Direct Marketing News and Information

Study Finds Nearly 40% of Consumers ‘Like’ Companies on Facebook to Show Brand Affiliation to Friends

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 08:30:00 GMT

ExactTarget Identifies X-Factors That Make Facebook Potent Viral Marketing Platform

INDIANAPOLIS-- A new study released today by ExactTarget finds that while consumers primarily turn to Facebook to connect with friends and for entertainment, discounts and 'social badging' are the primary reasons consumers 'like' brands on Facebook.

Featured in Facebook X-Factors, a new report by ExactTarget and CoTweet, the survey of more than 1,500 consumers finds that 39 percent of Facebook users who become fans do so to publicly display their brand affiliation to friends – nearly twice as often as consumers follow brands on Twitter and nearly four times more often than consumers subscribe to email communications for the same reason.

“Consumers use Facebook to interact with friends, be entertained and express themselves through their public affiliation with brands - factors that combine to create a potent viral marketing platform,” said Jeff Rohrs, principal, ExactTarget’s research and education group. “By engaging consumers on Facebook in a way that keeps them entertained, brands have an unprecedented opportunity to mobilize Fans and get introduced to their friends."

Key findings of the research include:

    * 64 percent of all U.S. consumers—and three quarters of Millennials—have created a profile on Facebook making it the “default” social community.
    * 40 percent of Facebook users who become fans do so to receive discounts and promotions, 39 percent become fans to show their support for a brand to others.
    * The most common reason consumers use Facebook is to reconnect with old friends and friends that live far away (63 percent).
    * 37 percent of consumers use Facebook to manage their social life.
    * 30 percent of consumers use Facebook to occupy their down time citing it as a “guilty pleasure,” and 31 percent say they monitor the amount of time spent on Facebook because of its addictive nature.
    * 65 percent of Facebook users say they login only before or after work/school and 69 percent use the site on weekends or off-days, requiring marketers to engage with consumers on nights and weekends as well as during normal business hours.
    * Women are more likely than men to use Facebook for maintaining personal relationships (63 versus 54 percent), connecting with old friends (68 versus 56 percent) and managing their social lives (41 versus 34 percent).
    * Consumers’ capacity for exposure to brand messages via Facebook is limited—half of all fans “like” only one to four brands and only 17 percent of consumers say they’re more likely to buy after becoming a “fan” on Facebook.

“Facebook provides a unique opportunity for marketers to creatively connect with motivated audiences online,” said Tim Kopp, ExactTarget’s chief marketing officer. “The Facebook X-Factors report provides marketers an exclusive look at why and how consumers use Facebook and how they want to interact with brands.”

Facebook X-Factors is the fifth research brief in ExactTarget’s and CoTweet’s six-part Subscribers, Fans & Followers research series set for release through September. The series provides marketers exclusive insight into how U.S. consumers interact with brands online based on a series of focus groups, interviews and surveys conducted in March and April. For more information about the study, to access an interactive application of the Subscribers, Fans & Followers data or to subscribe to receive future research briefs delivered via email, visit www.ExactTarget.com/sff.

About ExactTarget

ExactTarget is a leading global provider of on-demand email marketing and interactive marketing solutions. The company’s software as a service technology provides organizations a single platform to connect with customers via triggered and transactional email, integrated text messaging, landing pages and social media. Supported by collaborative global services teams, ExactTarget’s technology integrates with more sales and marketing information systems than any other in the industry, including Salesforce.com, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Omniture and Webtrends among many others. ExactTarget’s software powers permission-based multi-channel communications for thousands of organizations around the world including Expedia.com, Aurora Fashions, Papa John’s, CareerBuilder.com, Gannett Co., Inc., The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, The Home Depot and Wellpoint, Inc. For more information, visit www.exacttarget.com or call 1-866-EMAILET.
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Marketing Convergence Marketing Convergence: How the Leading Companies Are Profiting from Integrating Online and Offline Marketing Strategies will enable you to market your products and services more effectively using the Internet. You will increase your organization’s profitability because you’ll know how to navigate the minefields of online, interactive, and traditional marketing.

2010 State of the Brand Report: Marketers Not (Yet) Sold on Social Media

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:01:02 GMT

Brand Executives Say Online Communications a Must in Generating Consumer Loyalty, but Many Question Value of Social Networking

SAN DIEGO-- Tweeting and Facebooking may be the rage among the YouTube generation, but many corporate leaders are reluctant to change their marketing approaches for the sake of social networking, according to a new national survey. Most corporate brand executives believe they are better served by effectively utilizing online communications and traditional public relations activities in order to build brand awareness among consumers — their key objective.

Seventy percent of brand experts say they cannot successfully manage their brands without an effective online strategy and more than two-thirds (68 percent) characterize online communications as the most valuable vehicle for generating awareness and brand loyalty among consumers. Most feel their own Web sites are the key vehicle for reaching consumers and building loyalty.

Opinions are split on the marketing effect of social media, however, according to a survey of brand executives commissioned by MiresBall, a West Coast-based brand design firm, and conducted by Washington, D.C.-based KRC Research.

While approximately half (52 percent) of those surveyed see social media as a way to build brand awareness among consumers who were previously unreachable, and more than a third (35 percent) believe that social media is making it easier to create customer loyalty, nearly as many (30 percent) disagree that building customer loyalty has become easier because of social networking.

At the same time, four in 10 (41 percent) of those surveyed feel the impact of social media is not serious enough to lead to a change in brand strategy, while roughly the same number believe that social media presents new challenges for protecting a brand’s integrity, challenges that necessitate a change in strategy.

“It may indeed be hip to tweet and make Facebook friends for companies with newer brands looking to build awareness quickly, but many owners of established brands are not convinced that social networking on its own is the magic bullet for building customer loyalty,” said Scott Mires, Principal and Creative Director, MiresBall. “Simply building awareness is not enough today. What consumers are told — and how they respond — are most important.”

“Social media could be the next frontier for brand communications since nearly 80 percent of brand leaders expect to use it in their brand building activities in the next two years, but for now, marketers are struggling to figure it out,” said John Ball, Principal and Creative Director, MiresBall. “In the meantime, brands that continue to share authentic and relevant stories with their audiences — regardless of the vehicle — will continue to connect more successfully with their audiences.”

Other survey highlights:

    * The top three challenges facing brands today are pricing pressures, lack of brand awareness and rise of strong competitors;
    * Traditional public relations activities provide the best value for time (48 percent strongly agree) and money (35 percent strongly agree) invested for brand building, while fewer respondents said advertising produces the best value for time (31 percent) and budget (24 percent) dedicated to brand building;
    * Respondents said that online communications provide the best return on the money spent managing their brand (68 percent), followed by public relations/promotional events (56 percent) and social media (40 percent).
    * Nearly half of marketers surveyed agreed that the economic downturn made it more difficult to create brand loyalty (48 percent), while just over a third (35 percent) used the downturn to their advantage.

“The research shows that brand managers are still trying to navigate through enormous challenges in the marketplace while simultaneously building a new foundation for brand growth, mixing both old and new strategies in hopes of strengthening their brand,” said Peter Shafer, Chief Executive Officer, KRC Research.

For the full report and a 60-second video, go to: http://www.miresball.com/Think/Survey

The 2010 State of the Brand Report included interviews with 189 company owners, senior executives and brand managers, among others. Survey participants represented small, medium and large companies with revenues ranging from $10 million or less a year (37 percent) to more than $1 billion annually (22 percent). Sixty-one percent represented corporate or institutional brands while 39 percent represented product brands. Those surveyed were drawn from firms in two dozen industries including manufacturing, technology, healthcare, energy, entertainment, travel & hospitality.

About MiresBall

MiresBall is a West Coast brand design firm that develops the strategy, narrative, and visuals to help companies from innovative start-ups to established global leaders communicate with clarity and authenticity. For more information visit www.miresball.com.

About KRC Research

KRC Research is a leader in communications research. Our ability to use research to improve communications outcomes — from public relations to public affairs to advertising — sets us apart from traditional research firms, as does our approach, which is creative, practical and fast. Our specialties include research among hard-to-reach audiences, research to drive media attention, branding and reputation research, and public policy research. KRC’s clients include Fortune 500 corporations, trade associations, and non-profits.
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Digital Marketing Practices and Trends Direct marketers have always adapted to take advantage of the latest media technologies. With the continued emergence and development of online and mobile channels, staying on top of trends has never been harder to do.

Marketers Send High Volumes of Email to Non-Responsive Customers, Endangering Email Deliverability

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:58:48 GMT

Only 12.5% Take Steps to Re-engage With Lapsed Subscribers, a New Return Path Study Finds

NEW YORK-- E-retailers continue to struggle with building customized, 1-to-1 email marketing efforts tailored to subscriber response rates, or more importantly lack of response, according to Return Path’s new study -- The One-Way Conversation: Email Marketing to the Non-Responsive Subscriber. Return Path is the global leader in email deliverability and reputation management services.

A majority of the email marketers that Return Path studied sent email at a steady, high frequency for a 19-month period, despite a total lack of response from the subscriber (no opens, no clicks, no purchases). For the new study, Return Path studied the email marketing efforts of 40 online retailers over a 19-month period. Eventually, 11 companies studied (27%) stopped sending email to non-responsive subscribers. Yet, 10 of the companies stopped sending email without making any attempt to reengage the customer or specifically asking the customer whether or not they’d like to continue receiving emails.

