June 01, 2013
Superman may be faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but how does the last son of Krypton stand against the "cool exec with a heart of steel," Iron Man?
May 01, 2013
Tiffany & Co. and Harry Winston are both "a girl's best friend, but from a marketing standpoint, only one brand can wear the crown jewels.
April 01, 2013
In the luxury car market, Lincoln and Cadillac both have deeply rooted reputations—but which one has a more successful marketing strategy?
March 01, 2013
Game time: Who wins when it comes to marketing, Sony's PlayStation 3 or Microsoft's Xbox 360?
February 01, 2013
The stigma on relationships that originate online has vanished. Now it's just a matter of choosing the best site. But which site has the best marketing?
January 01, 2013
It's never a good sign if a potential customer can't even find a brand's website—or its social channels. Such is the case with Bosch Power Tools.
December 01, 2012
The brand reputations of oil giants BP and Shell are frequently haunted by past controversies—but which brand strikes oil with its marketing?
November 01, 2012
At first blush, The Body Shop and Bath & Body Works homepages have little to distinguish one from the other—but it's a similarity that's only skin deep.
October 01, 2012
When it comes to social media and online video, snooze professionals Serta and Sealy Corporation engage consumers with varying degrees of success.
September 01, 2012
Two of the largest U.S. retail banks, Chase and Citibank, have attempted to retain customers and acquire new ones by rebuilding trust and boosting brand loyalty through cohesive marketing across their respective websites, in-store creative, direct mail, email, loyalty marketing, and social media channels.
August 01, 2012
Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem, major players in the $60 billion weight loss market, have much in common when it comes to their direct marketing approach.
July 01, 2012
We rate Whole Foods vs. Trader Joe's: Which brand has its marketing shelves fully stocked?
June 01, 2012
As plans for summer weekend getaways are set in motion, people are gearing up for the great outdoors — and we're rating the retailers.
May 01, 2012
Americans love good coffee -- but who has the fresher marketing strategy, Peet's or The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf?
April 01, 2012
MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment on the Vegas strip are in the business of getting you to have fun, let loose and spend.
March 01, 2012
No matter how you slice it, the experience of ordering and consuming a pizza should be fun, fast, easy and, of course, tasty. How do Domino's Pizza and Pizza Hut rate?
February 01, 2012
Abercrombie & Fitch and American Eagle Outfitters use diverse direct marketing approaches to sell similarly priced apparel to teenagers and young adults.
January 01, 2012
In addition to long-standing tenure in the retail space, Wal-Mart Stores and Sears Holdings Corp. apply a similar approach to direct marketing, including direct mail, email, social media outreach, loyalty rewards and extensive e-commerce platforms.
December 01, 2011
Office supply chains Staples and Office Depot started the year in equally disappointing fashion.
November 01, 2011
As the holiday movie season gears up, so do the marketing programs of theater operators AMC Entertainment and Regal Entertainment Group — marketing strategies that have come to rely upon online sales of tickets and partnerships with online ticket vendors.
October 01, 2011
At first glance, the marketing strategies of Coke and Pepsi — the two ubiquitous, global players that have dominated the soft drink market for decades — might appear more similar than different.
September 01, 2011
A wholly integrated approach to direct marketing and e-commerce has elevated Sports Authority and Dick's Sporting Goods to the top of the athletic equipment leader board. Both brands offer similar multichannel approaches that include on- and offline circulars, email newsletters, social media and an e-commerce platform.
August 01, 2011
Because of the housing crisis, it's been a challenging couple of years for home-furnishings retailers such as Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel. However, business is looking up, particularly online.
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.
June 01, 2011
With cost-conscious consumers looking for cheap, healthy lunch options, sandwich chains are focused on marketing that highlights value. Fast food purveyors Subway and Quiznos both promote sandwiches to consumers as a healthy alternative to burgers and fries at a competitive $5 price point.
May 01, 2011
Millions of American consumers obsess over their cars out whether for fun or out of necessity. Competing for the business of auto aficionados and do-it-yourselfers are many auto repair and maintenance chains, including AutoZone and Pep Boys.
April 01, 2011
There are more than 30,000 fitness centers in the US, double the number from just 10 years ago, according to a study by business research firm IBISWorld. Two fitness franchises, Town Sports and 24 Hour Fitness, are trying to maintain an edge in this growing sector, though they vary in size and approach.
March 01, 2011
Choosing to ignore the digital aspects of direct marketing will likely earn your brand the consumers' collective cold shoulder. Just ask The North Face and Patagonia — two outdoor apparel retailers with distinct customer approaches that effectively blend e-commerce efforts with catalog mailings.
February 01, 2011
As consumers are faced with rising healthcare costs, competition among the country's leading drugstore chains, CVS and Walgreens, has increased, fueling sector-wide acquisitions and dueling marketing campaigns.
January 01, 2011
Direct marketing plays a major role in the consumer outreach efforts of competitive brands Chili's and TGI Friday's.
December 01, 2010
Rising oil prices followed by a brutal recession that saw a plunge in both business and leisure travel threatened the airline industry as a whole over the last few years.
November 01, 2010
1-800-Flowers.com and ProFlowers.com may sell similar products, but use different approaches to compete for their shares of the market.
October 01, 2010
Travelers often believe that once you've seen one mid-priced room, you've pretty much seen them all. To unearth the subtle differences from one loyalty program to the next, you must dig deeper still.
Company of the week Fairfield Marketing Group, Inc.Concerned about growth? With over 25 years experience in the industry, the list experts at Fairfield Marketing Group possess the know-how to help immediately improve any domestic or international direct marketing effort. |
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.
