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Direct Line Blog

Retail sales increase, markets fall apart

February 14, 2012

America might just dig itself out of that recession after all. Maybe. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), January retail industry sales increased 4% year-over-year, a bittersweet improvement that has divided economic analysts.
 

Bough to join Kraft as VP of digital and consumer engagement

February 13, 2012

Bonin Bough, global director of digital and social media at PepsiCo, will join Kraft Foods as VP of global digital and consumer engagement at Kraft, the company confirmed to Direct Marketing News.
 

Kodak loses its snap

February 13, 2012

In my mind, Kodak is a kind of synonym for photography. But the scoop from Rochester is that the iconic brand will no longer be producing cameras.
 

Give me cheese, and/or give me death

February 09, 2012

In the battle over your good health, New York City has already decided you're a loser.
 

Do you have that in yellow? NYC tests taxi shopping

February 08, 2012

Would you go shopping in the back of a taxi? If you hail the right cab during Fashion Week, you just might get that chance.
 

Let's do the Wave ... report

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."
 

Hershey's attacked in ad by child labor organization

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.
 

Unconfirmed: Facebook may soon file IPO

January 30, 2012

Reports have surfaced that Facebook will file for an IPO this week.
 

Targeting gone wrong: part three

January 26, 2012

Route 22 Toyota kicks off a promotion with a horrible football-themed email.
 

As if Bratz dolls aren't bad enough ... pink Lego

January 24, 2012

I wouldn't go so far as to say that everything should be gender neutral (for example, I think gender neutral childrearing is a little extreme), but there's something a little off-putting about "Lego Friends," Lego's new line of girly toys — and it's not because I'm opposed to gender-specific marketing.
 

Direct by Design

Targeting soup: choosing the right method for you

David Katz, LiveIntent February 14, 2012

With all the talk of DSPs, SSPs, DMPs and GRPs, it's easy to forget that no matter who is buying and who is selling, success is highly dependent upon good targeting.
 

2012 trends through a branding eye

Howard Belk, Siegel+Gale February 07, 2012

We're a month into the New Year. So, what's in store for major brands in 2012? I have a few predictions.
 

Leveraging mobile to market in the moment

Scott Forshay, Morpheus Media January 31, 2012

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

Who's talking to your clients?

Tony Quin, CEO, IQ January 24, 2012

With 2011 in the rear view mirror, it's time to take stock and look ahead. If your company has been sitting on the sidelines unconvinced of the need for a social media strategy, then 2012 brings you the gift of clarity.
 

Lessons learned and 2012 predictions for the ad industry

Will Price, CEO, Flite January 17, 2012

As the old adage goes, those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it, so let's reflect on the lessons learned and take a look forward at what the future holds.
 

Incentives can fuel the idea

Flora Caputo, VP, executive creative director, Jacobs Agency January 10, 2012

Incentives are often the lesser concern when developing a direct marketing campaign, but can help companies make headway in getting in front of prospects.
 

Choose your words carefully

Nancy Harhut, chief creative officer, Wilde Agency January 03, 2012

In copywriting, as in Scrabble, some words are worth more than others. Whether you're writing an email, banner ad, print ad, letter, postcard, art card, radio spot, brochure or tweet, the words you choose can make all the difference.
 

The nuance of nuance

Mat Zucker, is a member of the John Caples International Awards Executive Board December 01, 2011

I hope you don't need me to tell you how important the idea is in marketing these days. When everyone has the same list, the same boring offers, comparable infrastructure and wide array of media choices, it's the creative idea that differentiates - the single idea which reflects the brand's point of view and connects with the customers to provoke a perceptual and behavioral change to solve a problem.
 

Make a move before your customers do

Jeffrey Boorjian, VP of marketing, Caesars Entertainment November 14, 2011

It is no longer good enough to respond to our consumers' behaviors. We need to have the ability to predict them. We have become a reactive society in our marketing efforts, chasing after customer behaviors like mice after a hunk of cheese.
 

NFC: More than digital wallets?

Nikolas Badminton, director of digital strategy, Tribal DDB Canada November 11, 2011

Near field communication technology is being lauded as the great enabler of mobile payments, but there are some important considerations for both the consumer and companies looking into this technology as part of the future of their payment processing strategy.