What should I do with my brand on the new medium called the Web,’ because the busi-ness is immediately transactional. We are the ones doing all of this stuff – but now it’s on steroids.”

Lord agrees that DM agencies are now able to connect with the C-suite in ways they never had before. “We’re having conversa-tions not just with the brand manager, but also with the CMO and potentially the CIO,” he says. “And [the conversations are] about how to fundamentally change how we get to the consumer in a different way than ever before. For example, we just recently did a brand product launch exclusively online and had phenomenal success. Two or three years ago, the brand manager wouldn’t ever have considered it. But now, the budget must be put into a place where they knew it will be effective and drive results.”

are pleased at the relatively newfound focus on accountability, there are still concerns about the DM agency industry that keep them up at night.

“I think on a macro level, our industry has been very reticent to change and needs to change at a more accelerated rate,” says Boschetto. “The industry is still compart-mentalized, he insists, and those barriers need to break down further.”

The larger question for agencies is, he says, “How do you let the accountability and all the scientific and direct side coexist with the branding and advertising side and have the best impact?”

Another concern, he adds, is that clients may say they want new thinking, but it remains to be seen whether they are really ready to respond to it. “Are they really prepared to respond to those kinds of new solutions?” he wonders. “Because they [cat-egorize and compartmentalize] as well.”

For Lord, it is the confounding issue of measurement that still hangs over the digital industry that concerns him. “It’s somewhat frustrating to me that I sit on a lot of indi-vidual boards and we still rabble around the concept of measurement — what’s the measurement of engagement,” he says. “The world is changing so quickly that the issue is evolving. It’s not about messaging anymore — it’s about whether someone really engages with your brand. It’s very powerful vs. a TV spot, but the industry hasn’t figured that out in terms of measurement.”

He also adds that traditional research is “not up to snuff now.” It’s too slow, he explains, at a time that consumer buying behavior has drastically changed. “Consum-er buying behavior is now so influenced by

their social graph and influence sphere, that research is too slow to react,” he says.

As for new online measurement tools, he points out that the industry has not accepted them as valid. “The research industry has to say these tools are valid and effective put into context,” he says. “I’m not saying traditional tools will go away, but when is it appropriate to use these new tools? Our measurement systems have to include this influence sphere.”

, the excitement about being part of DM has not dimmed. “I believe this is the best place to be in the entire value chain of marketing spend,” Ken-nedy insists. “At the same time as you’re seeing shrinkage [of budgets], we’re also see-ing budgets concentrate on the kinds of mar-keting programs and strategies we support – whether those be pure multichannel direct

marketing strategies or loyalty programs, which are a big part of our business.”

Draftfcb’s Boschetto says that while he came from the above-the-line advertising space, he has learned about good business from direct.

“I’ve learned about cause and effect rela-tionships, about databases and insights into consumer behavior, about developing mar-keting programs built on that premise and seeing what the results are and fine-tuning the program in real time,” he explains. “So, when I look at both, I imagine a world where the best of marketing and the best of business coexist in an open space. That’s the excite-ment for me – venturing into new technolo-gies, asking, ‘What learnings do we take from yesterday to reinvent our tomorrow?’”

As for the future of the DM and digital agency, Razorfish’s Lord believes those spe-cific attributions will soon break down.

“You’re going to call [them] agencies in general,” he says. “I do believe there is this space between the traditional agencies and traditional consultancies. Where you’re bringing business context and great ideas together – that’s the new agency of the future, where you are a trusted adviser helping them to transform their business through innovative direct marketing. And it’s a pretty cool space.”

Boschetto agrees, pointing out that agen-cies need to deal with their disciplines as people deal with their lives — in totality.

“It’s not about direct, brand-building, pro-motions, retail or digital, it’s about all of it,” he says. “So, as we reinvent ourselves with a whole new thinking about the engagement process, we have to understand that totality of the industry and how to optimize results using every channel and touchpoint.”

Visit DMNews.com for the full profiles of this year’s 70 top direct marketing agencies. DMNews chose the Agency Business Report honorees based on their company size, breadth of capabilities in the direct, digital and database sectors as well as their current client portfolio. See the alphabetical list below for the finalist names.

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: Is paid blogging the equivalent of paying someone to be your friend or the next big marketing movement that your brand can’t live without? Maybe it’s both.

In my professional role and in my board position at the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (where I also lead the asso-ciation’s Living Ethics project), I’ve heard intransigent arguments on both sides.

Quite simply, the issue seems to be wheth-er it is acceptable and/or ethical for brands to pay bloggers cash (or a cash equivalent) to write about them? No one seems to debate that transparency and disclosure,

as outlined in the WOMMA Ethics Code, is essential. And there seems to be little or no dispute over the widely accepted practice of giving bloggers free products or services to try and review.

But paying for reviews on specific prod-ucts (as opposed to paying reviewers to analyze a category of products) is creating a rift that has been likened to the early days of e-mail marketing vs. e-mail spam.

As Google works to prevent their search engines from recognizing paid blogs, other marketers are actively building portfolios of bloggers who eagerly review products for payment.

So, should paid blogging fit into your marketing mix? I’d suggest letting the debate settle out before you risk your brand. There’s another straightforward and unassailable solution: Learn what your customers and brand advocates love about your brand and make it easy for them to share it – without being paid.

: Controversy surrounds a practice many marketers use — hiring paid bloggers as a cost-effective means to boost search engine optimization and produce relevant user-generated content.

Paid searches have long been an indus-try standard. However, search engines like Google maintain that paid blogs should not influence search results, despite the fact that most users cannot distinguish between paid and non-paid results.

It is important to note that most paid bloggers are thought leaders. The reputable majority are given keywords and products

to include, but are not told what to write. Readers base their opinions on the quality of the discussions, not whether authors were compensated by checks, free tickets or trial products. This is very similar to paid edito-rial columnists who write for daily news-papers. We don’t question their viewpoints simply because they are paid.

Most bloggers are paid in some way, so how can a search engine distinguish the difference and penalize one over the other? Furthermore, if the business model of search engines revolves around paid results, how can they claim that paid blogging is any less credible than paid keyword searches — their primary revenue source?

Bottom line: We all pay one way or anoth-er. So why should the “800-pound gorilla” be the primary organization defining marketing strategies and turning a profit in the search world? There is a place for paid blogging, and I strongly believe that it should remain a viable tool in our Internet arsenal.