“We were certainly surprised to see how these e-retailers were sending emails to a customer who was completely non-responsive,” said Stephanie Colleton, Director of Professional Services, Return Path. “We strongly recommend that email marketers, not just e-retailers, monitor their subscriber responses – opens, click-throughs and conversions – and adapt their campaigns to either slow down the emails to once per month or send a re-permission email to determine subscribers’ continued interest in receiving emails.”

Continuing to Email Non-responsive Subscribers Can Impact Email Deliverability

When high-volume email marketers or publishers continue to send emails to non-responsive subscribers they risk endangering their overall email deliverability. When non-responsive subscribers receive a steady stream of emails, or in some cases an increased frequency of emails, they will often begin reporting those emails as spam driving up the marketer’s complaint rate.

In addition, the retailers studied are missing many opportunities to reengage non-responsive subscribers via special offers, coupons, or a tailored reengagement campaigns. Finally, those uninterested recipients skew response patterns and email metrics making retailers jobs much harder when they test email offers and try to optimize their email marketing campaigns.

Only five of the companies (12.5%) studied actually sent one or more win-back messages – messages designed to reengage subscribers and ultimately drive additional purchases. Bed, Bath & Beyond had the most complete email win-back strategy of the e-retailers studied. They identified the inactive subscribers in their file, decreased the frequency of emails to those subscribers over time (from seven emails per month down to a few more than five per month, and eventually to less than one). After one year of inactivity, they sent a clear, attractive win-back message with a discount offer for an item of the subscriber’s choosing. A week after that win-back campaign, they sent a re-permission email specifying a date when they would stop sending email unless they received subscriber permission. When they received no response to the re-permission email, they honored their commitment and stopped sending.

“There is a widespread perception that email is ‘free,’” said Bonnie Malone, Director of Professional Services, for Return Path. “But that is not true – most retailers pay a 3 to 5 cent CPM to service providers to send email, which sounds small but really starts to add up when you consider that these lists can include hundreds of thousands of emails. Continuing to send to addresses that never respond is a waste of money and leads to deliverability problems that erode the program’s effectiveness. Taking all this in to account we think that marketers and publishers need to make win back programs an essential part of their program strategy.”

Return Path’s study, titled The One-Way Conversation: Email Marketing to the Non-Responsive Subscriber, is available for free download.

Study Methodology

Return Path researchers made a single purchase from each of 45 online retailers between September and December of 2008, signing up for the marketer’s email program during the online transaction process. Return Path then returned all the items to the retailer. The email account used for making the purchase and signing-up to the email program was kept open and we did not unsubscribe from any of the programs. None of the emails subsequently received were opened or clicked on.

Return Path studied the emails sent by marketers following sign-up until the end of month 19, to assess their email marketing programs during this period. Five companies sent no promotional email at all to their former buyer, and so were not included in this study.

About Return Path

Founded in 1999, Return Path helps commercial email senders get more email delivered to the inbox. Our tools and services give senders the insight and resources to diagnose and prevent email deliverability and rendering failures by improving and maintaining their email sending reputations. Our Professional Services division then helps our client improve ROI and response by creating consistent and compelling subscriber experiences across the email customer lifecycle. Return Path runs the internet's most widely used third-party whitelist, the Return Path Certification Program. Return Path also invented the Sender Score, an email reputation measure based on data contributed by ISPs and other receivers of large volume email into the Return Path Reputation Network. We offer free access to our Sender Score to any sender, receiver or consumer of email at our reputation portal: www.senderscore.org. Information about Return Path can be found at www.returnpath.net.
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Successful E-Mail Marketing Strategies -- From Hunting to Farming When it first came on the scene in the early to mid 1990s, email marketing was the hottest, most productive marketing tool on the map. Response rates and profits were many times greater than snail mail and other forms of selling. Then things changed. Response rates have dropped precipitously, and general productivity has evaporated.

Young Adults Strongly Prefer Offline to Online Sources for Marketing Offers, Research Reveals

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 10:17:36 GMT

North American Survey Results Show 2-1 and 3-1 Offline Preference Margin, Depending On Product

DALLAS – Six years after the launch of Facebook, North American consumers in the valued 18-34 year-old demographic prefer by a wide margin to learn about marketing offers via postal mail and newspapers rather than online sources such as social media platforms, according to national survey research from ICOM, a division of Epsilon Targeting.

Additionally, the research shows that preferential attitudes about the trustworthiness of mail strengthened for consumer respondents in all age groups from 2008 to 2010.The 2010 study of 2569 US households and 2209 Canadian households focused on consumer preferences in regard to the ever-expanding array of communications channels for the delivery of marketing information, offers and promotions. Responses came from consumers ranging in age from 18 to 55 and above.

By the numbers, here are some of the key results from ICOM’s 2010 study of North American consumers’ marketing communication channel preferences –

For household and health products, the preference among 18-34 year-old Americans for receiving marketing information from offline sources led by mail and newspapers is 2 to 3 times greater than online sources such as social media. Examples of consumer preferences for offline versus online are:

Product	Offline	Online
Personal Care	62%	22%
Food Products	66%	23%
Cleaning Products	66%	20%
Over the Counter Medicine	53%	21%
Sensitive Health Products	46%	21%
Prescription Medicine	45%	21%

Travel was the exception, where 18-34 year-old Americans preferred online to offline information by a 42% to 35% margin, however, Insurance and Financial Services followed the overall trend, with the 18-34 age group preferring offline sources 43% to 21% and 44% to 19%, respectively.

The trust pendulum is swinging in the direction of mail for survey takers in all age brackets:

§ 36% of US respondents in 2010 said information is more private if sent through the mail vs. email or online, up from 29% in 2008; corresponding responses in Canada were 38% and 35%

§ 25% of US respondents in 2010 said a lot of online information can’t be trusted, up from 19% in 2008; corresponding responses in Canada were 28% and 24%

§ 20% of US respondents in 2010 said they trust information received by mail more than online, up from 12% in 2008; corresponding responses in Canada were 25% and 18%.

For health information, consumers favor doctors and nurses (80% US, 83% Canada), but for general products they rank as most trustworthy friends and family (57% US, 52% Canada), newspapers (26% US, 26% Canada), company web sites (22% US, 20% Canada), television (20% US, 21% Canada) and brochures and flyers (18% US, 18% Canada). The numbers for social media sites, by comparison, were Facebook (8% US, 6% Canada), YouTube (7% US, 5% Canada) and Twitter (7% US, 5% Canada).

“A key take away from this research is that marketers targeting coveted 18-34 year olds who are tempted to invest solely in social media could be missing a significant portion of their audience,” said ICOM, a division of Epsilon Targeting Vice President Warren Storey.

“For example, a consumer goods company that relies heavily on a female audience, especially moms, could fall short of expectations if it uses only the social media channel,” Storey said. “Companies need to employ a multi-channel approach to gain maximum engagement with their customers.”

Other key findings from ICOM’s survey about channel preferences include the following:

45% of US men and 35% of Canadian men do not have any social media accounts, 36% of US women and 31% of Canadian women do not have any social media accounts

25% of respondents, US and Canadian, said they get more postal mail versus a year ago; 72% US and 66% Canadian said they get more email versus a year ago

In both the US and Canada, women are more likely than men to prefer addressed or unaddressed mail for many product categories, and men are more likely to prefer the Internet or email as a mode of receiving marketing information.

The factors driving consumers to certain channels – according to the ICOM research are trust, convenience, richness and relevance of information and environmental concerns.

“The finding that only 25% of respondents perceive they’re getting more postal mail compared to a year ago, while nearly three times that amount say they’re getting more email is telling, and signals to marketers there is an opportunity to gain key consumers’ attention and interest by using the direct mail channel,” Storey said.

“Overall, our research confirms the proliferation of channel choices but shows that a unique combination or balance of favored channels needs to be identified, and that combination likely includes direct mail and other offline options, despite the notion by some that offline is no longer effective,” he said.

More in-depth information about ICOM’s channel preference research is available in a report titled “Finding the Right Channel Combination: What Drives Channel Choice.” The report can be accessed by visiting http://www.epsilon.com/channelpreference.

About Epsilon

Epsilon is the industry’s leading marketing services firm, with a broad array of data-driven, multichannel marketing solutions that leverage consumer insight to help brands deepen their relationships with customers. Services include strategic consulting, acquisition and customer database technologies, loyalty management, proprietary data, predictive modeling and a full range of direct and digital agency services, including creative, interactive web design, email deployment, search engine optimization and direct mail production. In addition, Epsilon is the world's largest permission-based email marketer. Epsilon is an Alliance Data company. For more information, visit www.epsilon.com or call 1.800.309.0505.
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Marketers Send High Volumes of Email to Non-Responsive Customers, Endangering Email Deliverability

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 10:10:59 GMT

BERNHART UNEMPLOYMENT SURVEY RELEASED: DIRECT MARKETERS FACING LONGER UNEMPLOYMENT

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 09:36:06 GMT

Typical Length of Job Search Nearly Doubles in Past Year

Owatonna, MN, August, 2010---The job outlook for unemployed direct marketers has sharply deteriorated since last summer, according to a new study by Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, a leading digital and direct marketing executive search firm.

