August 23, 2010
Ever since I've lived in New York City (almost eight years now), the five story-building at the busy corner of Houston and Lafayette Street has been used as a billboard to advertise Calvin Klein.
June 21, 2010
Unilever's Axe has built an effective, integrated campaign in the US that leverages different media to reach young, hip males with unconventional messaging to promote its grooming products, but it was a recent promotion in Japan that broke through dusty marketing techniques with exceptionally personal reach.
May 17, 2010
In these days of shrinking budgets and climbing costs, many businesses have moved toward smaller direct mail formats. However, that isn't the case for Jerry Baker, author of several "tips and tricks" gardening books.
Apple is well known for its progressive digital marketing approach, and it is a no-brainer to market pre-orders to the faithful Apple audience. It's not that different than the iPhone launch, with its sensationalized TV spots and unparalleled pre-buzz.
If you have kids, you know what Transformers are. They're toys that may look like a jet, for example, but move a few parts and it turns into a robot.
March 01, 2010
There is something about the phrase "new and improved" that doesn't feel genuine. It gets about 170 million results on Google. Instead, level with people. That is what Domino's delivers with its new "Pizza Turnaround" ad campaign, and the message is on target.
February 15, 2010
It's been a tough year for advertising, but Super Bowl Sunday — the pantheon of advertising greatness — was our time to shine. Advertisers shell out $2.8 million for a chance to showcase their brand to more than 80 million viewers.
February 01, 2010
The commercial looks like a typical Apple offering: Upbeat music (MoZella's "Magic") playing over a simplistic white background with plain black text, flashing phrases, each starting with Apple's omnipresent "i." "iDon't have a real keyboard," and "iDon't run simultaneous apps." Suddenly the ad shifts. The screen bursts with abstract, metallic visuals and garbled robotic sounds, followed by the tagline, "Droid Does."
Remember when people used to mail direct mail packages with lots of stuff packed inside? That was back in the good old days, before the economy went bust, and everyone panicked and started mailing little postcards, invoice mailers and fliers that all look alike.
December 14, 2009
Estée Lauder's new social media strategy is a good example of channel marketing as an advertising approach. The cosmetics marketer needed to reach digitally oriented, social media-active consumers, and social media enables it to bridge the gap between online and offline advertising.
November 09, 2009
Who says direct marketing is boring? Perhaps one of the most innovative and unusual campaigns in recent history started as a direct marketing campaign. I'm referring to the "Best Job in the World" campaign by CumminsNitro Brisbane for Queensland Tourism. With a limited budget of only $1.7 million, the agency was tasked with promoting Queensland's Hamilton Island as a desirable tourist destination.
Whenever you make an offer, potential buyers always wonder why. This is part of what makes the "reason why" offer so popular. The problem is that many of this kind of offer makes no sense. Labor Day sales, Christmas savings and Washington's birthday deals certainly work, and consumers look forward to them. But since they're so routine, they lack power. Miss one sale, and you know another will roll along soon enough.
Because I travel on a regular basis for my job, membership to the airlines and hotel loyalty clubs are a necessity. When not on the road, I belong to the grocery and warehouse clubs. I am always surprised that with all the information they seem to gather on my travel to food choices — why almost none can predict with accuracy my next purchase.
September 14, 2009
My No. 1 stop for online shopping is, hands down, Amazon.com. It is the gold standard when it comes to online retail. What attracts me to the site is not the usual set of tools that most people in the industry might highlight as impactful. For example, although I'm aware of the recommendation box, I rarely buy things that "other people who purchased 'X' purchased" — I'm more interested in searching for my own interests.
August 31, 2009
Kodak has been breaking new ground in its use of multiple channels to promote their cost-saving printer line. Most notable is its use of short- and long-form infomercial segments touting the benefits and savings of the products in a way that pays homage to the late Billy Mays.