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Dimensional dynamo When it comes to dimensional direct mail for business-to-business companies, agency Mindspace knows its stuff. After all, it has com-pleted more than 250 dimensional mail campaigns for enterprise software company Oracle.

“Especially when the piece goes to a C-suite executive, where it’s hard to get through the doorkeeper — that is, the receptionist — we fi nd if it’s in a dimensional box that stands out it gets pushed through pretty quickly,” says Brent Shetler, principal and creative director at Mindspace. “We’ve seen 20% response rates with mailers when we either send it in a box that’s interesting or just by FedEx so that it has a sense of importance to it.”

Last summer, the agency created a direct mail campaign for Oracle distributor Avnet, which wanted to get its value-added reseller (VAR) clients — who sell Oracle products to end users — to sign up for a lead-

Cost-savings savvy As an education nonprofi t that relies on federal and state funding to survive, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) was looking to cut down on direct mail campaign costs, which — while mail remains an essential marketing channel for the organization — can be prohibitively expensive.

For a mailing promoting a conference that targeted 74,000 national board certifi ed teachers, director of marketing Elizabeth Arritt had an idea of how to cut down on the number of mailers sent out: “We were already planning e-mails and mailings and I thought, why am I e-mailing all these people and then mailing something when I can tell exactly who opened the e-mail?”

The NBPTS had about 61,000 of the targeted group’s e-mail

Lead with loyalty To mark the debut of the new Porsche 911, Porsche Cars North America’s agency, Cramer-Krasselt Chicago, sent unique direct mail kits to a curated list of 10,000 Porsche enthusiasts, including current and former 911 owners. Each package included an exclusive, limited-edition Porsche badge that was personalized with a unique code, in some cases hand-selected for a specifi c recipient.

“Our drivers are as important in developing the brand over time as the brand itself,” says Michael Baer, group account director for Porsche at Cramer-Krasselt Chicago. “We always

want to stay in contact with them, give them insider information and, when and where, it’s appro-

priate, reward them for their passionate loyalty to the brand.”

The effort was part of a large mar-keting push that included print and

online ads as well as a microsite. But the

Feature

www.dmnews.com | May 18, 2009 | DMNEWS | XX

Direct mail done right By Sharon Goldman

When it comes to direct mail, success can be measured in a variety of ways besides straight ROI – although raising response is, of course, the bottom line. For instance, did the piece grab attention? Did its design help it get past

the gatekeepers? Or, was the mailing particularly cost-effi cient? Did it help increase customer loyalty? These are the fac-tors that came into play for the following three successful direct mail campaigns. A b-to-b campaign, a campaign touting an education nonprofi t and a mailing strictly for high-end luxury auto enthusiasts may not initially seem to have much in common. But they are all efforts that effectively used direct mail in creative and thoughtful ways.

18 | DMNEWS | May 18, 2009 | www.dmnews.com

Three direct mail campaigns that used creative ideas to overcome challenges and hit the mark

Lead with loyalty To mark the debut of the new Porsche 911, Porsche Cars North America’s agency, Cramer-Krasselt Chicago, sent unique direct mail kits to a curated list of 10,000 Porsche enthusiasts, including current and former 911 owners. Each package included an exclusive, limited-edition Porsche badge that was personalized with a unique code, in some cases hand-selected for a specifi c recipient.

“Our drivers are as important in developing the brand over time as the brand itself,” says Michael Baer, group account director for Porsche at Cramer-Krasselt Chicago. “We always

want to stay in contact with them, give them insider information and, when and where, it’s appro-

priate, reward them for their passionate

online ads as well as a microsite. But the

addresses, so each one received an HTML preview e-mail for the conference twice during the span of one month. Arritt then tracked the addresses that opened the e-mail – about 11,000 – and removed those from the mailing, then targeted the mailing to states near the conference or where the organization had a strong presence, so only about 45,000 of the mailed pieces were sent out.

“It saves us anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 per mailing, between print and mailing costs,” says Arritt. This type of cost savings effort is becoming part of the organization’s standard marketing procedure now, she adds. “We haven’t bought any lists,” she says. “Instead, we’ve gotten information from those who follow us on Twitter and Facebook as well as sign-ups on the Web site.”

response to the direct mail piece and badge was particularly positive, says Baer. Some recipients even took the time to write Porsche and personally thank them for the gift.

The creative challenge for the direct mail piece, he says, was the fact that the new Porsche 911 doesn’t look that much different than the prior generation — so the company had to work carefully to get to the sweet spot of Porsche insiders who have owned multiple Porsches through the years and explain the differences in the new model. “The outside looks unchanged, but on the inside it’s a com-pletely new car,” he says.

Still, the main driver (no pun intended) for the direct mail piece was loyalty — offering top customers something they could put on their desk as a keepsake about their cars. “Anecdotally, we know it drove sales, but it wasn’t designed for that,” says Baer. “It was a reward for loyalty, longevity and interest with the brand. There was no ROI on this piece.”

generation campaign to sell Oracle’s new line of business intelligence products. Twenty-fi ve VARs received a unique, Get Smart-themed spy kit piece which included a brochure and video PDF about the program, explaining everything the reseller needed to know to make a decision about participating in the campaign.

Mindspace hoped to sign up 10 of the VARs, but it actually got 16 — a more than 64% response rate. While it was a small target base, the subsequent lead generation campaign was sent out by the VARs to about 1,400 prospects and included a similar spy briefcase 3-D mailing driving recipients to a personalized landing page. The 3.5% response rate generated 50 leads for the VARs – offering potential sales of more than $5 million. “With price points for the solutions starting at around $100,000, you can justify signifi cant spend [for a mailer],” says Shetler. ●

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20 | DMNEWS | May 18, 2009 | www.dmnews.com

Other channels give e-commerce a boost

Jenn Deering Davis Chief of community experience, Appozite

Neil Rosen CEO, eWayDirect

Sam Decker CMO, Bazaarvoice

Marc Bodner CEO, Ping Mobile

A strong e-commerce Web site is critical for many multichannel merchants, but there are other important pieces to the puzzle. Four industry experts discuss how other channels help grow e-commerce success

: As social networking becomes the new standard for real-time communication between two or more parties, retailers and brands should consider the possibilities that networking sites – such as Twitter – can bring to the table.

Companies can use Twitter to reach large groups of people, handle customer

service issues quickly and work to build a lasting brand. Plus, it’s free to use and easy to learn. And, with Twitter nearly dou-bling in size each month, now is the time tobegin “Tweeting.”