"In Summer 2009, we asked unemployed direct marketers how long they had been looking for a job," said Jerry Bernhart, principal of Bernhart Associates. "We decided to ask that same question one year later. Like last year we broke down the results by levels of compensation, and for the first time we've segmented results by age."

The survey focused on respondents who said they are currently unemployed and are actively searching for a full-time direct marketing position. The survey's results, therefore, exclude those who are looking only for part-time work, currently employed, or unemployed but only passively looking.

Here are the 2010 survey's key findings:

°    Nearly one-third of respondents said they have been looking for a direct marketing-related position for more than 18 months.
°    The median length of unemployment among direct marketers is 12.0 months, nearly twice the 6.5-month figure of one year ago.
°    Older, higher-paid workers face much longer search times than their younger, lower-paid colleagues.
°    The survey reveals that generally the best odds of finding a direct marketing job are either in the first three months, or between 7 and 9 months.

According to Bernhart Associates' 2010 survey, 21% of unemployed respondents said they have been actively looking for a full-time direct marketing job between 1 and 3 months. Twelve percent (12%) said their search has lasted from 4 to 6 months, 9% said they have been looking for between 7 and 9 months, and 10% percent said they have been on the job hunt 10-12 months. The remainder, 48%, has been looking for more than a year.

When the results were broken down by salary, Bernhart said the survey reveals that lower-paid direct marketing job seekers are experiencing only slightly more success finding jobs more quickly than those in the higher-salary brackets.

However, when broken down by age, Bernhart said the differences are more dramatic. "In the 30 to 39 age bracket, all respondents said they had been searching for a new job for less than one year," he said. "But those between 50 and 59, half have been looking for more than a year. And if you are older than 60, you can pretty much expect to be looking for at least 18 months."

Bernhart pointed out that survey results are consistent with the challenges facing the overall U.S. labor market. "In July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the nationwide median length of unemployment was 22.2 weeks, or approximately 5 months. While that is significantly less than the median for direct marketers, many direct marketing-related job categories require more specialized knowledge, more training, and higher levels of educational attainment than other jobs that fall into the unskilled labor category."

A total of 448 individuals responded to the random survey, which was emailed the week of August 16 to more than 9,000 direct marketers across the country.

Rather than wait another year, Bernhart said he will repeat the Unemployment Search Survey in about six months in order to track changes.

Bernhart announced that his quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Hiring Survey for the fourth quarter will be emailed out in the end of September. The third quarter report showed declines in all key employment indicators, reversing an upward trend during the first half of 2010.

Employers who would like to participate in the next Employment Survey should send an email with the subject "Opt-In" to survey@bernhart.com, or they can sign up on the Bernhart Associates website.
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About Bernhart Associates

Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, is owned by Jerry Bernhart, a leading and nationally recognized digital and direct marketing recruiter, writer, and speaker. Founded in 1991, Bernhart Associates today recruits for positions at all levels in Multichannel Direct Marketing, CRM, E-Commerce, Database Marketing, Business Development, and Marketing Analytics.

Respected as a leading authority on issues related to digital and direct marketing recruiting, Jerry Bernhart is a frequent speaker at national marketing conferences and is often quoted by the industry news media. Jerry has written dozens of articles for the leading online and offline direct marketing publications.

The Bernhart Associates' quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Survey, now in its tenth year, has become the most widely followed employment report in digital and direct marketing and measures employers' hiring plans for the coming quarter. It is the only forward-looking employment survey of its kind in digital and direct marketing and unparalleled in size and scope.

Bernard (Bernie) Silverman and Affiliates of Naperville, IL, contributes research and analysis for the Bernhart Associates Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report. Bernie can be reached at bernie@bsilverman.com.

Douglas Berger Communications, New York City, provides communications services for the Bernhart Associates Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report. Doug is the former Director of Executive and Member Communications for the Direct Marketing Association. He can be contacted at douglasbergernyc@gmail.com.
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Entrepreneur and New Business Package Education and information are the most important factors to success in any direct marketing endeavor. We cannot guarantee success but we can guarantee that you can save thousands of dollars and maybe years of time by getting off to an educated start. This package includes the Direct Marketing Toolkit book, Professional Wholesale Resource Guide and much more to help you start your business faster and easier.

U.S. Postal Service Products Available at Office Depot

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:15:31 GMT

Flat-Rate Shipping and Priority Mail Expand Options for Customers

WASHINGTON, DC - Customers at almost 1,100 Office Depot stores across the country now have another option for shipping services.

U.S. Postal Service shipping and mailing products now are available at 1,083 Office Depot stores across the country. Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes and envelopes, Priority Mail service, Express Mail service, Parcel Post, stamps, Delivery Confirmation and Signature Confirmation now are available at those Office Depot stores.

Priority Mail Flat Rate shipping is one of the best options for small businesses and consumers alike. With Flat Rate Boxes, customers pay one, low rate to any state without worrying about weighing the package - and there are no surcharges when using Postal Service shipping products.

"We're excited to extend some of the best shipping values in the country to Office Depot customers, at a time and place that's convenient to them," said Susan Plonkey, acting president, Mailing and Shipping Services. "Small businesses, especially, will be able to compare shipping companies side by side and see for themselves that Postal Service prices are very competitive and affordable."

The partnership with Office Depot is one more example of how the Postal Service is adjusting products and services to better fit the changing needs of its customers, while finding creative solutions to generate much needed revenue.

As an Approved Postal Provider, Office Depot is the first national retailer to offer Postal Service shipping products and services.

"Office Depot is all about helping our customers take care of business, and by providing smart mailing services through the Postal Service in our stores, customers can enjoy the convenience of shipping while they shop," said Kevin Peters, president, North American Retail for Office Depot.

Office Depot and the Postal Service worked together to ensure Office Depot employees could answer any customer concern or question on Postal products. Customer convenience and service are key to both companies.

Expanding access to products and services is one of the key components of "Delivering the Future," the Postal Service's action plan for the future. That plan also identifies shipping as one of the key growth opportunities for increased financial stability.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
A b-roll package is available in the USPS Newsroom: www.usps.com/news
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Inside Direct Mail INSIDE DIRECT MAIL is the most comprehensive publication for the direct mail industry. With Inside Direct Mail, you'll learn what's in the mail, what's working and what's not -- and most importantly, HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR RESPONSE. And you'll read the latest on offers, lists, testing, copywriting, design, customer retention and more.

U.S. Postal Service Seeks Reclassification of Standard Parcels

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:50:04 GMT

Switch to Competitive Products Means Seamless Offerings for Customers

WASHINGTON— In a move designed to maintain true value in a competitive shipping market, the U.S. Postal Service has asked the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) to reclassify some Standard Mail parcels to complement its current shipping product line.

The strategy for Standard Mail small parcels redesign is included in the Postal Service’s exigent price case, filed with the PRC on July 6. The redesign eliminates confusion for customers by breaking this category of mail into two significant and distinct customer segments; marketing parcels and fulfillment parcels.

Today’s filing is a formal request to transfer commercial Standard Mail Fulfillment Parcels from the market-dominant product list to the competitive product list. If approved, fulfillment parcels would become a lightweight subcategory of Parcel Select.

The only real difference between the two products is the weight. Standard Mail fulfillment parcels weigh less than 1 pound; prices for Parcel Select start at 1 pound.

“This is a competitive market and there are other shippers in the marketplace fulfilling this weight for packages,” said Gary Reblin, vice president, Shipping Services. “This is a logical change and customers will no longer have to navigate two different products and rate structures for one business need.”

Marketing parcels is replacing the not-flat machinable category that will be eliminated upon approval by the PRC. Pieces up to 2 inches thick can then be mailed as marketing parcels. An addressing qualifier, such as “Or Current Resident,” also must be included on the parcel.

Fulfillment parcels must be addressed to a specific resident or business owner and be used for mailing products ordered or purchased that weigh up to 1 pound: DVDs, CDs, checks and lightweight sweaters or shirts.

If approved by the PRC, Standard Mail fulfillment parcel prices will increase about 23 percent, effective Jan. 2, 2011. This price change proposal is not affected by today’s filing to move Standard Mail fulfillment parcels to the competitive product list.

Pricing is one of a suite of solutions the Postal Service is using to address its current financial situation. Other solutions include a change in delivery frequency, restructuring the prepayment of retiree health benefits and expanding access to Postal Service products and services.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
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Directory of Major Mailers The Directory of Major Mailers -- Information that guarantees success! The most powerful database on direct mail ever created! Whether you’re a supplier of direct mail services looking for clients or a direct mail marketer looking for promotional ideas, the Directory of Major Mailers and What They Mail can provide you with the information you need to get your job done.

Don't Get Robbed Again

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:04:02 GMT

You may have heard by now that within the next few weeks, catalog marketers will receive a landmark survey questionnaire from us. You will be asked very specific questions about your mailing practices, both catalog and other forms of mail you send, including letters and packages. Your complete and thorough responses to each question will be kept confidential and are crucial to your company’s future. Here’s why…

With steady input from a team of our members, ACMA has worked closely with key policy officials in Washington to develop better information on catalog mail behavior. The hope is, this will change the way catalog postal rates are set. The goal is to provide the USPS and the PRC with specific catalog industry data focused around catalogers’ use of mail and the whole catalog elasticity factor.

