Though the name Trump is practically synonymous with wealth, marketing and self-promotion, it hasn't been associated with direct marketing, much less insert media, but The Donald is looking to change that in January.
Donald Trump saw a need in the market for an upscale cooperative mailer and formed Trump Direct Media in July, said Ed English, president of Trump Direct Media Corp., New York.
“The idea is that when you look at the marketplace of opportunities for direct marketing there exists a gap in what we look at as sort of celebrity-branded media and media appropriate for major national brands and the world of direct marketing,” English said. “We saw that the economics of direct marketing are great but the options today are not suitable for major national brands, and that's where Trump Direct Media comes in.”
The new company's first endeavor is just such a vehicle, as this week it announced Trump Exclusives and its partnership with Mokrynskidirect. Trump Exclusives is a co-op mailing program that will send out 1 million envelopes targeting affluent consumers ages 35-55 with household incomes exceeding $100,000. It mails for the first time the week of Jan. 23 in New York City. The program costs $70/M.
The envelope will be 4-color glossy stock branded with the Trump name and one featured advertiser. Along with the inserts, the package will contain a personalized note from Donald Trump.
The program was created to offer upscale national marketers an option to use direct mail in a way consistent with their brands. It also offers marketers category exclusivity. English said he could not name clients yet but added that for many if not the majority of participants this is one of their first forays into direct marketing. He expects 12-15 inserts in the first mailing.
Trump Direct's partnership with Mokrynskidirect grew out of synergies between the companies.
“A lot of their customers are big, national brands, and we feel comfortable that they can help us get this thing to market,” he said. “We looked for a commitment to quality because anything with the Trump brand on it has to have a certain level of quality.”
Steve Tamke, senior vice president at Mokrynskidirect, Hackensack, NJ, said that after several initial conversations his firm jumped at the chance to work with Trump Direct on this program.
“As the conversations continued it just became very clear to both of us that this would be a really great partnership,” Tamke said. “We have the contacts and the sales force to get this thing full.”
Along with English, Mokrynskidirect also deals with Kelly Purdue, who was hired by Trump at the end of the second season of his reality television show “The Apprentice.”
“When you think of co-ops, up until now you have not thought about an affluent audience,” Tamke said. “In some regards this is revolutionary but it's also like, wow, why didn't somebody do this before?”
As it turns out, at least one other firm has launched a similar program. Affluent Lifestyle, Boca Raton, FL, does a high-end cooperative mailer that reaches 50,000 ultra-affluent consumers in southeast Florida. The quarterly program began in March. The company also does solo direct mail nationally.
“Obviously we don't have the Trump name or money behind us but it has been very successful so far,” Affluent Lifestyle CEO Derek Sullivan said of the co-op.
Meanwhile, an aggressive rollout plan for Trump Exclusives aims eventually to reach 10 million high-income households monthly nationwide, English said. By the end of 2006, Trump Exclusives is scheduled to reach Los Angeles, Chicago, northern California, the District of Columbia, south Florida and Atlanta. Markets being looked at for 2007 include Dallas, Boston, Seattle, Detroit, Philadelphia, Houston, Minneapolis, Las Vegas, San Diego, Denver and Tampa and Orlando, FL.
Kristen Bremner covers list news, insert media, privacy and fundraising for DM News and DMNews.com. To keep up with the latest developments in these areas, subscribe to our daily and weekly e-mail newsletters by visiting www.dmnews.com/newsletters