An effective Twitter strategy is more than just building a large list of “followers” – those who will receive marketing messages. Unlike e-mail marketing, which is largely one-way messaging, Twitter encourages two-way inter-action with current and potential customers. Here are a few suggestions to get the most value from this powerful medium.

Twitter is ideal for promoting sales and specials in real time. You can post a link to a coupon and customers will receive that information instantly. If the coupon is valu-able, followers are likely to “retweet,” or re-post, the coupon to their followers, which can result in a powerful viral marketing boost. When trying to move extra inven-tory, put it on sale and post it on Twitter. When running a special, don’t forget to tweet about it.

Use Twitter search (search.twitter.com) to monitor mentions of your brand. Respond to customer issues and fi nd potential new customers and stay in the know about what people are saying about your products and company. Set up an RSS feed of search results so you never miss a mention. Engage customers that ask questions. Address and resolve customer service issues publicly to help position your company as a responsive and caring organization.

Above all, be a real person. Use your Twitter account to give your brand a human personality that people can relate to. It’s very useful to tweet links to your store and announcements about your products, but also include other interesting or relevant con-tent. You’re an expert in this industry; share your expertise with your followers. ●

: Electronic commerce, no-longer an “alter-native” method of shopping, is set to receive a further boost by virtue of the continued proliferation of mobile marketing and the development of mobile applications.

Mobile marketing and mobile applications allow brands and retailers greater access to consumers, both in terms of timeliness and relativity of promotions and offers. The growth in this area is proving to be anasset to those brands that are employing cutting-edge and creative methods to reach targeted consumers.

Beyond the ability to direct a message to the right consumer at the right time and place, the mobile marketing space is poised to allow consumers to make purchases and transact business directly from their mobile devices. This takes advantage of the fact that most of us are virtually always con-nected to our mobile phones, as well as the immediacy and “impulse buy” opportunities offered via the mobile channel.

In the US in particular, there has been a relatively slower adaptation to mobile solutions than in other parts of the world, but this is rapidly changing.

While SMS, or text messaging, remains the lowest hanging fruit in terms of non-voice use of the cell phone, even the “simple” text message provides ample opportunity to lift mobile commerce beyond its current nascent stage.

By inserting a WAP (wireless acccess pro-tocol) or IVR (interactive voice response) link into an SMS message, the advertiser easily enables the consumer to reach its mobile Web site or call center to complete a transaction.

For example, Ping Mobile recently ran a campaign for comedian Larry the Cable Guy in conjunction with an event at the Orleans Hotel and Casino on Las Vegas. By using the call to action “Text TV to 269411,” the consumer received a phone call from the box offi ce with a pre-recorded message from the entertainer, followed by an option to “press 1 on your phone” to reach the box offi ce and buy tickets.

The next steps in the evolution of mobile commerce are the ability to purchase the tickets directly through the mobile phone, as well as receiving and redeeming the tickets on the mobile device. ●

: You’ve seen the case studies — user-gener-ated content (UGC) has a positive impact on conversion and other e-commerce met-rics. And when we talk to leaders within the industry, they get it. But the full value of your customers’ direct input extends beyond profi ts. We’ve seen UGC impact every aspect of a company, from the cus-tomer service desk to the CEO’s offi ce.

User-generated content offers authentic customer opinions without the expense of focus groups or qualitative studies. Deep dives into data can reveal customer sen-timent trends, uncovering huge product development and marketing opportuni-ties. Reviews also offer an opportunity for businesses to initiate a dialogue with their consumer base.

Retailers and manufacturers alike worry that user-generated input, particularly negative reviews, will tarnish their brand images. However, studies have shown that negative feedback can actually enhance thecredibility of a business. While consumers crave peer input, many doubt the authentic-ity of product reviews. Low-rated products prove that a company is genuinely interested in the customers’ opinion and willing to uphold transparency.

When it comes to product functionality, consumers are the ultimate testers. We’ve seen companies return to the drawing board based on negative user feedback, letting dis-satisfi ed customers know how their input helped improve the original product. Some companies have even taken the next step to offer a replacement product to the customer at no additional cost. This step builds cus-tomer trust and highlights the company’s dedication to excellence.

Consumers know what they want — and these days, they can shop until they find exactly what they need. Applying their feed-back allows them to tailor your marketing strategy according to their needs, bridging the company-customer connection and optimiz-ing your opportunity to earn their trust.

User-generated content on retail Web sites allows customers to customize their online shopping experience to fi lter through reviews pertinent to their needs. Customer favorites and top-rated products consistently drive increased sales, often with drastic growth numbers.

There are dozens of ways user-generated content impacts both brand perception and the rest of your business. Are you optimiz-ing your customer input? ●

: E-commerce companies focus on customer lifetime value in order to successfully drive business goals, so they must build a strategy and identify tactics designed to optimize four critical lifetime value customer milestones: acquiring prospects, converting prospects to buyers, converting buyers to frequent buyers and converting frequent buyers to enthusiasts. In every case, when applied against these challenges, e-mail can deliver positive results for marketers.

The best way to integrate e-mail into your acquisition program is to use auto-respond-ers and welcome cascades to monitor and track prospects to the source; quickly iden-tify and eliminate sources of underperform-ing, non-performing and problematic leads; and expand acquisition relationships with acquisition sources that provide compliant, performing leads.

Welcome cascades are also very helpful in converting prospects to buyers. The key

is to focus on recency and relevance. New subscribers respond well to more frequent communications better than ongoing cus-tomer lists do, and they want to learn about your company. A great welcome cascade provides company information and special new-subscriber offers in each campaign.

While a welcome cascade might be designed to go as long as a couple of months, it’s a good idea to remove a prospect from the welcome cascade once they have made a purchase and move into your buyer list.

The lifetime value goal for buyers is to convert them to frequent buyers. While standard “big list” e-mail campaigns deliver sales, and targeting campaigns improve per-formance, it is recency campaigns that do the best job converting buyers to frequent buyers. Campaigns deployed to people immediately after they leave your Web site, or have called your order or help desk, will perform dramatically better than your standard campaigns.

E-mail can also be used to convert buyers to enthusiasts, or customers who spread the word about your company when given the proper tools, such as advanced forward-to-friend functionality or the ability to post campaigns on social networking pages.