Widespread Misperceptions
Our intent is to correct long-standing, widespread misperceptions among these and other Washington decision makers about catalog elasticity. The fact of the matter is, for years they've used wrong data to make the wrong decisions on catalog postal pricing. We're pretty sure the USPS and PRC know this, but they can only work with what they’re provided with, so we will change that. But it’s going to require your complete cooperation.

You think the currently proposed and past postal rate hikes for catalogs were all unfair? You’re right, they were. All of ’em. You wuz robbed. Depending on how long you’ve been in business, you’ve been getting robbed rate case after rate case for years. Ironically, the USPS has also hurt itself. History shows that bad pricing has always driven mailers elsewhere, a result that’s never been good for anyone. With accurate information, everybody can win here.

Well, guess what? You don’t have to get robbed again. If we can present to the USPS and the PRC solid data that’s representative of all catalog mailers, we can change the way catalog postage is adjusted forever. And do know that USPS rate setters want this data, as do other postal policy makers. But we must get very strong response from all catalog mailers for this to have its intended impact. I’m not taking 2%, 5%, 10% or even 25%. Our goal is 100% response and you have no excuse for not filling out the survey.

I won't lie to you - it won’t take you just five or 10 minutes as most surveys require. We’re asking for a lot of specific data. But it really is just data you already have on your business. Know that only aggregated results will be released. Only a very limited number of people will have access to the individual responses, each of whom has signed a strong Nondisclosure Agreement. Plus, those who participate will get a copy of the aggregation and, mark my words, it will be the most useful benchmarking tool you’ll have ever gotten your hands on.

We Will Bombard You
Fair warning: We’re going to literally bombard all catalogers until they respond to this. Catalog executives, who are ACMA members, will receive the survey from ACMA via e-blast. Catalog execs from nonmembers will receive the survey from about a half-dozen of our supplier members. Also, the DMA, NEMOA and the Mailorder Gardening Association have volunteered to e-blast this to their cataloger members and/or post it on their websites in support of this huge effort.

As a result, you’ll likely receive the survey from several of us. Obviously, just respond once, and do know that we have a mechanism in place to keep from collecting multiple responses from the same companies. Also know that if you ignore our e-blasts, we'll call as many of you on the phone as we can and pester you until you do fill it out. It's just that important.

Again, the survey will be anonymous and only tabulated results will be made public. No proprietary information you provide will be released. So please watch for it coming soon and fill it out ASAP. Bring in the necessary colleagues to ensure you can provide the most in-depth and accurate numbers possible. You can play a crucial role in reshaping your future.

Click here for more on ACMA’s unprecedented Catalog Elasticity Survey, where you can read a broader article ACMA president & executive director Hamilton Davison wrote in the current issue of Multichannel Merchant magazine.

Best,
Paul Miller
Vice President & Deputy Director
American Catalog Mailers Association
pmiller@catalogmailers.org
914-669-8391
# # #

The Catalog Strategists Toolkit Here it is at your fingertips and at your keyboard -- all the forms, charts, checklists, and spreadsheets--everything you will need to start a new catalog or manage an existing catalog more profitably.
This is an important book for those that have e-commerce web catalog sites too!

Indonesia, Brazil and Venezuela Lead Global Surge in Twitter Usage

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 08:16:13 GMT

Global Audience to Twitter.com Doubles in Past Year, as Latin American Audience Grows Fourfold

Reston, VA, – comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released a report on Twitter.com growth worldwide. The study found that in June, nearly 93 million Internet users visited Twitter.com, an increase of 109 percent from the previous year, as the social networking site achieved strong gains across all global regions. Indonesia reported the highest penetration, with 20.8 percent of Internet users in the country visiting Twitter.com that month, followed by Brazil and Venezuela, with Venezuela’s growth fueled in large part by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s decision to join Twitter in late April.

“Twitter.com has experienced an explosion in global traffic over the past year, establishing itself as one of the most-visited social networking sites across each of the five worldwide regions,” said Graham Mudd, comScore vice president, search & media. “Today nearly 3 out of 4 global Internet users access social networking sites each month, making it one of the most ubiquitous activities across the web. As more users around the world have become acquainted with connecting and expressing themselves through social media, it has created an environment where new media like Twitter can emerge globally in a relatively short period of time.”

Triple-Digit Visitation Growth Witnessed Across Most Global Regions
In June 2010, nearly 93 million unique global users age 15 and older visited Twitter.com from a home or work location, an increase of 109 percent from the previous year. This excludes usage of Twitter-based applications such as TweetDeck. An analysis of the five major global regions revealed that Latin America experienced the strongest audience growth, surging 305 percent to 15.4 million users. Asia Pacific ranked as the second-fastest growing region, climbing 243 percent to 25.1 million visitors. The Middle-East Africa jumped 142 percent to 5 million visitors, while Europe soared 106 percent to 22.5 million visitors. North America, where Twitter has reached a higher maturity level than other regions, saw a growth of 22 percent to nearly 25 million visitors in June.
___________________________________________________________________
Visitation to Twitter.com by Global Regions
June 2010 vs. June 2009
Total Audience, Age 15+ - Home & Work Locations*
Source: comScore Media Metrix
                               Unique Visitors (000)
                         Jun-09        Jun-10      % Change
Worldwide                44,520        92,874         109
Latin America             3,792        15,377         305
Asia Pacific              7,324        25,121         243
Middle East – Africa      2,058         4,987         142
Europe                   10,956        22,519         106
North America            20,390        24,870          22
___________________________________________________________________
*Excludes visitation from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.

Indonesia, Brazil and Venezuela Boast Highest Twitter Penetration in the World
Across the 41 individual countries currently reported by comScore, Indonesia at 20.8 percent had the highest proportion of its home and work Internet audience visiting Twitter.com. Brazil ranked second with 20.5 percent penetration, followed by Venezuela at 19.0 percent. With Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez joining Twitter in late April, Twitter.com penetration in the country spiked 4.8 percentage points in a few short months. The Netherlands (17.7 percent) and Japan (16.8 percent) rounded out the top five, while countries in Latin America and Asia Pacific represented many of the remaining top markets, including the Philippines (14.8 percent), Mexico (13.4 percent) and Singapore (13.3 percent).
___________________________________________________________________
Top 20 Markets by Twitter Penetration
June 2010
Total Audience, Age 15+ - Home & Work Locations*
Source: comScore Media Metrix

Location           % Reach
Worldwide             7.4
Indonesia            20.8
Brazil               20.5
Venezuela            19.0
Netherlands          17.7
Japan                16.8
Philippines          14.8
Canada               13.5
Mexico               13.4
Singapore            13.3
Chile                13.2
United States        11.9
Turkey               11.0
United Kingdom       10.9
Argentina            10.5
Colombia              9.6
South Korea           9.3
Ireland               8.4
India                 8.0
Malaysia              7.7
New Zealand           7.5
___________________________________________________________________
*Excludes visitation from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.

Smartphones Drive Mobile Twitter Adoption in U.S. and Europe
An analysis of Twitter usage via mobile for the six mobile markets currently reported by comScore (U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Spain and Italy) revealed that Twitter is gaining adoption among smartphone users. In the U.S., 8.3 percent of smartphone users (4.2 million people) accessed Twitter.com in a month via the browser on their mobile devices, outpacing each of the European markets. In Europe, 2.8 percent of smartphone users overall accessed Twitter.com (1.7 million users), with the U.K. experiencing the strongest penetration in the region at 5.8 percent, followed by Germany with 3.1 percent and France with 2.1 percent.
___________________________________________________________________
Twitter Penetration Among Mobile Smartphone Users*
3 Month Avg. Ending June 2010
Total Audience Age 13+
Source: comScore MobiLens

                    Twitter Audience      % Reach of
                         (000)         Smartphone Users
United States            4,246               8.3
Europe                   1,681               2.8
United Kingdom             793               5.8
Germany                    322               3.1
France                     173               2.1
Spain                      165               1.5
Italy                      227               1.4
___________________________________________________________________
*Includes only mobile browser access to Twitter and does not include other Twitter-based mobile applications

“For applications such as Twitter that function as an instantaneous broadcast medium, the mobile device represents the ideal platform to engage with this content anytime and anyplace,” added Mr. Mudd. “The advanced web browsing features of smartphones enable this behavior, making it likely to accelerate as these devices gain continued adoption. While desktop-based Internet usage is still king, mobile web usage is surging on a global scale placing applications like Twitter at the forefront of that paradigm shift.”

About comScore
comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and the preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/companyinfo.
###

High Performance Interactive Marketing Develop high-level strategies that help you read the big picture and drive more customers to all of your locations, both brick-and-mortar and digital. Improve your marketing focus with smart tactics that merge new technologies with shifting market demands. Develop the instincts and insights for moving quickly and intelligently to seize profitable new opportunities and avoid costly mistakes in this dynamic new marketing world.

