Target Marketing articles from September 2000

Target Marketing archives from September 2000

Why I Love to Hate Pottery Barn.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... TELEVISION HAS BEEN KNOWN TO IMITATE LIFE. And the catalog industry is not exempt. Remember the J. Peterman spoofs on Seinfeld? Then there was the very funny episode of the TV show "Friends" where Phoebe was so against merchandise purchased...

Creative Compost.(marketing newsletter)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Creative Compost: Where Great Marketing Ideas Grow is a newly introduced quarterly print newsletter filled with offbeat strategies for effective marketing and sales promotion. It makes a wonderful resource for companies that see the value in...

Retail Resources Database Marketing Services.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Is creative a crucial part of your direct mail offer, or simply something that often gets overlooked? Find the answers to important retail marketing questions such as this one and others in Source, a publication of Retail Resources Database...

Easyask Inc.(improving product search methods for consumers)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... The success of commerce on the Internet depends on customers being able to find the product they are looking for easily and quickly. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. "Revolutionizing the Search for Products ate-Commerce Sites,"...

CUSTOMER EQUITY.(book review)(Brief Article)(Review)
September 1, 2000... As businesses move from performing mere transactions to building customer relationships, the firm's emphasis moves from products to people. For this reason, customer equity is becoming the key strategic focus at many leading firms. "Driving...

What's Your DM IQ?(direct marketing technique)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Question. A high-tech client needs a self-mailer to promote an upcoming free seminar. The recipient can register herself and up to two guests, one of three ways: by mailing in the reply card, by calling the toll-free number or by faxing...

DIRECT MAIL GETS CONNECTED.(Production Management Group's web site)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Hey, all you Web-savvy mailers: Even if you're still wed to traditional mailing efforts, now you've got an excuse to surf the 'Net. A new site hosted by the Production Management Group (PMG), a Hanover, MD-based company that provides consulting...

FATTEN UP YOUR MAILPACK WITH STARCH.(National Starch and Chemical's ECO-FOAM)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Here's something that's as good for the environment as it is for business: ECO-FOAM, a totally biodegradable packing material made from natural ingredients. The stuff is produced by Bridgewater, NJ-based National Starch & Chemical and is made...

STILL SPENDING AFTER ALL THESE YEARS.(the book 77 Truths About Marketing to the 50+ Consumer)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... When targeting the senior market, don't forget to personalize! According to Kurt Medina and John Migliaccio in their book "77 Truths About Marketing to the 50+ Consumer," one-to-one marketing is extremely effective with those born between 1946...

TELEMARKETING TIP.(inform customers of the new Do-Not-Call provision)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... To avoid annoying your current customers, contact those on your list before the Do-Not-Call provision starts receiving a lot of publicity, and offer a simple overview of the laws. Information about the new laws can help customers make informed...

Mailing of the Month.(GMAC Residential Funding mailer)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... How do you triple your response in one month? Try something new! To promote GMAC-RFC's Home Equity Line of Credit program, Fried-Cassorla Communications created a digitally personalized, full-color self-mailer. The mailing (shown at...

Worst Mistake in Direct Mail: #8.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Wrong objective to your market place. In some instances, asking for the sale instead of selling the call can be a fatal mistake. For instance, the objective of a small or classified ad for any product over $10 is to get the prospect to call...

10 Tips to Speed Up Your Printing and Graphic Design Orders.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... 1. Show the vendor what's on the disk. It's very important for companies to give the vendor a printout of what's on the data disk. When a client gives us a disk and tells us to work with that file, we don't know what that file looks like until...

Build Your Own e-Database.(of customer data)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... The most effective customer data file you can have is the one you build yourself. This is especially true in the world of dot-com start-ups, where the old list rules don't hold up--and are continually changing. A customized consumer experience...

Let Your Broker Work For You.(list broker)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Jean Tremaine, vice president of strategic development and research for Response Media Products Inc., says your broker can--and should--negotiate the details of any list you rent as they affect pricing. Additionally, she says, there are eight...

Get the Top Rank at a Good Deal.(evaluating search engines)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... When evaluating search engine ranking services, in addition to the quantitative numbers, be sure to ask: 1. How many keywords/phrases are included in the service package? 2. Can you get the keyword list? Ranking services that price...

CRM in the Privacy Era.(customer relationship management)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... If you're involved in any type of data-driven marketing -- be it direct, retention or targeted--privacy considerations are a priority. The Internet, while bringing us many new direct communication opportunities, has also made privacy a key...