E-mail is not the only tool you’ll use to support your e-commerce strategy, but it’s fl exible enough to produce positive results against all of the customer milestones you are targeting. ●

TECHNIQUE

THE TAKEAWAY Twitter can help communicate special deals quickly and directly to customers

THE TAKEAWAY E-mail can help drive lead acquisition and conversion, making buyers brand advocates

THE TAKEAWAY Mobile enables merchants to reachconsumers in a timely and targeted way

THE TAKEAWAY Merchants can customize e-commerce and drive sales with user-generated content

multichannel marketing/ecommerce technique feature 5/18/09 5/18/09 5/18/2009

dm-XX-tech-0518ƒ.indd 1 5/13/09 3:45:25 PM

: For fans, the NFL draft is an exciting time as players enter the scene or change teams. This year, the NFL wanted to enhance its digital strategy in support of the draft, which took place April 3 to April 26.

To engage consumers in more of a conversation around the draft, Pluck built up the areas where visitors could comment on favorite teams, calling them “Fan War Rooms.” One of the features is an interactive US map enabling users to jump into the conversation for the teams in a specific geographic area by clicking on a link. The War Rooms were promoted prominently on the NFL site and via banner ads on sports related sites.

“The goal was to get people onto the site and get the conversation started,” says Charlie Holliday, senior account manager at social media service provider Pluck.

: Recognizing that the brand was already a topic of discus-sion on social media sites, Club Med decided to create its own social media destination. Partner FullSIX NY helped create Club Med Insider, which launched exclusively to past guests in February as a place where they can share travel stories, photos, videos and conversations.

: Club Med Insider has generated more than 150 posts and more than 175 photo albums have been uploaded. The site has also improved Club Med’s search engine optimization efforts.

-Sharon Goldman

: Grout Medic’s Chicago branch worked with Money Mailer to develop a shared mail piece to grow its business. The piece highlighted the company’s offerings, before and after photos, and came with a $25 discount offer. The mailing also drove potential customers to the company Web site.

: Nine mailers were sent out over a year, beginning in January 2008. The campaign generated $81,000 in revenue, 208 leads/estimates and, ultimately, 150 jobs.

-Nancy Kearney

: While the intent of the War Rooms site is clear,

the reality of the experience is a bit disappointing. The “inter-active” map is relatively flat, pro-viding only discussion counts, links to individual teams and real-time comments that often appear very slowly. Once inside a “war room,” the map is gone, and the site has been reduced to a simple discussion board. I was expecting excitement, but only found a “Web 1.0” forum. Whether returning year after year, or convincing others to sign up, loyal follow-ers have always been a powerful force. Club Med Insider gives fans an immersive community experience that’s separate and distinct from other portals like MySpace and Facebook. Devel-oping a proprietary environment was an interesting, refreshing and strategically intelligent move. The site is simple (nice work!) and leverages truly rich media experiences to share experiences with other members, and pro-vide an unequaled promotional vehicle for the uninitiated. It’s great to see that someone really understands what words like “community” and “social media” actually mean.The results of the

direct mail piece are solid, but nothing about the creative of the piece is striking, unique or enjoyable. I would argue that its success is almost entirely due to the fact that in a down market, customers will always opt for restoration over replacement. The basics are all there – before & after, free esti-mates, a coupon, phone number and bullet points – but there’s little else to celebrate.

There were 91,000 comments during the first weekend of the draft and 225,000 during the entire period.

“People were watching [the draft coverage] on TV and react-ing in real time with comments on the site,” says Holliday.

-Dianna Dilworth

NEW LISTSNew Credit EraMidwest Direct MarketingDescription: This file contains people with credit problems who are looking, usually on the Internet, to fix it. These prospects earn an average of $50,000 annually. This list is 50% female.Selects: 84,560 universeContact: Your list broker or Midwest Direct Marketing, 501 N. Webster, Spring Hill, KS 66083Phone: 913/686-2220Fax: 913/686-2320E-mail: scott@midwestdm.com

Veterinary Professionals from ElsevierMeritDirectDescription: This file contains veterinary professionals who have bought books, references, journals, CDs or textbooks from Elsevier. Selects: 87,147 universeContact: Your list broker or MeritDirect, 333 Westchester Ave., White Plains, NY 10604Phone: 914/368-1030Fax: 914/368-1150E-mail: bkamberis@meritdirect.com

Country BusinessDirect Media Inc.Description: This file contains subscrib-ers of Country Business magazine, which offers news and information regarding new products, merchandising ideas and trends for retail business owners. Selects: 23,886 universeContact: Your list broker or Direct Media Inc., 200 Pemberwick Road, Greenwich, CT 06830Phone: 203/532-3770Fax: 203/531-1452E-mail: jbriley@directmedia.com

Daily Devotional Words of WisdomEstee Marketing GroupDescription: This file contains people who have subscribed to a popular Web site that offers daily devotional thoughts, prayers and bible verses. This list is 55% female.Selects: 257,186 universeContact: Your list broker or Estee Market-ing Group, 270 North Ave., New Rochelle, NY 10801Phone: 914/235-7080Fax: 914/235-6518E-mail: dburrett@esteemarketing.com

EVG Wealth Seminar AttendeesInfocoreDescription: This file contains people who have attended financial education seminars. Selects: 670,000 universeContact: Your list broker or Infocore, 2375 Camino Vida Roble, Carlsbad, CA 92011Phone: 760/607-2500Fax: 760/607-2505E-mail: listmgt@infocoreinc.com

Instant Male Virility Impulse MediaDescription: This file contains mostly male buyers of the natural supplement Instant Male Virility. These prospects have spent an

average of $39.95 on this product. Selects: 6,534 universeContact: Your list broker or Impulse Media, 248 Main Street, Danbury, CT 06810Phone: 203/207-0227Fax: 203/207-0347E-mail: edb@impulse-media.net

Data Express Senior Citizens CaregiversLDS Group Inc.Description: This file contains senior citi-zens and the families that care for them. Selects: 5,159,945 universeContact: Your list broker or LDS Group Inc., 55 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10018Phone: 646/390-5711Fax: 978/809-3015E-mail: klogue@ldsgroupinc.com

Families with Children—Ages 4 to 15Partners Marketing Inc. Description: This file contains parents of children age 4 to 15. Selects: 20 million universeContact: Your list broker or Partners Market-ing Inc., 1750 E. Main St., St. Charles, IL 60174Phone: 630/524-9901Fax: 630/524-9909E-mail: bobr@partnersmarketing.com

