Direct Mail is alive and kicking do you use it?

Local media ad space advising firm BIA/Kelsey’s most recent local market ad forecast report, Media Ad View Plus, has several findings of note. The study, which gives a market-by-market view of the local media pie, reveals: The total local media market is calculated to be $132.5 billion. Looking across all verticals, direct mail accounts for 27% of all local market spend ($35.8 billion). ​Direct mail dominates ad spend by local retail advertising, garnering over 43% of total retail advertising in 2012. Despite ongoing declines in circulation, in 2012 newspapers generated $22.5 billion for a 17.1% share of total advertising spend, second only to direct mail. Six vertical categories each generated more than $1 billion from online advertising in 2012 — technology, retail, automotive, leisure/recreational, financial/insurance and restaurants. BIA/Kelsey calculates that these six categories accounted for close to 80% of total online advertising. Print Yellow Pages still dominates the local general services category (basically anyone who shows up at your house in a van). In 2012, general services advertisers spent $3.8 billion on print Yellow Pages, representing nearly a quarter of total spend in that category. Retail, financial/insurance, restaurants, automotive and technology combine to represent roughly three quarters of local radio advertising revenue. - See more at: http://printinthemix.com/Fastfacts/Show/763#sthash%2EaJwCjzvd%2Edpuf

Orkin I loved this example, because it not only was incredibly affordable, but contained brand imaging in the most unusual way, from bugs stuck to the ad. As passer’s by saw the ad develop over a span of days, the logo eventually appeared. This marketing piece got people talking, sharing, and remembering the pest company.

3M I had seen this example before, but what I really liked is that they literally put “Their money where their mouth is.” If someone actually broke the glass, they were out a considerable sum, so their own faith in their product shined bright and clear.

Frontline As a dog lover, this one cracked me up, and showed how an ad can actually do more with negative space than it could have if including all of the elements. The ad was placed along the floor of a shopping mall, and when viewed from above, the people walking on the ad actually appear to be the fleas. For a product as un-sexy as flea control, this marketing device hit a home run

Land Rover Love this one. Land Rover in Dubai came up with an ingenious idea for the "rugged" drivers of their vehicle. So just in case the driver and passenger get marooned in the desert, the company sent 5000 survival guides to existing customers and to be distributed in sports shops. The book came complete with reflective backing for an SOS, a metal coil for cooking, and made the pages and ink edible (with roughly the nutrition of a cheeseburger. This great idea was such a hit, they produced 70,000 more to be included in a car magazine distribution.

Lance Burton, Vegas Magician How on earth can you have your message resonate in Las Vegas? You could spend a ton of money and get a billboard on the strip, or you could spend a couple hundred dollars and do what Lance Burton did. See below. (Hat tip to my friend Rodrigo Padilla for reminding me of this one)

I hope you enjoyed this. Derek

Technology + Direct Mail for the Win!

I love to write about great examples of combining technology and direct mail and today is no different. I got a mailer from Acura that boasted an "Interactive Preview" on the full-color, large envelope. So I opened it. Inside were several stock-quality inserts, one of which was personalized and variably-printed and included instructions for downloading an app to access the rest of the mailer. So I did. Acura 1 Inside were different views of the car. Well, with the app, it recognized the images from the mailer and offered several different options. From scanning the picture above, it whisked me away to a 360-degree view of the interior, that I could pinch and rotate on my smartphone. Cool stuff. Not everything from the mailer was scannable, but as I flipped through looking for the icon app to scan my next experience, I saw and read about many features of the car. I eventually scanned another section (below) and it took me to a product video (still hosted withing the app) that engaged me with te piece for a little while longer.

Acura 2 There are many great examples of technology with direct mail popping up everywhere, but this example stuck with me for several reasons: It truly was a multichannel experience - the mail was attractive, it used my smartphone, so I had another tangible element in the mix, and it used video and augmented reality (sort of). It urged me to explore the entire piece - Although there were only two things to scan on the piece, I searched for more, and ended up seeing the entire mailing. This sort of mail treasure hunt should be used more often. It was shareable - After i finished with this piece, I let a co-worker borrow it. "How cool is this, Rick?" The best direct mail pieces are keepsakes and things that have a shelf life far beyond the first read. What I would have liked to see was a code to scan to register for a test drive, or providing directions to the local dealership. Something with a conversion in mind, but overall, this mailing was a homerun. These principals apply FAR beyond automotive dealer solutions. None of the elements were that far-fetched, but the execution and the experience made it all come together so well.

Incentive Programs - Expert Opinions - Roy Saunderson - Top 10 Ways to Spend Your Money Right on Rewards and Recognition - Incentive Magazine

Incentive Programs - Expert Opinions - Roy Saunderson - Top 10 Ways to Spend Your Money Right on Rewards and Recognition - Incentive Magazine

Incentive Programs - Engagement - Incentives Boost Sales Performance - Incentive Magazine

Incentive Programs - Engagement - Incentives Boost Sales Performance - Incentive Magazine

Using texting and your website to get data capture

People are using their phones and the web more than ever to communicate, and to communicate with YOUR company and YOUR BRANDS. How are you using promotions using cell phones, or your website to engage your potential clients? Well we have some things to help. 1. Website promotions- what happens to your visitors when they visit? What do you want them to do, if they don't act and become customers right away? Do you want them to sign up for a newsletter, coupons, register for more information?

So this technology will help you to capture that valuable data from your website visitors, by providing a chance to win, a chance to play this interactive game etc. Does it work, of course it works. Games, sweepstakes, engage your customers and they will share their information for a chance to win. The key is they have to provide accurate data, because if they don't and they win, they lose their prize. So important.

Now this program captures generation "text" and their on the go lifestyle. They always have their phone they are always texting don't care about too many texts. So by texting for a chance to win, you can text them back with the new mobile database you are creating offers, coupons, new products etc. Companies like Kawasaki used this to effectively drive traffic into its dealers. You can use it to drive traffic to a bank branch, a showroom a trade show booth. So don't let technology scare you give us a call and let us show you how, we can help.

Don't take the summer off, market to your "A" level customers harder now, when others don't

How can you gain more face time with “C level” executives who are not existing clients? Our new account acquisition program achieves anywhere from a 20% to 40% appointment rate success. We specialize in helping salespeople win new accounts. Our team has over 200 years of experience in this specialty. We also see increase proposal rate and increase win rates. Many of our clients do not have budgets for this activity. But they have Advertising budget that can be switch to this better investment. That is why we suggest to Invest where your dollars can produce big impact! With less sales people on the street, dimensional direct mail can help fill in the gaps. It’s a proven fact that 3-D mailings break through the clutter and generate higher response rates—up to 20-40%. If well-designed, a dimensional direct mail program can be a cost-effective, measurable way to maintain contact and/or prospect for new business during challenging economic times—a proven way to get mail opened, read and remembered, paving the way for personal follow-up! This balloon mailer is just one of our ideas to create that wow factor. Isn't it much easier for your sales people to call after they mailed this to their prospect base? Let us discuss how we can build this type of program for you to fit your budget. 50 Developers were targeted. 6 Agreed to Develop. Results - Hundreds of Million in Development Now that is ROI!