August 17, 2009
Bing, the new search engine — sorry, decision engine — from Microsoft, launched in June with a slate of TV spots, print and online ads. Consider for a moment the challenge the creative team faced. Google has become literally synonymous with search, having beat out the other contenders, including Microsoft's own Live Search, simply by being better. So it was far from obvious that the world was looking for a new search engine.
July 27, 2009
Innovation is the crux of a successful direct marketing campaign. With hordes of marketers trying to reach the same consumers, it takes something special to get noticed. Apple is used to getting noticed. With their clever Mac vs. PC ads, Apple is able to steal users' attention from the New York Times' homepage and prove that it still has a few tricks up its sleeve.
July 13, 2009
Most people love birthdays — the anticipation, the excitement, the gifts. But me? I've never really been into them, even as a child. However, after two of my creative directors received this birthday mailing from Anthropologie recently, I suddenly wished it were my birthday so that I could receive such a fantastic and memorable gift. So ... what's the big deal about this piece?
June 15, 2009
Sometimes, snobbery sells. People don't buy a BMW 700 series automobile because they think it's a superior car. They buy it because it appeals to their inner snob. But, when BMW creates promotional materials, it makes sure to differentiate between the product and the promotion.
June 01, 2009
My husband and I collect beautiful rugs, including our prized "Kerman," purchased from Area Rugs by Rugman. Imagine my shock back in 2006 to see our very own luscious Kerman rug featured on the cover of a tabbed self-mailer.
May 04, 2009
In critiquing this mailer piece from Redplum, we also can examine the direct mail practices we see every day that crush any chance of significant redemption and contribute to the definition of "junk mail."
April 20, 2009
Every once in a while, my neighbors will stop me during my dog walk to show me some interesting piece of mail they've received. This is, to my way of thinking, a bonus for living in an old, Leave it to Beaver-style neighborhood. And a piece that my neighbor Jerry showed me recently really got my attention. As in, "Tennnn — HUT!" That's right, it's for the US Army.
April 06, 2009
Our agency is full of sports fanatics. Every year, we draft our March Madness brackets, post them on a communal wall and try to practice sportsmanship.
March 30, 2009
Snap packs have been around for a while, and they all pretty much look alike. They're basically envelopes that you open with one or more perforated strips.
March 16, 2009
Only a select group of marketers have mastered social media. Zappos.com effectively uses it to drive user interactions and sales. The Web-based retailer is very savvy in its use of microblogs like Twitter and profile-based forums like Facebook, its efforts with we will examine here.
February 16, 2009
"Viral" is a daunting word for digital marketers. Agreeing to produce a viral campaign is easy to promise and hard to deliver. Numerous brands have executed successful viral campaigns, but there is little rhyme or reason about which videos gain popularity and those that fall flat.
February 09, 2009
Love 'em or hate 'em, you have to admire the sheer tenacity of the big, six- by 11-inch Comcast postcard. The offers may change but the pitch is relentless. It seems that every week a new billboard juts out from my stack of bills and catalogs.
February 02, 2009
This piece of e-mail creative from the National Football League seemed to scream, "Hello! Hello! Can you hear me?" It practically jumped out of my inbox and strangled me.
February 02, 2009
This piece of e-mail creative from the National Football League seemed to scream, "Hello! Hello! Can you hear me?" It practically jumped out of my inbox and strangled me.
January 26, 2009
Rising prices and a tough economy are hurting everyone. But the answer isn't to stop mailing — rather, the answer is to mail smart.
January 19, 2009
Apple advertisements always seem to grab my attention and impress me, and this one was no exception. The way that this ad takes over the entire page and manipulates all of its content is nothing if not remarkable.
January 12, 2009
As 2009 begins, many top analyst firms are predicting marketing budget dollars will be redirected. The premise is quite simple: It's easier to keep a customer than it is to get a new one. Imagine all the data companies have been sitting on for years - from CRM, leasing, sales, software renewals, helpdesk logs and maintenance.
January 05, 2009
I first came across this direct mail piece at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival last summer, and was blown away by the simplicity of the idea.