Directorship MagazineDirect MediaDescription: This file contains subscrib-ers of Directorship magazine, which offers news and information for corporate officers and board directors. These prospects earn an average of $965,400 annually and pay an average of $295 on their subscription. This list is 86% male. Selects: 45,580 universeContact: Your list broker or Direct Media, 200 Pemberwick Road, Greenwich, CT 06830Phone: 203/532-2500Fax: 203/531-1452E-mail: rparker@directmedia.com

Hispanic Members from North American Affinity ClubChilcutt Direct MarketingDescription: This file contains Hispanic members of the Handyman Club of America, National Home Gardening Club, National Health & Wellness Club, North American Hunting Club, Cooking Club of America, North American Fishing Club, Creative Home Arts Club, The History Channel Club, PGA Tour Partners Club, National Street Machine Club and Motor-cycle Riders Club of American. These prospects have spent an average of $24 on a membership. Selects: 120,935 universeContact: Your list broker or Chilcutt Direct Marketing, 9301 Cedar Lake Ave., Okla-homa City, OK 73113Phone: 405/478-7245Fax: 405/478-2984E-mail: lisat@cdmlist.com

Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ & Exhibitors’ AssociationMidwest Direct MarketingDescription: This file contains equine lov-ers with high income. They require fencing materials; barn, tack and stable supplies;

books and videos on equine health and care issues and country décor for their rural lifestyles.Selects: 14,000 universeContact: Your list broker or Midwest Direct Marketing, 501 N. Webster, Spring Hill, KS 66083Phone: 913/686-2220Fax: 913/686-2320E-mail: scott@midwestdm.com

America’s Buying BehaviorsDunhill International List Co.Description: This file contains consumers, by interest, using their past buying behav-ior from purchase data compiled from a variety of transactional sources.Selects: 54 million universeContact: Your list broker or Dunhill Inter- national List Co., 621 NW 53rd St., Boca Raton, FL 33487Phone: 561/998-7800Fax: 561/998-7880E-mail: candy@dunhills.com

Business Intelligence Network from B-EYE-Network.comMeritDirectDescription: This file contains corporate and IT buyers with purchase authority for business intelligence and data ware-housing. These buyers are in industries including government, financial services, manufacturing and retail.Selects: 118,599 universeContact: Your list broker or MeritDirect, 333 Westchester Ave., White Plains, NY 10604Phone: 914/368-1030Fax: 914/368-1150E-mail: kbryce@meritdirect.com

Smooth As Silk Skin Product BuyersMacromarkDescription: This file contains buyers via DRTV and the Internet of skin beautifying products. The products cost $47.50 per month. This list is 73% female.Selects: 29,852 universeContact: Your list broker or Macromark, 185 Route 312, Brewster, NY 10509Phone: 845/230-6300Fax: 845/278-0650E-mail: daveb@macromark.com

Pharmacists at Home AddressPCS Mailing List CompanyDescription: This file contains pharma-cists, some of whom have indicated that they have purchased through the mail.Selects: 320,820 universeContact: Your list broker or PCS Mailing List Company, 39 Cross St., Peabody, MA 01960Phone: 978/532-7100 Fax: 978/532-9181E-mail: info@pcslist.com

BusinessWatch Canada PostalDirect MediaDescription: This file contains Canadian subscribers from six published newsletters: TechWatch, ExecWatch, HRWatch, Finance-Watch, Sales & MarketingWatch and Mgmt-Watch. These subscribers include CEOs, CFOs, VPs and other executives.

LISTS AND DATABASESFor Publication: All list and insert information sent to DMNews for publication should be e-mailed, preferably as a Word attachment, to lists@dmnews.com. You may also fax 646/638-6159, Attn: List News. Please avoid multiple submissions of the same lists. There may be a delay between the receipt of material and the date of publication.

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LISTS AND DATABASES

Selects: 12,921 universeContact: Your list broker or Direct Media, 200 Pemberwick Road, Greenwich, CT 06830Phone: 203/532-3760Fax: 203/531-1452E-mail: lramirez@directmedia.com

Formula #1 Weight LossImpulse MediaDescription: This file contains consumers of weight loss products. They have pur-chased dietary supplements, shakes, pro-grams and more. Most are older than 40.Selects: 118,651 universeContact: Your list broker or Impulse Media, 248 Main St., Danbury, CT 06810Phone: 203/207-0227Fax: 203/207-0347E-mail: laurat@impulse-media.net

Living Green — Hybrid Car OwnersComplete Mailing ListsDescription: This file contains owners of hybrid cars. Many owners of this type of vehicle have purchased the auto because of its promise of reduced emissions. Recommended usage includes natural and organic products, energy efficiency and environmental causes.Selects: 154,139 universeContact: Your list broker or Complete Mail-ing Lists, 81 Pondfield Road, Bronxville, NY 10708Phone: 914/771-6640Fax: 914/771-6645E-mail: mjorgovan@cml-llc.com

B2B Transitions –Businesses on the MoveKey Marketing AdvantageDescription: This file contains businesses that have been identified by a proprietary process as having made a recent physical move from a home-based business to com-mercial space or from their current location to across town or across the country. Busi-nesses can be reached just as they settle in.Selects: 1,117,930 universeContact: Your list broker or Key Marketing Advantage, 24 Stony Hill Road, Bethel, CT 06801Phone: 203/744-9011Fax: 203/744-9012E-mail: amyl@keymarketingadvantage.com

GLP Open Top Jeep Vehicle OwnersMcCarthy MediaDescription: This file contains Jeep own-ers. It is recommended for sellers of parts and accessories for Jeep vehicles, such as seat covers, tops, suspension, tires and wheels, winches, grill guards, lighting, hard parts, fender, flares, body parts and GPS.Selects: 683,067 universeContact: Your list broker or McCarthy Media Group, 186 Davidson Drive, Sun Prai-rie, WI 53590Phone: 608/837-4343Fax: 608/837-5006 E-mail: mike@mccarthymediagroup.com

Revue CommerceCornerstone List ManagementDescription: This file contains active paid subscribers to a Quebec magazine reach-ing top and middle management. Twenty-four percent of prospects are female, and 76% are male. Average age of readers is 45. Forty-two percent are university educated; 80% are homeowners.