PayPal Seen as More Secure than Credit Cards for Online Shopping, says Auriemma Consulting Group

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 06:51:19 GMT

NEW YORK -- It wasn’t that long ago that PayPal was viewed as a niche player in the payments industry, used primarily for eBay transactions. However, the most recent survey by Cardbeat®, a syndicated market research report published by Auriemma Consulting Group (ACG), demonstrates that the former upstart has become increasingly mainstream. “More than three-quarters of our respondents said they have a PayPal account, a 40% increase since our 2008 Cardbeat study, when 55% of respondents had one,” says Nancy Stahl, editor of Cardbeat.

Among the 78% of respondents who shop online, credit cards continue to be the dominant method of payment for online purchases, used by 70%. However, increasing numbers of consumers are using other payment methods as well: 39% use PayPal, just edging out debit cards, used by 37%, for second place. While credit cards are considered the most convenient way to pay for online purchases, PayPal was rated as the most secure.

The average purchase amount for PayPal transactions was virtually unchanged from 2008, at just under $60. However, the number of PayPal transactions reported by consumers in the survey doubled, from 10.8 in 2008 to 21.2 in June 2010, raising the average annual spend by about $635. It’s not just for eBay anymore, Stahl noted. “Nearly two-thirds of total PayPal transactions were generated through non-eBay activity.”

Incidence of account ownership is dramatically lower for other alternative payment services, but there was growth from 2008’s Cardbeat survey, Stahl added. “The tremendous size of the online market has attracted a lot of start-up companies, and even companies with relatively small market share can represent significant dollar volume.”

Although services like PayPal can drive credit card volume by allowing customers to fund their accounts with their cards, their increasing power to cannibalize sales poses a challenge to the card industry, especially if these players venture into the brick-and-mortar environment, as some industry experts have predicted, Stahl noted.

The information in this release includes data from a survey of 428 cardholders conducted in June 2010.

About Auriemma Consulting Group

Auriemma Consulting Group (ACG) is a full-service management consulting firm serving the payments and lending industries since 1984. Cardbeat is ACG’s syndicated market research study of credit card holders, conducted monthly in the U.S. and quarterly in the U.K. With offices in New York and London, ACG consultants are experienced practitioners, drawn from the credit card, private label, auto finance, mortgage, and retail banking industries that we serve. For more information, contact Nancy Stahl at 212-323-7000 or nancy.stahl@acg.net.
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The Power of Direct Marketing In these challenging economic times, get access to powerful statistical evidence to fortify your decisions and justify your expenditures! The Power of Direct Marketing provides top-line comprehensive analyses and forecasts from the DMA/Global Insight economic model on the impact of direct marketing across all industries and sectors of the economy.

Insufficient Budgets, Shortage of Skills and Inadequate Tools Hinder Marketing Efforts, New Accenture Study Finds

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 08:52:49 GMT

Changing Customer Requirements Compound Problem

NEW YORK-- Marketing executives responsible for driving corporate growth are being hampered in their efforts by insufficient budgets, skills shortages and inadequate tools, according to a new study by Accenture (NYSE: ACN). The study, “Onward and Up – How Marketers Are Refocusing the Front Office for Growth,” also found that marketers today are increasingly challenged by their companies’ customers who demand greater value, quality and service.

    “Organizations that understand their customers will be the best positioned to achieve their growth strategies in the face of increasingly difficult challenges.”

The 400 senior marketing executives surveyed for the study across Asia Pacific, Europe and North America said their top strategic objectives include improving operational efficiency, increasing profitability and responding effectively to change. However, the barriers they said they must overcome to achieve those objectives include: inefficient business practices (cited by 21 percent of marketers), inadequate funding or other resources (17 percent), insufficient integration with other business functions (15 percent), a lack of required skills (13 percent) and lack of access to the customer data they need (6 percent).

Additionally, only 23 percent of the marketers said their organizations excelled in customer analytics, innovation, customer engagement and marketing operations at the same time and 33 percent said they did not perform well in any of those areas.

To achieve their growth objectives, marketers most frequently said they must master customer analytics (cited by 65 percent of the marketers), offer innovation (64 percent) and improve customer engagement and marketing operations (57 percent each).

“Given the changing competitive landscape, customer analytics will be the prerequisite for marketers’ success,” said Dave Rich, managing director of Accenture Customer Relationship Management consulting group and Accenture Analytics. “The insights that can be gained from the data will help marketers identify what customers want and predict how they need to act differently to help steer corporate innovation that can drive improved business outcomes. It also can provide guidance for engaging with customers via the right channels, with the right offerings and messages.”

However, marketers most frequently said they did not make effective use of online communities (cited by 43 percent of marketers); direct mail and telemarketing (37 percent); new digital marketing (34 percent); and online advertising (31 percent).

“As marketers up their game, those who streamline their operations and increase their effectiveness will free up much needed cash, enabling them to further invest in capabilities that can help them fuel growth,” said Nick Smith, Accenture’s lead executive for CRM Marketing Transformation. “Beefing up those capabilities will contribute to marketers’ abilities to target their sweet spots, and as they do, they’re likely to eliminate waste as a byproduct of executing marketing programs that are much more laser focused.”

The three business issues the marketers most frequently said they want to address are customer retention and loyalty, new customer acquisition and sales numbers among existing customers. But they reported that changes in customer expectations are impacting their marketing strategies. For instance:

    * 72 percent of them said that “most or all” of their customers expect more value for money.
    * 71 percent said customers have higher product quality expectations.
    * 69 percent said customers are increasingly price sensitive.
    * 68 percent said customers have higher customer service expectations.
    * 66 percent said customers expect businesses to have greater respect for their time.

“It all boils down to meeting customer expectations,” Rich said. “Organizations that understand their customers will be the best positioned to achieve their growth strategies in the face of increasingly difficult challenges.”

Methodology

To complete the online study, 400 senior executives working for companies in nine countries, including Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States were surveyed between November 2009 and January 2010. The majority of the respondents (82 percent) worked for companies with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion. Others in Australia and India were employed by companies with revenues in excess of $500 million.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 190,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$21.58 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2009. Its home page is www.accenture.com.
###

How to Market a Product for Under $500! Money is not the criterion for the successful launch of a new product. Everything you need to know to bring your product to the attention of a national marketplace for under $500 is included in this book. This book will make your marketing EASIER, FASTER, and CHEAPER than ever!

comScore Reports Q2 2010 U.S. Retail E-Commerce Spending Up 9 Percent vs. Year Ago

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 08:49:53 GMT

comScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni to Present Update on Q2 2010 E-Commerce Trends in Upcoming Webinar

RESTON, VA, August 10, 2010 – comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released its Q2 2010 U.S. retail e-commerce sales estimates, which showed that online retail spending reached $32.9 billion for the quarter, up 9 percent versus year ago. This growth rate represented the third consecutive quarter of positive year-over-year growth following a year of flat or negative growth rates.

________________________________________________________
Retail E-Commerce (Non-Travel) Growth Rates
Excludes Auctions, Autos and Large Corporate Purchases
Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations
Source: comScore, Inc.                                  .
Quarter    E-Commerce Spending    Y/Y Percent Change
              ($ Millions)
Q1 2007         $27,970                  17%
Q2 2007         $27,176                  23%
Q3 2007         $28,441                  23%
Q4 2007         $39,132                  19%
Q1 2008         $31,178                  11%
Q2 2008         $30,581                  13%
Q3 2008         $30,274                   6%
Q4 2008         $38,071                  -3%
Q1 2009         $31,031                   0%
Q2 2009         $30,169                  -1%
Q3 2009         $29,552                  -2%
Q4 2009         $39,045                   3%
Q1 2010         $33,984                  10%
Q2 2010         $32,942                   9%
________________________________________________________

“The second quarter’s continuation of the first quarter’s strong retail e-commerce growth rates is encouraging,” said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. “We remain cautiously optimistic heading into the second half of the year, but we will be keeping a close eye on unemployment rates, which along with potential uncertainty in the stock market could limit growth in e-commerce spending in the near term.”

Other highlights from Q2 2010 include:
°    Upper-income households (those earning at least $100,000 annually) grew 17 percent versus year ago, approximately twice the overall e-commerce growth rate during the quarter.
°    Among the top-performing online product categories were: Consumer Electronics (excl. PC peripherals), Computer Software (excl. PC games), Computers/Peripherals/PDAs, and Books & Magazines.
°    Multi-channel retailers regained e-commerce spending market share versus online pureplay retailers following five consecutive quarters of declining market share.

Webinar Series: State of the U.S. Online Retail Economy through Q2 2010
Join Mr. Fulgoni as he presents an update of the state of the U.S. online retail economy through Q2 2010 in a live webinar on Thursday, August 19 at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT.

The webinar presentation will include an overview of changes in consumers’ online spending patterns through Q2 2010, survey findings that highlight consumer sentiments regarding the economy, as well as an analysis of spending patterns across key product categories, retailer sectors and consumer demographic segments.

To register for the webinar, please visit: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/266160553

About comScore
comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/companyinfo.
###

Digital Marketing Practices and Trends Direct marketers have always adapted to take advantage of the latest media technologies. With the continued emergence and development of online and mobile channels, staying on top of trends has never been harder to do.

