May 15, 2013
They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. But what about his nose
October 23, 2012
Too many marketers overlook the essential ingredient of direct marketing: Testing.
September 01, 2012
Marketers who still fully embrace traditional marketing tools such as print catalogs and direct mail have an opportunity to stand out to consumers bombarded by digital pitches.
January 01, 2012
The American Red Cross launched a multichannel year-end campaign to allow consumers to buy regular gifts for loved ones through a gift catalog that places these items side-by-side with gifts and services for those less fortunate.
December 16, 2011
Online retailer Zappos.com has launched Zappos Now, a digital catalog and lifestyle magazine app that includes editorial content on current fashion trends and the ability to shop directly within the app, the company said Dec. 16.
November 03, 2011
David Friedman, Sears Holdings Corp.'s SVP and president of marketing, will resign his post in January. Imran Jooma, SVP and president of e-commerce at Sears Holdings, will manage the retailer's online, marketing, financial services and pricing business units.
October 01, 2011
Google's new catalog app for the Apple iPad reignited a debate that will likely rage among direct marketers at least for the foreseeable future: are print catalogs a marketing luxury?
September 16, 2011
Jeff Hassemer, VP of product strategy at Experian Marketing Services, discusses his company's upcoming digital catalog app and how brands can leverage marketing technology to build customer loyalty.
Google has launched an app for Apple's iPad tablet that enables retailers to digitize print catalogs and embed rich-media content, such as videos. Catalogs from retailers including Macy's, Pottery Barn and Sephora are available through the Google Catalogs app at launch.
Retailer IKEA has hired McCann NY as its global Agency of Record for its catalog, the company said on August 3.
Sears Holdings has named Edgar Huber president and CEO of Lands' End, the company said in an August 1 statement. He will replace former CEO Nicholas P. M. Coe, who left the company in May to become CEO of Bath & Body Works Brand Management.
August 01, 2011
Amy Sullivan, director of e-commerce at Brahmin Handbags, discusses why her brand won't abandon direct mail.
August 01, 2011
With a glass of Merlot in hand, an affluent 46-year-old woman skims the pages of a Boston Proper catalog packed with photos of striking models in knit tops, maxi dresses, swimwear and sandals.
Mike Boylson, CMO of JCPenney, retired this month after more than eight years as the retailer's marketing leader and 33 years at the company. JCPenney has yet to name a replacement.
July 01, 2011
With more and more consumers using digital technology throughout the purchase process, home specialty retailers such as The Home Depot and Lowe's are bridging their in-store offerings with a multichannel approach to keep up with the various consumer touchpoints. The two companies share a foundational strategy and execution, if little else.
July 01, 2011
Lynn Gore, VP of marketing at Plow & Hearth, discusses strategy for a uniform brand message across various channels.
Forty-one percent of marketers said they saw higher revenue in the first quarter of 2011 than Q4 2010, down 5% compared with the previous quarter, according to the Direct Marketing Association's quarterly business review for Q1 2011.
May 01, 2011
The Tafford Uniforms brand has sold nurses' scrubs and other medical uniforms to healthcare workers for nearly 25 years. While other brands focused on a b-to-b model by negotiating bulk contracts with healthcare facilities, such as hospitals, Tafford remained committed to selling directly to the individual worker.
Zappos.com, best known for its online shoe store, is expanding its presence in consumers' mailboxes.
The US Postal Service said March 24 that it will eliminate 7,500 positions in the next year as part of an effort to cut $750 million in costs. The USPS will cut the positions through a combination of buyouts, layoffs, and the elimination of some jobs.
The Postal Regulatory Commission said March 24 that the US Postal Service overestimated its potential savings and underestimated potential lost revenues in its proposal to move to five-day-per-week home delivery. The commission's five members issued varying opinions on the plan to cut Saturday delivery, which Congress is expected to debate this session.
The city of Chicago began a mail preference service earlier this month that provides residents with the ability to opt out of receiving selected direct mail materials. The effort, created by nonprofit Catalog Choice, is designed primarily to enable Chicago to save money on sanitation and rid the city of tons of millions of pounds of paper waste.
The US Postal Service and the American Postal Workers Union tentatively agreed to a new four-and-a-half-year contact on March 14. The deal, which would run through May 20, 2015, includes a 3.5% wage increase over the life of the contract, with the first raise taking effect in November 2012.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed the Main Street Fairness Bill into law on March 11, requiring all retailers doing business in the state to collect and remit sales tax. The law, which is effective immediately, requires out-of-state retailers, such as e-commerce merchants with affiliates in Illinois, to collect sales tax on customer purchases and remit them to the Illinois Department of Revenue.
The US Postal Service reported a net loss of $451 million in January when mail volume at the organization decreased 1.3% year-over-year to 13.7 billion pieces. The organization, which has said it could run out of money this fiscal year, decreased work hours by 3.3% in January, compared with the prior year.
Retailer JCPenney's 2010 fiscal year net sales increased 1.2% compared with fiscal 2009, the company said February 25. The company's Internet sales increased 4.4% to $1.5 billion in fiscal 2010, compared with the prior fiscal year.
Sears Holdings Corp. named Lou D'Ambrosio president and CEO, effective February 24. He replaced Bruce Johnson, who served as the retail company's interim president and CEO since 2008. D'Ambrosio served as CEO of Avaya, a business communications technology company, from 2006 to 2008.
Outdoors retailer Cabela's fiscal fourth-quarter revenue from direct sales increased 0.5% year-over-year to $386 million. However, revenue in that sector dropped 5.5% during the full year to $999.8 million, compared with the prior fiscal year.
What's in our mailbox this month: fitness postcards from Retro Fitness, American Woman Fitness Centers, Union's United Taekwondo Academy, and Bally Total Fitness. (We're totally pumped.)
Social data can improve a brand's bottom line and customer relationships. Just ask brands Infiniti and Diamond Nexus.
Here are three must-have data sets that every marketer should include in his or her email strategy.