A Quickening Pulse.(international direct marketing survey)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... How better to gauge the pulse of international direct marketing than to ask the mailers in the trenches themselves? This is what Al Goodloe, president of Publisher's Multinational Direct, did in his Millennium Survey. Between December 1999 and...

Avoid Translation Bloopers.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Never mail a direct mail package literally translated from one language to another; certain expressions have different meanings in other languages. Your best bet is to employ a translator who is fluent in both English and the country's local...

Protecting Your Most Valuable Asset.(third-party use of customer databases is controversial)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... IS YOUR COMPANY'S customer database still a marketable asset? If a firm adheres to a voluntary policy of privacy protection for people who visit its Web site, does that policy become a contract enforceable by third parties? The Federal Trade...

The Trouble With E-mail.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... I CAME INTO the office last Sunday. I had been away and figured I'd get organized for the week. I started by reviewing my e-mails... hoping to do it fast. No such luck! I had 375 e-mails waiting for me. If I were to get out before dinner,...

A Format for Every Message.(direct mail formats and ideas)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... 11 DIRECT MAIL FORMATS YOU MAY ALREADY KNOW... AND 7 IDEAS TO TEST EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT, excluding the more fixed components of audience and product, it's the offer that drives response in a direct mail campaign. But how you present that...

How to Beat Your Control.(direct response advertising testing)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... 27 CREATIVE IDEAS TO TEST WHAT MAKES DIRECT response copywriters and art directors different? Two things. First, direct response writers and art directors enjoy the fact that their job is to generate measurable response. Second, direct...

Optimizing Your Tests.(marketing testing)
September 1, 2000... 9 STEPS TO BOOST MARKETING RESULTS... AND YOU DON'T NEED A PH.D. LOOKING TO BEAT your competition to the best potential customers? Seeking to develop long-term loyalty or get more from your marketing? In today's highly competitive...

10 Tips for Making Your Telephone Test a Success.(telephone test marketing)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... "FRAME YOUR BENEFIT SO IT'S APPROPRIATE TO YOUR AUDIENCE"--AND NINE MORE IDEAS TO CONSIDER TESTING ON THE PHONE is more complicated than setting up a direct mail test. In a telemarketing test, you have the following factors to contend...

What to Test.(marketing testing)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... WHY YOU SHOULDN'T TEST EVERYTHING--AND NINE STRATEGIES FOR INDENTIFYING BETTER TEST IDEAS SOME FOLKS THINK it's smart to test anything and everything. Wait a minute! Would you invest your money in the stock market this way? Of course not....

27 E-mail Tips.(for direct marketing using e-mail)
September 1, 2000... IT'S A BRAVE NEW WORLD. JUST BE SURE YOU'RE PREPARED IF YOU'VE TAKEN your marketing effort online, chances are you did it within the last two years. In that time the only thing reliable about the e-mail market has been its potential for...

Continuous Billing.(automatic renewal)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... IS AUTOMATIC RENEWAL RIGHT FOR YOU? MAGAZINE CIRCULATORS, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and other direct marketers have been attempting to improve their bottom lines through increased customer retention. Automatically renewing...

Is the Internet Eden or Armageddon?(the promise and problems of commerce on the Internet)
September 1, 2000... IN THE PLACE WITHOUT PLACE, ANARCHY REIGNS I ONCE WORKED FOR a cherubic-faced, hard-drinking publisher named Franklin Watts. "Good morning, Frank," I would say each day. "How are you?" "Happy as a country without a history," he'd...

Protecting Potential Growth.(international fulfillment for online catalogs)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... INTERNATIONAL FULFILLMENT FOR ONLINE CATALOGS EDITOR'S NOTE: The following article is adapted from a seminar presented by Christian Bailey, CEO, Express Action at The DMA Catalog Conference last June. CHRISTIAN BAILEY PAINTS a horrible...

Locating and Enhancing Leads From Your Desktop.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Business-to-business direct marketers generate leads from a number of sources, including trade shows and industry publications. Because multiple sources are used, leads are not standardized and are often duplicated. Information may be...

The Human Element.(how to transition from business-to-consumer marketing to business-to-business marketing)
September 1, 2000... HOW TO MAKE THE TRANSITION FROM B-TO-C TO B-TO-B COMPANIES DO NOT buy things--people do. Whether you are marketing in a business-to-business (b-to-b) or a business-to-consumer (b-to-c) environment, your business is a people business. But in...