Consumers Pushing Companies into Social Media

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 07:05:51 GMT

Results from a recent “Invoke Live!” study among 300 social networkers show that consumers clearly expect their favorite brands to be social media active and savvy.

BOSTON-- There is no doubt that social media has become an ideal environment for enabling people to stay connected with friends, family members and work colleagues. But now it seems that social networking in general is being redefined as a way to promote interactions between companies and their customers.

Invoke Solutions, a leader in large-scale online qualitative market research, recently conducted one of its “Invoke Live!” sessions among 300 active users of social media to understand the state of social networking from the user’s perspective. Among the many findings, what stood out was the degree to which tools such as Facebook and Twitter are being used by social networkers to promote communication with companies, in addition to friends and family members.

The study showed that 65% of participants follow a company or brand on Facebook and 47% had posted a comment on a company Facebook page. And while Facebook is clearly the epicenter of the social networking universe today, with 78% mentioning it when asked what they associate most with social networking, Twitter is also growing in relation to company-customer interactions. Over 31% of social networkers stated that they follow a brand or company’s Tweets, with strong evidence that this percentage is increasing.

Further, participants who follow companies on Twitter were more willing than the average participant to leverage the full spectrum of social media outlets to engage brands when they have a comment or complaint, with 47% posting comments on their own Facebook page, 68% commenting on a companies’ page, and 25% tweeting and even blogging about brands. This suggests that the use of Twitter may be a bellwether of the truly socially engaged.

“We all knew that social networking was a driving force in interactions between people. But the degree and speed to which consumers have accepted social networking as a way to communicate and exchange information with companies is startling,” says Peter Mackey, Invoke’s EVP of Research. “And what’s more, the companies that do it well are seeing increases in customer satisfaction and positive perceptions of those brands, while those that don’t are paying a price in terms of missed opportunities and decreased satisfaction.”

As evidence, the following comments are some of many given by participants when asked if they had ever used social media to post a comment to a company:

    * “I commented on Nabisco's Facebook page about how wonderful the 100 calorie packs are and they sent me a coupon for a package for free.”
    * “I had a couple problems with my new dishwasher. I called the 800 number and they blew me off so I made contact through Facebook page and they responded and fixed the problem. I guess they didn’t want to get a bad reputation.”
    * “I commented on the Lands’ End Facebook page about a slow order and they took care of me by providing me a free shipping code for my next order.”
    * “I usually leave compliments to a company on their Facebook page. I have left positive comments for companies like Seventh Generation and Olay. I left the comments because I truly enjoy their products. I did receive a response from Seventh Generation, but not from Olay.”
    * “I had an issue with an airline treating me badly, so I posted it on my wall and theirs. The company did not respond.”

“One would have expected to see some push back from social networkers about the ‘corporate take over’ of social media. We saw very little of that,” said Mackey. “In fact, the acceptance of a company presence is even found in the high degree of trust consumers have of that presence, with only 17% saying they distrust the Facebook postings of a company, brand or product. It will be interesting to see if that trust erodes as more companies embrace social media and the quality of interaction degrades.”

“Invoke continues to dig deep into consumer insights on a broad range of subjects, and our discovery methodology and research business model allow us to draw out trends and insights in advance of general market awareness. Normally we apply these techniques for our clients in confidential programs and analysis. ‘Invoke Live!’ is a trademarked program in which we conduct our own research for the general benefit of industry,” said Basil Bennett, CEO of Invoke Solutions.

To review an executive summary of Invoke’s report about social media’s impact on business today and in the future, visit: http://info.invoke.com/social-media-executive-summary-2.

To download the full 45+ page report from Slideshare, go to: http://www.slideshare.net/invokesolutions/hyper-social-networking-report-slideshare-version.

About Invoke Solutions, Inc.

Invoke Solutions is a respected leader in technology led marketing research known for its online, real-time, large-scale qualitative research expertise that helps industry leaders make key decisions about their products, communications, and strategies. “Invoke Live!” utilizes the technology of Invoke’s Engage Live to create a research event that brings together key stakeholders and between 50 and 250 participants for a highly engaging interactive research session. To learn more about Invoke Solutions, please visit http://www.invoke.com. To learn more about Engage Live, please visit: http://www.invoke.com/index/products_online.
###

Digital Marketing Practices and Trends Direct marketers have always adapted to take advantage of the latest media technologies. With the continued emergence and development of online and mobile channels, staying on top of trends has never been harder to do.

Postal Service Ends Third Quarter with $3.5 Billion Loss

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 07:02:45 GMT

Cash Shortfall Likely in 2011; Customer Service Scores Remain High

WASHINGTON— The U.S. Postal Service ended the third quarter of fiscal year 2010 (April 1 – June 30) with a net loss of $3.5 billion, compared with a net loss of $2.4 billion for the same quarter last year. Third-quarter mail volume totaled 40.9 billion pieces – down approximately 700 million pieces, or 1.7 percent, compared to a year ago.

Complete USPS third-quarter results include operating revenue of $16 billion, some $294 million less than the same period last year, and operating expenses of $19.5 billion, an increase of $789 million, or 4.2 percent, over the third quarter last year.

The increase in operating expenses was attributable largely to higher workers’ compensation expenses due to a non-cash fair value adjustment and higher retiree health benefits expenses. Lower interest rates adversely affected the workers’ compensation liability, resulting in a $2 billion expense for the quarter – $870 million higher than the same quarter last year.

A significant portion of USPS losses in the past few years has been due to an unprecedented decline in mail volume – down by more than 20 percent since 2007. The replacement of letter mail and business-transactions mail by electronic alternatives continues to cause downward pressure on mail volume.

The organization’s financial situation is compounded by its obligation to pay $5.4 billion to $5.8 billion annually to prefund retiree health benefits. This requirement, established in the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 (PAEA), is an obligation unique to the Postal Service.

Liquidity remains a major concern as the end of the fiscal year approaches. Although cash flow appears to be sufficient for 2010 operations, it is uncertain whether cash flow, together with maximum available borrowing of $3 billion, will be enough to fund the Congressionally-mandated $5.5 billion payment to the Retiree Health Benefit Fund on September 30 and retain sufficient liquidity into 2011, according to Joseph R. Corbett, the Postal Service’s Chief Financial Officer.

“Given current trends, we will not be able to pay all 2011 obligations,” said Corbett. “Despite ongoing aggressive cost reductions totaling over $10 billion in the last three years, it is clear that a liquidity problem is looming and must be addressed through fundamental changes requiring legislation and changes to contracts”

The Postal Service has incurred net losses in 14 of the last 16 fiscal quarters. The fiscal 2010 year-to-date net loss is $5.4 billion, compared to a loss in the same period last year of $4.7 billion.

Postmaster General John Potter noted that despite the cost-cutting, the Postal Service has continued to maintain a high level of customer service. The third-quarter service score for overnight single-piece First-Class Mail was 96.7 percent on-time, an improvement of 0.4 percent from the same period last year.

“Our dedication to customer service remains a top priority,” Potter said. “We continue to provide dependable customer service even as we focus on reducing costs. With the dedicated efforts of our entire organization, we are well on track to achieve approximately $3 billion in total cost reductions in 2010,” said Potter.

Cost reductions center on initiatives to improve efficiency and match work hours to reduced mail volume. Other savings are coming from consolidating excess capacity in mail processing and transportation networks, realigning carrier routes, delaying construction of new postal facilities and a variety of other initiatives.

Work hours were reduced by 63 million in the first three quarters of fiscal 2010, or 6.6 percent compared to the first three quarters of 2009. That is the equivalent of about 36,000 full-time employees.

“Securing the fiscal stability of the Postal Service will require continued efforts in all of these areas, as well as further review of retiree health benefit prefunding,” said Potter. “It also will require that the Postal Service gain flexibility within the law to move toward five-day delivery, to adjust our network as needed, to develop new products the market demands, and to work with our unions to meet the challenges ahead.”

Details are contained in the Postal Service Form 10-Q report that will be available Aug. 9, 2010, at http://www.usps.com/financials/ (click Form 10-Q under Quarter Reports).
# # #

Inside Direct Mail INSIDE DIRECT MAIL is the most comprehensive publication for the direct mail industry. With Inside Direct Mail, you'll learn what's in the mail, what's working and what's not -- and most importantly, HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR RESPONSE. And you'll read the latest on offers, lists, testing, copywriting, design, customer retention and more.

Free Shipping a Must for Small Business Online Purchases

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 07:26:23 GMT

99 Percent of Small Businesses Surveyed Say Free Delivery is Critical

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- Saving time and money is imperative to small businesses that order their supplies online, and virtually all (99 percent) say free shipping is an important decision factor when selecting a retailer. According to a recent survey commissioned by Staples (NASDAQ: SPLS), small businesses that order online say it saves them time and money, and nearly half (46 percent) feel that their small business could not operate without this cost-saving benefit.

Surveying a national random sample of 300 small businesses (with 20 or fewer employees), Staples asked them to identify their preferences and habits when shopping for business supplies online (including the use of mobile devices to make purchases). While small businesses use multiple ways to shop for office supplies, and a significant number make store visits, one in two small businesses order online.

