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Direct Classic

Quad/Graphics acquires Williamson Printing Corporation

Melissa Hoffmann February 03, 2012

Printer Quad/Graphics announced on Feb. 1 that it acquired Williamson Printing Corporation, a 128-year-old printer that specializes in short- to medium-run catalogs, books, direct mail and promotional products.

Multichannel Retail/E-commerce

Amazon billed by Arizona for $53 million in sales taxes

Dianna Dilworth February 03, 2012

Amazon claims that the state of Arizona has served the online company a tax bill for $53 million for uncollected sales tax.

Multichannel Retail/E-commerce

Staples to launch tablet-optimized e-commerce site

Dianna Dilworth February 02, 2012

Office supply retailer Staples is launching a new e-commerce site that optimized specifically for shopping on tablet computers.

News

Infogroup wins list management for Arizona Mail Order brands

Dianna Dilworth February 02, 2012

Infogroup won list management responsibilities for Arizona Mail Order Company lists and databases, effective Feb. 1.

Delivered

Email Marketing

Delivered: Targeted consumer emails

What's in our mailbox this month: Targeted consumer emails from Panera's, Rewards "R" Us, Shari's Berries and Go Daddy. Who had a bright idea and what belongs in the trashbin?

Opinions

Is interest-based targeting replacing demographic targeting as the new model?

Demographic marketing has long been the industry standard, but does it have a future? Andrew Bailey, chairman at Proximity North America; Michael Benedek, president and CEO of Datonics; Gary Reisman, principal and founder of NewMediaMetrics; and Liz Deutch, EVP, global director, customer engagement at Draftfcb, weigh in.

Email Marketing

Plug-ins: Email Marketing

Email marketing is no longer a one-to-many communications strategy. Today's marketers realize that customized, personalized and timely messages are what drive open rates, click-through and conversion. Consumers expect your messages to cater to their unique interests and purchase patterns. Our experts offer up their best advice to help marketers take advantage of consumer expectations.

Opinions

Hire a candidate who has a high ROL (Return on Life)

Sara Arnell, Arnell Group

Imagine that you're about to interview a prospective new hire. You've read their resume, been briefed by HR and are feeling confident that your recruitment team has done their job well. Now, tear up the resume and step away from your desk. It's time to find out what the true value of this candidate is: their "ROL," or "Return on Life."

Leveraging mobile to market in the moment

Scott Forshay, Morpheus Media

Mobile is an action-oriented medium. Mobile shoppers are moving targets, so stationary forms of traditional branded engagements need not apply.

The Work

GE Instagram contest targets shutterbugs

Allison Schiff

General Electric Company (GE), with digital agency Mekanism, invited its Facebook fans to participate in a photo contest that used Apple's Instagram app.

Actionable insights to harness greater
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Call for Submissions: Database Marketing

Direct Marketing News is seeking submissions for the 2012 Essential Guide to Database Marketing, which will be published April 1. Learn more.

Heat Meter: Targeting

Vicks gets moms' ear with flu warnings

New and expecting moms can track regional flu activity with ads from mobile apps.

Editorial

Opinions

Where are your customers?

Carol Krol February 01, 2012

Where are your customers is a provocative question and one many marketers no doubt are asking of themselves. It's more complicated to answer this question when customers have such a wide array of choice and the megaphone of social media through which to communicate with peers and the wider world, yet marketers have to find ways to meet customer demand for highly relevant communications.

Direct Line Blog

Let's do the Wave ... report

Allison Schiff February 01, 2012

Digital agencies are coming along fairly well when it comes to mobile marketing strategy and execution — so says Melissa Parrish, senior analyst at Forrester Research and author of a recent report independently ranking the nine U.S. digital agencies "that matter most and how they stack up."

Direct Line Blog

Hershey's attacked in ad by child labor organization

Juan Martinez January 31, 2012

The International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF), a child labor watchdog organization, will launch an attack ad against Hersehy's on the Jumbotron outside of Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis during the Super Bowl, the company said in a Jan. 31 statement. The ad will appear alongside ads by McDonalds and AllState and will reach more than 250,000 people, according to the ILRF.