Direct Marketing articles from September 1996

Direct Marketing archives from September 1996

The times they are a changin'! (changes within Hoke Communications Inc., publisher of Direct Marketing magazine)(Publsiher's Viewpoint)
September 1, 1996... It's been a tough summer. I'm usually not one to openly complain, but the summer has come to a close and I still haven't had any time to relax, and with convention fever starting, it doesn't seem as if a break is in the cards. We're...

Building customer loyalty through quality telemarketing.
September 1, 1996... Increasingly competitive industries, such as telecommunications, continue to search for ways of attracting new customers and increasing sales volume. Very often these same industries have treated telemarketing strictly as a science, a...

Good Catalog Company: a cataloger with a unique niche.
September 1, 1996... In the Fall of 1991 Barbara Todd sat in her office contemplating the future. Ten years earlier, Barb and Sandy Anderson had co-founded Orchids Only! a successful mail order company. On this crisp Fall day, Barb and Sandy were coming to the end...

Developing and retaining profitable customer relationships through call centers.
September 1, 1996... A recent article in Direct Marketing magazine posed the question-"how do you sell 10,000 tickets to a game?" Not surprisingly, the response was "one at a time." Of course, this is not new, there have been a thousand books published about the...

Database maintenance planning: justification comes in 3 flavors. (part 2 of a 4-part series)
September 1, 1996... This article is part two of a four part series on data-base maintenance planning. Database maintenance planning is a disciplined process that integrates entire corporations and organizations for the purpose of efficient delivery of direct...

Database management: finding your database payoff. (database management at United Audio Centers)
September 1, 1996... At United Audio Centers, we take our database very seriously. You would too if you'd seen most of your direct competitors die in your marketplace in the wake of the Category Killers. For us, database management is a crucial survival tool. ...

The increasingly important role of call centers: strategies for the future.
September 1, 1996... The renewed focus on the call center is being driven primarily by three forces: customer demands for more convenient access to goods and services, business pressures to drive down costs, and the convergence of computer and telecommunications...

Direct marketing campaign sparks interest, spurs action. (GTE Directories' marketing campaign for latest edition of The Everything Pages Yellow Pages)
September 1, 1996... How does a phone directory company communicate the fact that a new directory offers significant benefits over existing products? That was the question GTE Directories tackled as we launched an ambitious marketing campaign to introduce a new...

How to make sure there's no room at the inn. (use of direct mail by Capstar chain of hotels)(includes related article on frequent buyer programs of Hilton and Sheraton hotels)
September 1, 1996... They came from all over the United States to the small town of Summit, NJ. They met in the Marriott hotel but the names were the most competitive hotels in the country: Hilton, Holiday Inn, Sheraton, Best Western, Clarion and well known...

List usage survey shows mail volumes & list rentals up over prior year.
September 1, 1996... The results of the 16th Annual List Usage Survey, conducted by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) List Council, shows increases in both use of mail lists for prospecting and use of direct mail for advertising, particularly in...

World class telemarketing quality assurance through call monitoring.
September 1, 1996... Is your telemarketing operation world class? Have you listened to your phone representatives lately? Are they maintaining a consistently high level of quality calls to your customers and prospects? Do you have quality measurement processes in...

Pets, pests, and paranoia: direct marketing in all its glory. (Rodale's magalog 'Prevention for Pets')
September 1, 1996... Rodale is one of the geniuses of the direct marketing arts, combining the psychological acumen of a Shakespeare, the trend sensitivity of a Faith Popcorn, and the striking power of a king cobra. And how venerable they are! I remember...

Classified advertising: the stepchild of the direct marketing family.
September 1, 1996... We have a stepchild in our direct marketing family, and many of us, in a creative decisionmaking position, are the evil and insensitive Mr. Murdstone from David Copperfield. Our stepchild is classified. Because (except for display...

99 easy ways to pump up the pulling power of your direct mail package. (part 1)
September 1, 1996... As a copywriter and direct marketing creative consultant, I'm always looking for ways to help my clients succeed. Of course, lists and offers come first, but for the savvy direct mailer, creative execution is always an area that can be...

1984 came and went without 'big brother at our backs.' (debate over right to privacy)
September 1, 1996... A recent issue of Insight (normally a balanced magazine) went ballistic over Filegate and privacy in general. Filegate will occur whenever a party in power feels free of media oversight. Government concentration, not the mediating institution...

Bulk mail tightening acceptance rules. (mail classification reform)
September 1, 1996... The Government Accounting Office (GAO) recently issued a report to Congress concerning acceptance procedures at bulk mail acceptance units. In its' report the GAO implied that up to eight billion dollars could be lost because acceptance clerks...