Small businesses keep an eye on both costs and convenience when deciding to shop online. In terms of the greatest benefit for online ordering, 86 percent of respondents said that it saves them time. For those who do not shop online, half (50 percent) said that it’s due to shipping costs and 51 percent said it’s more convenient to pick up an item in-store.

For small businesses concerned about shipping conveniences and costs, Staples offers a solution: all orders over $50 from Staples.com or via phone ship for free. In addition, Staples offers free shipping for any orders delivered to a store, regardless of order size.

Going Mobile

In the survey Staples commissioned, small businesses reported how likely they are to leverage mobile capabilities, such as a smartphone, for searching and purchasing supplies online. Small businesses that shop online frequently (three or more times per month) are more than twice as likely to say that mobile capabilities are important than those that place one to two orders online per month. Additionally, more than a quarter of small businesses (27 percent) say they already have a device capable of making these purchases. To address the growing need for mobile capabilities, Staples recently enhanced its existing mobile Website so customers can easily shop and buy on any Web-enabled phone. For customers who prefer applications, Staples created its first iPhone app which can be downloaded for free in the iTunes App Store. For more information about Staples’ app, please contact appfeedback@staples.com.

Saving the Day

In an additional customer poll, Staples surveyed more than 300 members of its Small Business Customer Advisory Panel. Customers said that free delivery of supplies purchased online matters a great deal. In addition, nearly 25 percent said that Staples’ Fast and Free Delivery has, at one point, “saved the day” for their business.

Small business customers said that when they can’t afford to leave their office for needed supplies, they go online. From running out of ink cartridges in the middle of tax season, needing the perfect paper to meet a tight client deadline, or having a computer monitor die in the middle of a power outage, these small businesses agree: fast and free delivery is a must-have to keep a business running.

“As a small business owner running a local community paper, I can’t afford downtime from running out of supplies, such as ink or paper,” said Bryan Flagg, Northcounty News, a Staples small business customer. “At a time when my printer died and I needed to get the local paper out the next day, I knew I could depend on Staples.com not only to offer a great assortment of office products available online, but also to deliver me what I needed when I needed it.”

“At Staples, we make it priority one to understand how small businesses’ needs are evolving. We’re committed to making it easy for customers whether they want to shop online, on a mobile device, by phone or in-store,” said Anabela Perozek, vice president of marketing, Staples Business Delivery. “We also realize that the bottom line for many businesses is saving time and money. That’s why we offer our Fast and Free Delivery service for all orders over $50 to anyone who shops Staples.com or by phone.”

About Staples’ Fast and Free Delivery

Staples Business Delivery serves small business and home office customers through Staples.com and catalogs. Staples.com, a leading e-commerce site, makes it easy to research, browse and buy a wide assortment of office products and services for customers who shop online, in Staples stores or both. Staples offers free delivery for all orders over $50 and is committed to delivering the perfect order on time and hassle free. For returns of online orders, Staples offers convenient delivery pickup or accepts returns at any Staples store.

Survey Methodology

Staples commissioned KRC Research to conduct a national online survey of 300 small businesses with 20 or fewer employees; the survey was conducted between June 11-16, 2010. For the Staples customer survey, Staples surveyed its Small Business Customer Advisory Panel. The results reflect responses from 372 of Staples’ small business customers, conducted June 1-8, 2010.

About Staples

Staples, the world’s largest office products company, is committed to making it easy for customers to buy a wide range of office products and services. Our broad selection of office supplies, electronics, technology and office furniture as well as business services, including computer repair and copying and printing, helps our customers run their offices efficiently. With 2009 sales of $24 billion and 91,000 associates worldwide, Staples operates in 26 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia serving businesses of all sizes and consumers. Staples invented the office superstore concept in 1986 and today ranks second worldwide in e-commerce sales. The company is headquartered outside Boston.
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Urgent Call to Action Concerning Your Next Postal Rate Hike

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:14:56 GMT

Dear Catalogers, Suppliers & Others With Catalog Interests:

If you have not yet taken action to help prevent your next postage rate hike, now is the time to do so. We need 100% response to maximize our chances of success. You have heard “pay me now or pay me [a lot more] later.” Now is your chance to be efficient with your time and resources, but this time is growing short.

Why? Here is what is at stake (Unless We Act Now):
°    5% increase on catalog postage this January
°    23% increase on all USPS Standard Mail packages this January
°    Future rate hikes with NO inflationary cap going forward
°    Potentially worst of all, the PRC commissioners could further increase these percentages, much like they did in 2007, if they do not hear from you.

What YOU must do ASAP:
1. Confirm to ACMA that we can list you as a member of the Affordable Mail Alliance, an unprecedented group of more than 750 companies and associations who have banded together as one voice to tell Washington this is NOT the time for to raise postage over 9 times the rate of inflation. See www.affordablemailalliance.org for more information on the AMA. Doing this costs you nothing; we just need your approval to add your company’s name to the Alliance’s roster.

Also, click here to read an alert the AMA sent to AMA member companies today.

(As you probably know by now, the AMA on July 26 filed a motion to dismiss the Postal Service's rate hike proposal with the Postal Regulatory Commission, to which on Aug. 2, the USPS filed its own rebuttal.)

2. Write a letter to the PRC that will be placed “on the record.” It should document the impact this proposed rate hike will have on your mail volume, your employment, your suppliers (and their employment), and your future use of the mail. Make sure you mention that postage is a huge expense for you, that any increase over an inflationary one will come only out of your mail volumes, that this is yet another signal to move out of the mail, and that you don’t just mail Standard Mail flats but that you originate Carrier Route mail, Standard letters and postcards, First Class mail (especially you B2B folks!) both for yourself and from your customers, and packages of all types.

If you use the USPS for less than 1-pound packages, also write about the impact a proposed 23% postage hike will have on your business and why you cannot simply increase shipping and handling charges to offset it. The more specifics you can provide, the better. Send your letter via email to prc-pagr@prc.gov, and be sure to send a blind copy of your email to ACMA (pmiller@catalogmailers.org) – some in Congress want to know how many mailers have actually written; we can provide that information to them. They want to know businesses are actually serious about this. It is easy to write – we’d be happy to edit or review your letter before sending as well. This is an administrative hearing so the rules allow letters received to be placed “on the record,” meaning the Commissioners must consider all input. Use straightforward business terms and a respectful tone and it will be effective.

3. Get involved with Congress. These folks hold a key to both this exigent rate increase and the long-term financial health of the USPS. ACMA has become very active on the Hill, but we need your help. Consider becoming an activist in your local community. Congress is home in August. Given what has happened across the country to incumbents, elected officials are ESPECIALLY sensitive right now, and are listing intensely. Our message WILL resonate well with voters. We are organizing grass roots action in strategic locations where key decision makers reside. To do this, we need you, the constituents that elected them. Contact ACMA’s Paul Miller (put a hyperlink to your email again here) to discuss the best way to get your company involved. You owe it to yourself to have a relationship with your elected officials. We will help you get this done.

4. Contribute to the ACMA’s Special Fund to provide resources that we can tap at a moment’s notice to fight this outrageous increase. Our impact is in direct proportion to our ability to hire the best resources in law, economics, public relations and lobbying. Better yet, contact some non-member companies to contribute to the Special Fund to get them involved here and to help pay the freight to defend cataloging. We are about halfway to our fundraising goal. Your help will get us to the finish line. See my email of June 17 for further details on this fund, its use and administration by clicking here or simply write a check to:

ACMA Special Fund
PO Box 41211
Providence, RI 02940-1211

It won’t be easy, but we can win this. There are a half-dozen possible ways this gets resolved, but only if you take action now.

We do not make requests of you lightly. You are busy but we cannot do it without you. Thank you for your continuing support. Is all this overwhelming you? Paul or I would be happy to answer any questions you have and walk you through the process. And again, if you haven’t already, I encourage you to click here to read today’s AMA alert.

Sincerely,

Hamilton Davison
President & Executive Director
American Catalog Mailers Association
www.catalogmailers.org
Direct: 401-529-8183
hdavison@catalogmailers.org
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The Catalog Strategists Toolkit Here it is at your fingertips and at your keyboard -- all the forms, charts, checklists, and spreadsheets--everything you will need to start a new catalog or manage an existing catalog more profitably.
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New IAB Research Confirms Digital’s Place in Optimal Marketing Mix

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 07:29:41 GMT

“Interactive Advertising and the Optimal Marketing Mix” Shows Marketers How Proper Allocation of Media Spend to Digital Yields Significant Results

NEW YORK-- To help marketers make better decisions on investing advertising dollars, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) today released the “Interactive Advertising and the Optimal Marketing Mix” study developed by MarketShare Partners, the leading cross-marketing optimization company. The ground-breaking study analyzed three brand scenarios in three different verticals—consumer packaged goods, financial services and automotive. Each example illustrates a distinct opportunity for optimizing marketing spend, specifically in the area of interactive media. Key findings include:

* Because of the reach and power of interactive advertising—as well as its synergies with offline media—in the three scenarios examined in this paper, the optimal allocation of interactive media spend should be between 1.6x and 2.2x the percentage of the budget originally allocated to interactive
* A relatively small reallocation of media spend can have a significant impact on marketers’ revenue. For example, one media optimization scenario examined in this study demonstrated a 6% increase in revenue—even after a 13% decrease in total marketing spend—when dollars were shifted to interactive.