Demonstrating the right way to harness a few proven, traditional direct response advertising strategies, Cushman's Fruit Company was selling 24 of its legendary HoneyBells in a quintessential, full-page mail-order ad that appeared in the November 23 edition of PARADE magazine.
December 15, 2008
Bidding on targeted keywords is not new, but this execution is certainly noteworthy. The ad seen here was based on a content bid for the term "eat and drink."
September 15, 2008
I am a direct mail fanatic. I go to my friends and ask them for their unwanted junk mail. Then I scan to find the diamonds, and trash the rest. Did you know that several studies today claim direct mail has a lifespan of about 10 to 20 seconds before the reader tosses it in the recycle bin?
September 08, 2008
This self-mailer from Unimac Graphics has a lot going for it. But there are some questionable design and copy choices as well. Let's take a closer look.
August 25, 2008
This direct mailer caught me off guard. Since the postcard was red, white and blue, I thought it was another political statement for the Democratic National Convention being held next week in Denver. But it was a campaign for George Jetson.
August 18, 2008
I knew Victoria's Secret was good at marketing, but now I'm even more impressed. I went in store to purchase some unmentionables and said, "I'll give them my e-mail address — why not?" After all, the thick print catalogs tend to disappear when my teenage nephews visit. Within a week of handing over my address, I received this e-mail.
Political leanings aside, most people — especially those who work in advertising — can appreciate the simple and powerful aesthetic beauty of the Obama logo. With an efficient use of color and geometry, the Obama camp has created a very versatile mark as the visual core of its campaign. If my knowledge of American presidential election history is correct, this is probably the first time that a candidate has actually built a logo and an entire brand identity around his own name.
June 09, 2008
"Arrive in style" was the e-mail slogan sent by Banana Republic and Virgin America Airlines to a colleague of mine. Not long after booking a ticket with Virgin America, my colleague, who was already a subscriber to Banana Republic's newsletter, received this e-mail. It offered a short-lived, promotional discount in honor of her impending trip.
April 21, 2008
I have a love/hate relationship with this e-mail. At first, I was blinded by all the products, fonts, logos and callouts. Then after my eyes adjusted, I realized what Costco is doing is in line with its brand.
April 14, 2008
Presidential campaigns seldom break new ground in direct marketing strategies, but this year, a celebrity supporter of one of the candidates has done just that. The "Yes We Can" video, which emerged organically without the involvement of Barack Obama's campaign, illustrates the role viral videos can play in direct marketing efforts.
April 07, 2008
This seemingly traditional postcard has a few twists. The vertical design gives it a different look. It includes the necessary elements of an effective direct mail piece, including the company's logo, contact information, and a reasonably good visual. Most importantly, it offers a call to action.
March 31, 2008
Elect Me Tees makes custom T-shirts and apparel, a common business that could get lost in the direct mail shuffle. However, the company's ingenious use of personalization in a postcard sent to a colleague got my attention.
March 17, 2008
I've been in Internet marketing for a dozen years now, so I can't tell you how I originally came across this newsletter from Adotas, but I have been subscribing for many years. What I like about this newsletter is that it has a really clear, concise headline followed by enough copy to let me know if I want to read more.
March 03, 2008
I found this brochure in the recycling bin — which is perhaps not entirely surprising, as how many recipients are likely to raise their hands to say: "Hey boss, I think I need to attend this program?"
When I saw the words "Transform Your Business" scrawled across the top of a Mobi direct mail box, I wasn't expecting to find an actual Transformer toy inside. The box, designed as a toolkit for Web registrars, marketing Mobi to customers, came across my desk directly following the release of the summer blockbuster, Transformers.
February 04, 2008
The lease on my Infiniti is set to expire this year, so I'll be in car shopping mode before long. Rather than notify me of the fact with a simple form letter, Infiniti caught my attention with an attractive package befitting a luxury vehicle brand.
January 28, 2008
This week, the new Las Vegas Furniture Market (World Market Center), a rapidly expanding, permanent trade show space in downtown Las Vegas, is hosting its first of two annual trade shows for 2008.
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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.