Selects: 13,973 universeContact: Your list broker or Cornerstone List Management, 2200 Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4S 3G3Phone: 416/932-9555Fax: 416/932-9566E-mail: rdasilva@cstonecanada.com

Fair IndigoCatalyst Direct MarketingDescription: This file contains catalog shoppers who have purchased apparel, gifts, jewelry, accessories and baby items, all made by workers who are paid a fair wage in their communities.Selects: 382,970 universeContact: Your list broker or Catalyst Direct Marketing, 109 Wanaque Ave., Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442Phone: 973/831-4222Fax: 973/831-1933 E-mail: bsanta@catalystdm.com

People with Good CreditShamokin Database ServicesDescription: This file contains people with credit scores of 700 or better. Selects: 368,500 universeContact: Your list broker or Shamokin Database Services, PO Box 244, Richboro, PA 18954Phone: 215/869-9087Fax: 215/364-2212E-mail: shamokindatabase@yahoo.com

Mortgage Brokers MasterfileMarket Street ListsDescription: This file contains licensed real estate professionals and mortgage brokers. This list is 67% male. Selects: 102,000 universeContact: Your list broker or Market Street Lists, PO Box 850, Exeter, NH 03833Phone: 888/675-5478Fax: 603/772-0184E-mail: info@market-street.com

Encompass – AgeWest List BrokersDescription: This file contains people who have recently traveled and have filled out a survey about their vacation. Selects: 200,219 universeContact: Your list broker or West List Brokers, 550 Queens Quay West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 3M8Phone: 416/622-8700Fax: 647/435-0304E-mail: kim.young@westlists.com

E-MAILFundamental Investors e-Newsletter Paid Subscribers (Opt-In Email File)eMailtricityDescription: This file contains individuals who are subscribing to or have accepted trial subscriptions to free e-newsletters oriented toward active stock investors. Prospects also are offered and cross-sold one of five premium publications; these range in price from $50 to $400 per year. Selects: 105,000 universeContact: Your list broker or eMailtricity, 1660 Renaissance Commons Boulevard, Boynton Beach, FL 33426Phone: 888/868-7897Fax: 888/868-0218E-mail: mgravel@emailtricity.com

Active Job Seekers from GrooveJob.comICS Marketing Support ServicesDescription: This file contains members of GrooveJob.com. These young employment seekers go through a free, one-time regis-tration process to search for job openings, and keep their résumés on file. This file is 66% female.Selects: 1,292,821 universeContact: Your list broker or ICS Marketing Support Services, 4225 Legacy Parkway, Lansing, MI 48911Phone: 248/200-9935Fax: 517/394-7408E-mail: swillnus@icshq.com

Meeting Planners at Email AddressALCDescription: This file contains key execu-tives at companies that plan meetings, conventions, conferences and trade shows. These prospects purchase meeting space, hotel accommodations, transportation, speakers, entertainment and attendee gifts.Selects: 552,574 universeContact: Your list broker or ALC, 4300 Route 1 CN-5219, Princeton, NJ 08543Phone: 609/580-2754Fax: 609/580-2863E-mail: brandon.zink@alc.com

Give and Let Give Donors at E-mailListBargainsDescription: This file contains individuals who have given to charities. With an annual income of more than $60,000, donors’ average gifts to their particular causes of choice are historically more than $50.Selects: 4,820,900 universeContact: Your list broker or ListBargains, 4 Squantz View Drive, New Fairfield, CT 06812Phone: 203/746-6640Fax 203/746-6662E-mail: amy@listbargains.com

Online-Degree-Scholarships.Com RegistrantsVentureDirect WorldwideDescription: This file contains students who have entered an online contest with a first prize of a $2,000 college scholarship. Suggested usage includes scholarship help and advice, financial aid, SAT preparation and ROTC recruitment.Selects: 159,000 universeContact: Your list broker or VentureDirect Worldwide, 60 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010Phone: 212/655-5130Fax: 212/655-5280E-mail: kgaspar@ven.com

INSERTSHappy Kids Personalized Products PIPLeon Henry Inc.Description: Inserts may be placed into orders fulfilled by Happy Kids Personalized Products. Happy Kids products include photo calendars and personalized books. This file is 90% female, mostly between age 25 to 35 and 55 to 70.Selects: 40,000 universeContact: Your list broker or Leon Henry, 200 N. Central Ave., Hartsdale, NY 10530Phone: 914/285-3456Fax: 914/285-3450E-mail: lynneu@leonhenryinc.com

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LISTS AND DATABASES

NEW MANAGEMENTDynamic Graphics+Create Magazine Business Mailing ListEdith Roman AssociatesDescription: This file contains people who have subscribed to Dynamic Graphics+Create Magazine, which offers news and information to design and adver-tising professionals. These prospects have spent an average of $30 on a subscription. This list is 56% male. Selects: 173,302 universeContact: Your list broker or Edith Roman Associates, Blue Hill Plaza, PO Box 1556, Pearl River, NY 10965Phone: 845/731-2748Fax: 845/620-9035E-mail: john.logiudice@edithroman.com

Scuba DivingLake Group MediaDescription: This file contains subcribers to Scuba Diving, a Bonnier publication. Aver-age age of these subscribers is 48; average household income is $135,374. They take, on average, seven diving trips per year.Selects: 52,833 universeContact: Your list broker or Lake Group Media, 411 Theodore Fremd Ave., Rye, NY 10580Phone: 914/925-2426Fax: 914/925-2499E-mail: allison.mckinnon@ lakegroupmedia.com

National Recreation and Parks AssociationMGIListsDescription: This file contains members of a national nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing park, recreation and conser-vation efforts. These include both profes-sionals and the public.Selects: 16,493 universe, job function, member type, interest groupContact: Your list broker or MGI Lists, 208 Madison St., Alexandria, VA 22314Phone: 703/706-0383 Fax: 703/549-6057E-mail: cbrecht@mgilists.com

NEW SELECTSAnimal Welfare DonorsPractical Marketing Inc.Description: This file contains people who have donated to animal care organizations and charities in the past 12 months. These prospects earn an average of $75,000 annually. This list is 60% female.Selects: 5,359,863 universe, geography, 1-month hotline, age of children, credit card buyers, home owner, income, phone numberContact: Your local list broker or Practical Marketing Inc., 23116 Sandalfoot Plaza Drive, Boca Raton, FL 33428.Phone: 888/697-5478Fax: 888/749-5478E-mail: valarie@practicalmarketing.net

Broadband SOHO’s at Verified Residential AddressMidAmerica ListsDescription: This file contains people who use broadband Internet for business. Selects: 878,000 universe, 3-month hotline, 6-month hotline, 12-month hotline, annual sales volume, business/industry type, change of address, company size, country, credit card buyers, foreign/international, FSA, gender/sex, geography, hotline, job function/title, job title select, LDU, max per company/sites, monthly hotline, number of employees, phone num-ber, recency, regional, sales volumeContact: Your list broker or MidAmerica Lists, 4837 1st Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402Phone: 800/747-5900Fax: 888/312-5478E-mail: bob@malists.com