“Optimizing marketing and media budget allocation is an increasingly difficult challenge for marketers as the media landscape evolves and the consumption of interactive media continues to grow,” said Joe Laszlo, Research Director, IAB. “Marketers who simply trust their instincts or follow the same media plan—campaign after campaign—risk missing opportunities to measurably improve their results. This paper clearly demonstrates the value of adding more science to the art of marketing.”

“In today's economic environment, CMOs want a better measure of the return on their marketing investment and that requires more accountability than ever before," said Iván Markman, Chief Operating and Financial Officer, MarketShare Partners. "Our analytics platform provides predictive insight into how to best incorporate interactive into the marketing mix. This paper demonstrates how marketers can best optimize their total marketing investment for superior results."

The study uses an application marketers themselves can leverage to make more informed marketing mix decisions.

To download “Interactive Advertising and the Optimal Marketing Mix” please go to http://www.iab.net/MarketingMix

The IAB will hold a webinar with MarketShare Partners to discuss the findings of this report on Thursday, August 5 at Noon ET. Registration information is available at: http://www.iab.net/interactive_insights_webinars

About the IAB’s Research Council

The Research Council provides a forum for interactive research practitioners to share findings that support the growth of the industry; it encourages strong methodologies and best practices for research and measurement, and it works with the IAB to design and field important industry research projects and share these findings with key stakeholders.

A complete list of Research Council member companies can be found at http://www.iab.net/member_center/councils_committees_working_groups/councils/research_council

About the IAB:

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 460 leading media and technology companies who are responsible for selling 86% of online advertising in the United States. On behalf of its members, the IAB is dedicated to the growth of the interactive advertising marketplace, of interactive’s share of total marketing spend, and of its members’ share of total marketing spend. The IAB educates marketers, agencies, media companies and the wider business community about the value of interactive advertising. Working with its member companies, the IAB evaluates and recommends standards and practices and fields critical research on interactive advertising. Founded in 1996, the IAB is headquartered in New York City with a Public Policy office in Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit www.iab.net.

About MarketShare Partners

MarketShare Partners (MSP) is the industry’s leading cross-marketing optimization firm that is transforming the world of resource allocation and marketing measurement. Founded in 2005, MSP has helped companies of all sizes enhance their advertising and sales programs, including many of the world’s most recognizable brands. The company has developed a suite of proprietary software solutions that enables companies to determine how best to target the 21st Century consumer who, in this era of fragmentation, social media, search and DVRs, is harder to reach. By evaluating key drivers of a company’s business, such as macro-economic factors, product innovation, industry and client-specific data as well as brand buzz, MSP helps marketers and agencies make smarter decisions regarding where to most effectively spend their marketing, sales and promotional dollars as well as media owners make more consultative, higher value add integrated sales. For more information, go to www.marketsharepartners.com.
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Successful E-Mail Marketing Strategies -- From Hunting to Farming When it first came on the scene in the early to mid 1990s, email marketing was the hottest, most productive marketing tool on the map. Response rates and profits were many times greater than snail mail and other forms of selling. Then things changed. Response rates have dropped precipitously, and general productivity has evaporated.

Growth Ahead for Worldwide Online Advertising Spending

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:57:15 GMT

Spending to reach $61.8 billion this year

NEW YORK —Online advertising spending will reach double-digit growth in 2010, reaching $61.8 billion worldwide, according to a new report from eMarketer.

Unlike spending on all other major media, online advertising spending increased in 2009, growing 2% to $55.2 billion. By 2014, eMarketer estimates online ad spending will leap to $96.8 billion, growing at an 11.9% compound annual rate, despite the slow, uneven and fragile global economic recovery.

Meanwhile, the internet’s share of total ad spending worldwide will jump from 11.9% in 2009 to 17.2% in 2014.
“In some ways, the recession has propelled online advertising by forcing marketers with limited budgets to make every dollar count,” said Jared Jenks, an analyst at eMarketer and author of the new report “Worldwide Ad Spending.” “Marketers now see online as more measureable, more effective and where people are increasingly spending their time.”

Total media advertising spending worldwide suffered a sharp decline of 10.5% in 2009, sinking to $465.1 billion, according to the report. This year will bring considerably better growth of 3.8%, but spending will not return to 2008 levels until 2012.

Through 2014, eMarketer expects growth rates to hover between 3% and 6%, with an extra boost in 2012 because of the Olympics. Total dollars spent on all media will eventually rise to $564 billion in 2014.

“The internet is right on the heels of television when it comes to where audiences are spending their time,” Mr. Jenks said. “Even while ad spending as a whole was undergoing cutbacks last year, online ad spending was still growing and gaining share.”

About eMarketer
eMarketer provides the digital intelligence that enables businesspeople, marketers and advertisers to make more accurate, informed and timely digital marketing and media decisions. eMarketer aggregates and analyzes information from more than 4,000 sources worldwide and publishes daily research articles, analyst reports and the most comprehensive database of online marketing statistics in the world.
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Digital Marketing Practices and Trends Direct marketers have always adapted to take advantage of the latest media technologies. With the continued emergence and development of online and mobile channels, staying on top of trends has never been harder to do.

Measurement and Accountability Are More Important Than Ever for Marketers

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:33:22 GMT

This According to a Joint Forbes Insights and MarketShare Partners Survey of Top U.S. Marketers

NEW YORK & LOS ANGELES-- In response to the uncertain economic climate, U.S. companies are demanding more accountability from their senior marketing executives and marketing departments. However, many companies still have a way to go toward implementing a consistent, formal approach to measuring marketing, according to a study released today by Forbes Insights and MarketShare Partners, a provider of cross-marketing optimization software and analytics.

The study, entitled “The Accountability Evolution: Marketers Turn to Metrics to Boost Their Strategic Value,” is based on a survey of more than 100 senior marketing executives. It examines the current marketing landscape, as well as the strategies and methodologies being put in place by companies. It also looks at how approaches vary between those companies with marketing budgets over $1 million and those under $1 million.

"The study demonstrates that mastering marketing science and its promise of creating a process to more efficiently and effectively allocate marketing dollars is an aspiration for most marketers, especially during challenging economic conditions. However, clearly the best marketers have invested in both the art and science of marketing and that metrics must be equally weighed with a "big idea" that serves as a core theme guiding all marketing initiatives," said Bruce Rogers, Chief Brand Officer of Forbes Media.

The study can be downloaded at: www.forbes.com/forbesinsights/accountability

Among the key findings from The Accountability Evolution are:

    * Big idea vs. metrics: Marketers with budgets of less than $1 million favored metrics (58%), whereas marketers beyond the $1 million threshold felt that having a “big idea” was more important (58%).

    * Measurement in the workplace: The use of metrics to prove marketing ROI has certainly become an internal focus. The majority (68%) of marketing executives in the survey confirmed that they have analytics in place to measure effectiveness and ensure accountability.

    * The metric implementation chasm: Yet, at the same time that measurement is being employed, many marketers do not have formalized systems implemented. Only 56% of respondents (compared to the 68% who confirmed some usage of metrics) have a defined system in place.

    * Diminishing accountability in campaigns: Despite 75% of respondents confirming each marketing initiative begins with a comprehensible goal, just 56% verify there is a concrete system at the conclusion of a campaign to communicate the marketing impact.

“In the existing economic environment, CMOs want a more quantifiable measure of their return on investment, and more accountability than ever before is required of them,” said Jon Vein, co-Founder and CEO, MarketShare Partners. “The study provides a compelling case that marketers need to take a second look at their accountability programs to ensure that they are optimizing across channels more effectively to have a meaningful impact on the bottom line.”

“The Accountability Evolution” is based on a survey of 103 senior marketing executives, fielded between February 9, 2010 and April 1, 2010. Half of the respondents (50%) had marketing budgets of more than $1 million, 39% had marketing budgets of less than $1 million, and the remaining declined to specify their marketing budgets.

About Forbes Insights

Forbes Insights (www.forbes.com/forbesinsights) is the strategic research practice of Forbes Media, publisher of Forbes magazine and Forbes.com. Taking advantage of a proprietary database of senior-level executives in the Forbes community, Forbes Insights’ custom research covers a wide range of vital business issues, including: strategy; marketing; technology; talent management; financial benchmarking; risk and regulation; and more.

About MarketShare Partners

MarketShare Partners (MSP) is the industry’s leading cross-marketing optimization firm that is transforming the world of resource allocation and marketing measurement. Founded in 2005, MSP has helped companies of all sizes enhance their advertising and sales programs, including many of the world’s most recognizable brands. By evaluating key drivers of a company’s business, MSP helps marketers and agencies make smarter decisions regarding where to most effectively spend their marketing, sales and promotional dollars as well as media owners make more consultative, higher value add integrated sales. For more information, go to www.marketsharepartners.com.
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Accountable Marketing: The Economics of Data-Driven Marketing The search for greater efficiency and the elimination of waste have been the two eternal targets of corporate management. But despite such new ideas as Customer Relationship Management, marketing has been relatively immune to such efforts. But that has changed. Marketers are searching for new metrics and new models for cutting waste and improving efficiency.