Recap: Rinaldo Costa’s first meeting as the new VP of marketing for Trendsetter Fashions didn’t go so well. The director of business development, Jayne Herald, was exasperated by the marketing team’s price cutting via email promotions. The promotions were undercutting the brand’s profitability and its perceived value as the place to go for the hottest fashions, she said. Worse, rushing to offer deals on new items had led to a drop in opens, clicks, and conversions for its non-promotional emails.
Herald emphasized to Costa that Joe Berris, the email marketing director, wouldn’t budge on sending fewer promotional emails—his bonus was based on overall opens, clicks, and conversions, which were up. Costa’s fiduciary responsibility was about to lead to some tough decisions, including how to handle Berris.
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April winner: Lawrence A. Tillinger, Proprietor, SFLI
Costa should change Berris’s compensation to opens, clicks, and conversions on non-promotional emails publicizing undiscounted new items.
Other responses
? Mark Hammar, President, Total Data Solutions
Costa should ask Herald for a history of the email campaigns relevant to the discussion and make sure she provides the opens, clicks, and conversions. He should ask Berris for the same information. Once this data is in hand, Costa needs to understand the metrics such as timing, offers, conversions, and audience to name a few. With that information Costa should be ready to lay out the new or same structure for emails promoting the latest styles. He should also be prepared to discuss a promotional email program that will keep Berris happy. It may be necessary to meet first with the CFO to ensure that whatever the new structure is, it’s affordable for the company and comparably sufficient to the present compensation that’s motivating Berris. At this point, Costa has done his homework and should have no argument. Costa is also the VP in the room and should stand tall over the two directors.
? Michelle Denault, Solutions Executive, NFocus
Costa would benefit from allowing a data agency to manage his email marketing program. Email marketing and remarketing to your responders is one of the best ways to boost your credibility in the email industry. Making sure that your email campaign is successful and making it to the inbox is greatly increased when you focus on targeting your responders. Managing your spam score and making sure that your company is not blacklisted with any of the email providers is important in the email industry.