America’s Wealthy FamiliesListAbilityDescription: This file contains rich families across the nation. These households have an annual income of $250,000-plus.Selects: 1,356,700 universe, adult age, car make, model or year, child nearing high school graduation, children’s age (exact), children’s age (range), congressional dis-trict, discretionary income rating, income, net worth, newborn babies, number of chil-dren, placed 10-plus orders of more than $500 via catalog or online, placed 10-plus

orders from upscale catalogs, probable teen driver, special interests, geographyContact: Your list broker or ListAbility Inc., 11841 Granite Woods Loop, Venice, FL 34292Phone: 866/446-2055Fax: 941/493-2572E-mail: cdyer@listability.com

Rush IndustriesRosemary Ganci & AssociatesDescription: This file contains people who have purchased gardening, health and grooming and military commemorative products from Rush Industries. These pros-pects earn an average of $50,000 annually and have made an average purchase of $35.Selects: 392,000 universe, 3-month hotline, 6-month hotline, gender, geography Contact: Your list broker or Rosemary Ganci & Associates, PO Box 514, Oxford, FL 34484Phone: 352/751-4432E-mail: thelistlady@comcast.net

Society of Naval Architects and Marine EngineersMGI ListsDescription: This file contains members of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers. This list is 84% male.Selects: 4,242 universeContact: Your list broker or MGI Lists, 208 Madison St., Alexandria, VA. 22314Phone: 703/706-0390Fax: 703/549-6075E-mail: sscrimenti@mgilists.com

24 | DMNEWS | May 18, 2009 | www.dmnews.com

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“Social media is a great way to maximize money and find low-cost investments that drive marketing,” answers , CMO of “Like any marketing program, social media has to be done deliberately and strategically, and it has to offer real value and positive experiences to your target audience.”

It’s important to be realistic, he says. “In the begin-ning, pick one thing to do well, and focus on one or two primary objectives,” he explains. “If you are not following that principle, you’re not going to achieve your goals — even if you are spending less. In many cases, social media may not the best medium for ‘pure capitalism,’ especially if it doesn’t give the user some-thing useful and interesting.

There are two questions marketers must ask when working in online video, says , VP of solutions and chief strategy officer, : “How do I truly engage my audience?” and “How can video enhance our storytelling power?”

Kaplan recommends that marketers leverage online video throughout the customer lifecycle, from brand awareness and lead generation to conversion, customer service and support. “For publishers, there’s still an ‘if you build it, they will come’ mentality with online video, but they really need to consider their audience and how to attract it,” he says. “We’ve seen many pub-lishers create video content and expect viewers to just show up and start watching. Building a successful video destination is hard, and it requires ongoing analysis to determine what people find engaging and what compels them to keep coming back.”

“Adept use of new media and search optimization are parts of the multichannel strategy needed to reach this sophisticated audience,” responds , co-founder and CEO of NextWeb Media’s .

Yechezkell recommends that you clearly communicate your relevancy. “Millennials grew up having options – from hundreds of TV channels to dozens of toothpaste flavors,” he says. “You’ll need to be sure your brand stands out. Build trust. Address customers as a com-munity. Even if your business is not centered on mobile marketing, smartphones and SMS are integral to the millennial conversation. Speak on their terms — use text messages to issue timely announcements, enhance cus-tomer experiences, and increase brand awareness.”

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: Mindsharehas promoted two executives. Phil Cowdell (1) is the new head of Mindshare North America, replacing Scott Neslund. Also, Tim Elton has become chief strategist for the agency’s inven-tion group, a newly created position.

: Schafer Condon Carterhas appointed David Selby (2) as president, a newly created position. Selby most recently served as executive director and co-leader of the marketing officers practice for global exec-utive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates.

: Novushas added John Hoeft as VP of digital strate-gy. He previous worked at MediaNews Group.

: Entertainment Weeklyhas hired Ray Chelstowski as its publisher, replacing Scott Donaton. Cheltowski had been publisher of Rolling Stone; he also pre-viously worked as national sales director at Entertainment Weekly.

: Cadient Interactive has appointed Bethany Hartzell (3) to associ-ate creative director. She had been art direc-tor at Digitas Health. She will coordinate a team of art directors, designers and produc-tion artists, and oversee the operations within the creative group and facilitating the integra-tion with other departments.

: Euro RSCGhas named Russ Lidstone (4) CEO of its Lon-don office. He had been chief strategy officer for the agency, and had been acting chief executive since the December departure of Mark Cadman. Also, Jeremy Daly is the new director of digital planning at Euro RSCG New York office. He had been director of planning at Agency.com.

: DMW Worldwidehas promoted Stephanie Mansueto from account executive to senior account execu-tive. Before joining DMW, Mansueto was an account Manager with Digitas Health.

PEOPLENEWS

Phil Cowdell (1) David Selby (2) Bethany Hartzell (3) Russ Lidstone (4)

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How can I use my direct marketing skills to enhance my job search?

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: Approaching your job search just like you would a direct marketing project can yield strong results. Start by breaking it down into different phases which allows you to leverage your direct marketing skills more effectively throughout each stage of your job search process. Here are some other suggestions.

First, do your research. Online job boards can be leveraged not only to find job opportunities, but to research which employers are hiring and what type of direct marketing skills are in demand. Niche job boards are a great resource to identify specific employers hiring in your industry.

It’s also important to remember that not all jobs are necessarily advertised, so you should cross-reference employer Web sites to determine if there are additional employment opportunities available that fit your skill set.

Promote yourself. Once you have inventoried the employers who are hir-

ing, the companies you want to target, and what positions are available, it is time to get creative. In addition to post-ing your résumé online, consider using a featured résumé listing or résumé distribution service to directly market yourself to employers and differentiate yourself. Also, don’t forget to leverage the information you discovered during your research to personally reach out to employers of interest.

Finally, end with a call to action. Whether the company is currently recruiting for a position or not, it is important to give them an offer they can’t refuse. Apply your direct market-ing skills to effectively demonstrate the value you will bring to their organization if they were to add you to their team.