10 Commandments.(B-TO-B DIRECT MARKETING PROGRAM)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... FOLLOW THESE SIMPLE RULES TO CREATE AND MANAGE A SUCCESSFUL B-TO-B DIRECT MARKETING PROGRAM B TO-B MARKETERS continue to shift considerable resources toward direct marketing, both online and off-line. The rationale is a nearly universal...

Stay Focused for Better International Direct Marketing.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... DIRECT MARKETING IS undergoing two seismic shifts. The first is e-commerce. Much has been written about this fundamental change. Less, however, has been written about the second related and equally important seismic shift: globalization. ...

New lists from mIn.(MARKETING INFORMATION NETWORK )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... MARKETING INFORMATION NETWORK (mIn) is a service to list brokers that keeps track of virtually all published American and Canadian lists, card decks and alternate media opportunities. mIn's computers house information and data cards on about...

Stitcher's World.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... This bi-monthly publication, formerly known as The Stitchery Magazine, has a list of 62,227 subscribers and expires who enjoy making needlework gifts for family and friends. These active family women may spend up to $500 on needlework supplies,...

Guns of the Old West.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Reach more than 5,000 active paid subscribers to Guns of the Old West, a quarterly magazine about the history of firearms from the 18OOs and the people who used them. Subscribers to this magazine are history and antique buffs. This list...

Moment Magazine.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Target 29,774 active subscribers to Moment, America's largest independent Jewish magazine. The publication covers a diverse range of topics that are of interest to the Jewish community. Moment subscribers are educated and affluent, and most...

Vitamin Continuity Program.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... This list contains 210,615 health-conscious buyers who have purchased the Executive Vitamin Plan--nutritional supplements specifically formulated for men and women to reduce stress and provide natural energy and stamina. Telemarketing is not...

Professional Football Publications.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... The subscriber lists of 22 NFL publications are merged to build the Professional Football Publication Association master file of 324,239 active paid subscribers at a cost of $90/M. Each NFL publication provides fans with game coverage,...

Water Engineers and Officials.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... This database is comprised of 63,660 engineers, consultants and officials working in water sanitation, treatment facilities and laboratories. These specialists are highly qualified buyers of lab equipment and supplies for water pollution...

Institutional Investor.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Private Banking Companies from Institutional Investor is an extended database off the Institutional Investor magazine mailing list. This list of 19,846 business executives has a median age of 44 and is predominantly male. This controlled...

NewBiz TechExecs.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Tap 523,390 entrepreneurs who've recently started small technology companies. These technology buyers have recently spent between $400 and $1,200 on computer hardware and software. This file is recommended for DSL and Internet services,...

MCM Electronics.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Have your insert bound into fliers mailing to electronics businesses and enthusiasts. Recipients of these fliers are interested in consumer electronics, computers, home theater and car audio equipment. The majority of buyers are male. Mailings...

PC Mall and MacMall.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Your insert can be included in 660,000 packages per year purchased from either the PC Mall or MacMall catalog. PC Mall's buyers are networking professionals who purchase computer products for small to medium businesses. MacMall mail-order...

Postage4Free.com.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... This opt-in e-mail list contains 427,440 subscribers who are Internet savvy, convenience seeking, online consumers willing to provide a wealth of personal information in exchange for free postage and other services. Precise demographic and...

Online Teen Community.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... This opt-in e-mail list from MyEcamp.com contains 125,409 spend-happy teens. The site targets the 10- to 1&year-old audience and offers them an online community to chat, play games, get horoscopes and read news. This list is appropriate...

Attorneys with E-Mail.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Target 42,000 high-powered lawyers, partners and associates in law firms with this new database. These highly educated, high-income lawyers are great prospects for legal publications and books, computer software and hardware, investments,...

Super Seniors.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 1, 2000... Whatever You Do--Don't Call Them Old! "SUPER SENIORS" refers to the portion of the population that falls in the 75-year-old and older age category. This market is growing, as people are living longer and staying healthier physically and...

Keep in mind.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... Medina Here are five tips to remember when marketing to the 75-plus generation, as provided by Kurt Medina, president of Medina Associates, a direct response marketing consultancy specializing in 50+ marketing: 1) Value: When...

Famous last words.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2000... The Myth of Branding YOU HAVE TO LAUGH AT--or do you weep for?--the dotty.com kids who blew through so many zillions of investors' money to "build brand" rather than build a business. Brand is not bought; it is earned. What's more, if a...