New Year's Countdown DMN style

New Year Countdown DMN style: Not exactly Gangnam Style, but still pretty cool

It's been a long year and a busy one for direct marketers. The USPS topped the headlines and mobile marketing continued to mature. Just in case you missed any of the action, we've pulled together the top Direct Marketing News content of 2012 for you, both web and print. So, pour yourself a glass of early champagne and have a scroll.

Top five 2012 stories on dmnews.com

• USPS expects Senate action on postal bill: Political gridlock in Congress was a big problem for the USPS in 2012.
  
  
• DMA: Direct mail response rates beat digital: The Direct Marketing Association found that direct mail boasts a 4.4% rate, compared to email's average response rate of 0.12%.
  
  
• JCPenney overhauls marketing, promo strategy: JCPenney got a new logo and  completely revamped its pricing, branding, promotions, as well as refreshing its stores.
  
  
• Google finally opts for a 'Do Not Track' option: Analysts speculated the reasoning behind Google's 'Do Not Track' addition to Chrome, and questioned whether legislation will ensue nonetheless.
  
  
• USPS officially announces gopost pilot: The USPS officially announced the pilot program of its gopost parcel delivery lockers, which the USPS began implementing in Northern Virginia in February.

Top five 2012 stories in print

• Mad Skills: The talented 2012 Direct Marketing News 40 under 40 have them in spades.
  
  
• Macy's transformation: Retail icon Macy's refashioned its flagship store and marketing strategy.
  
  
• Giant specialty supermarket chains attract similar consumers on different marketing levels: We rated Whole Foods vs. Trader Joe's: Which brand had its marketing shelves fully stocked?
  
  
• New media channels and data raise agency profits: Given their efficiency and accountability, direct marketing agencies were in an especially fortunate position post-recession.
  
  
• Dell's transformation: Dell strove to better target its customers and market its brand.

Top five 2012 Direct Line blogs

• National Postal Forum: Change or Die: While the overall mood at the 2012 National Postal Forum is upbeat and optimistic, if I were less charitable, I would say the real theme isn't as much “Technological Innovation” as it is “Change or Die.”
  
  
• Five companies to watch in 2012: Groupon, Netflix, Sears, Draftfcb and Infogroup baffled and impressed us in 2011.
  
  
• Target and Neiman Marcus give the Gift of Revenge: Target and Neiman Marcus teamed up with ABC to deliver commercial drama.
  
  
• What is direct marketing, anyway? As touchpoints and technologies evolve, so does the definition of direct marketing.
  
  
• Marketing trends get personal in 2012: Targeting and personalization techniques were  hot stuff in 2012 and marketers had to stay up-to-date or possibly be left in the dust.

Top five 2012 Direct by Design blogs

• What Lady Gaga can teach marketers: While Gaga may or may not float your musical boat, her success as a marketer and builder of relationships with fans is impressive to a brand marketer.
  
  
• The rise of digital receipts: Retailers weigh in: According to a survey conducted by Epsilon, 35% of retailers currently offer digital receipts, also known as electronic receipts.
  
  
• Private visual sharing: The next big wave for customer experience: It's all about visual content. We all know that—but why don't we put it into practice?
  
  
• Three mobile video marketing trends to capitalize on: If 2011 was the breakout year for mobile marketing, then 2012 looked to be the year brands successfully bring video into the mobile marketing mix.
  
  
• 2012 trends through a branding eye: What major trends were marketers predicting a month into the New Year 2012? Take a look back.

Top five 2012 guest opinion columns

• Engaging the online influencers among your customers: The most powerful influencers are already customers and they're right under your nose. Here's how to find them.
  
  
• Does your direct mail need a facelift? A decline in response rates may be a sign that it's time for some plastic surgery on your direct mail packaging.
  
  
• The top 10 mistakes marketers make: How the wrong marketing campaign can suck the life out of a company.
  
  
• Marketing automation + CRM: CRM and marketing automation are like peanut butter and jelly—they just go together.
  
  
• Personalized search and the future of search and email marketing: What brands and performance marketers need to consider as Google tests, and perhaps rolls out, Gmail integration with search.

Top five 2012 videos

• Caples: Student Competition of the Year Winners
  
  
• Targeting Video Series: Karen Quintos, SVP & CMO, Dell
  
  
• Caples 34: Oh what a night!
  
  
• Ryon Harms, director of social media, Farmers Insurance
  
  
• E-commerce Video Series, Marc Ginsberg, EVP, merchant services, Cardlytics

Top five 2012 webcasts

• Email Marketing Metrics Benchmarks: How Do You Compare?
  
  
• How to run successful campaigns with Foursquare and Facebook Places
  
  
• Leveraging mobile and social commerce to deliver a complete customer experience
  
  
• Why integrating digital marketing must be one of your New Year's resolutions
  
  
• Look into the future: How to tell which companies are most likely to buy based on web activity

And there you have it folks. Happy New Year to you all.