It is important to take advantage of everything online job boards have to offer, especially niche ones, in order to achieve your job search goals and ulti-mately land your next job. l

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Do you have the healthcare industry’s best direct marketing campaign?MM&M Awards honor exceptional creativity and marketing effectiveness in healthcare. The Direct and Digital Marketing categories continue to attract the industry’s best work. Time is running out, so don’t miss your opportunity to shine.

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by insuring the accuracy of mail files and eliminating waste in direct mail programs. By being able to offer CognitiveData’s ser-vices to its clients, this will “drive more value for our clients,” said Patrick.

The deal calls for CognitiveData to remain a separate brand that will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Merkle. As such, it still will sell through other marketing services providers.

CognitiveData employs approximately 50 people in offices in Little Rock, AR, New York, and Chicago.

“We think the data quality space is a $75 million space,” said Rod Ford, president and CEO at CognitiveData. The company ended 2008 with $19 million in revenue.

With Merkle’s resources now behind the brand, Ford said he will be looking to quickly bring its technology into additional direct marketing channels and to integrate more data processing services into Cognitive- Data’s offerings.

The brand is currently strong in retail, communications, insurance and publishing. Some of the areas where it will be looking to grow include fundraising — an important vertical for Merkle — gaming and travel and leisure, said Ford.

Data and analytics “is both an attractive and interesting space these days — more so than I have seen in my 20 years in the industry,” said Michael Goodnough, manag-ing partner at analytics consultancy Emerge Partners. “Analytics used to line up well with direct marketing, but now it lines up well with marketing, period.”

While many of the bigger agencies have expressed an interest in data and ana- lytics, this has been realized more through

partnerships as opposed to acquisitions, Goodnough pointed out.

“There just aren’t many companies of scale to buy that build analytically driven marketing programs,” he noted.

“We don’t want to be in the business of hardware,” said Marc Fleishhacker, manag-ing director of Ogilvy Consulting North America. Instead, the agency takes a “build not buy approach” to analytics and partners with data technology providers as needed, he explained.

Over the past three years, Ogilvy’s inter-nal analytics team has tripled in size, and that growth rate has picked up even more in 2009, says Dimitri Maex, managing director of marketing effectiveness at Ogilvy.

“Analytics has become a really hot com-modity,” said Maex. He added that Ogilvy looks to hire people with a mix of mathe-matical and marketing skills who can handle campaign measurement, optimization and data mining.

And because campaign optimization — which happens in real time — has become such an important part of what marketing agencies do, Ogilvy seeks to have its ana-lytics team work closely together with its creative and media planning employees.

Next month, when Ogilvy moves into new offices, analysts, planners and strate-gists will work together in the same area.

“The work really starts when you launch a campaign,” said Maex. “You don’t just sit back and watch what happens. You really optimize on a day-to-day basis, which is why it is important to put the data and the analytics in the hands of the people making the optimization decisions.”

This article includes additional reporting by Lauren Bell.

: Due to my occasional desire for one of America’s favorite meals — pizza — I recently was checking out Web sites to place an order. I was sorely disappointed and frustrated to learn that most pizza chains’ Web sites have cumbersome ordering systems and clunky designs – until I visited Dominos.com.

There, I saw Domino’s Web site refresh, which enhances the ordering process for pizza and does a good job of enticing customers to try some of their other latest

offerings like pasta. There was nothing on this page but appetizing photography and clicks that took me directly to where I wanted to go – ordering a pizza.

To my pleasant surprise, the menu options were basic and left no room for interpretation. I clicked on the link to start building my own pizza and imme-diately saw a blank canvas — an image of a topping-less pizza. As I changed the type of crust, the image of the blank pizza changed. I then selected “Classic Hand Tossed” and moved on to the next step of the ordering system – meat and toppings. Each topping I selected was shown on the pizza and I could even choose on which half of the pizza to place the toppings.

This system exemplifies what the Web is all about — simplifying communica-tion. Instead of haggling with a phone operator about whether or not I wanted ground beef and green peppers on the same half of my pizza, I was able to use a

well-designed, thoughtful and useful tool to communicate my exact requirements, with no questions asked.

Following the completion of my order, I was even more pleasantly surprised to see the next screen contained the Pizza Tracker – now my favorite aspect of the Domino’s Web site. The Pizza Tracker, a glorified progress bar, gave me what seems to be real-time information about the creation of my soon-to-arrive pizza. Whether or not this pizza tracker tracked what was really happening, the simplicity of it did wonders to enhance my online visit. Just like that, the experience of order-ing a pizza was bridged to the excitement of greeting a delivery driver at the door.

Pizza lovers everywhere rejoice: Domino’s wants your pizza ordering experience to be fun and hassle free.

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The campaign retains a key Prius psy-chographic, which Toyota national media manager Doug Frisbie described as “very active people.”

“They consume lots of different media, which is why we needed a very diverse, stimulating campaign to support the launch,” he said. “The core target is very imaginative people, and they are also very well-connected, leaders in the community that operate large social networks.”

Social media, including Facebook and Twitter, will play a much larger role in this Prius campaign. Previously, Prius’ Facebook presence was relegated to 200 or so fan sites created by enthusiasts. The car will now have its own fan page where the brand can communicate directly to users, who also can communicate with each other. Toyota also is creating online tools, such as a carbon emis-sions calculator, to further engage fans.

“This campaign, specifically in the social space, is an ongoing effort, so a lot of plan-ning is going into various elements to make we’re sure putting something out there that

is going to be conversation-worthy,” said Uwe Gutschow, director of interactive strategy, Saatchi LA. “It’s about opening up channels for customer conversations with the brand.”

The social networking tools will roll out over the course of the summer.

Toyota also is reaching out to online con-sumers with events, which invited bloggers to get a first look at the new Prius earlier this year, and it will officially kick off its digital initiatives with homepage takeovers of MSN on May 28 and Yahoo on June 15. There’s also a Prius microsite on Toyota.com, a mobile Web site, banners and cus-tom programs.

This July, temporary “Harmony Instal-lations” promoting Prius will go up in key US cities, such as Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles. Some will be oversized flower sculptures, offering free Wi-Fi, seating and recharging hubs for laptops and phones. The stations will be solar-powered. Solar ventilation bus shelters, which mimic the solar panels on a Prius’ roof, also will be installed in select locations.

“With the outdoor installations, we wanted people to experience the benefits of the vehi-cle, so the solar cooling stations are really a product demo,” McKay said. “We’re trying to reach people in a Prius sort of way, giving them a little something to engage with rather than just talking at them.”

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