The Unsinkable Andi Emerson
Andi Emerson, a mail order legend and founder of the John Caples awards, died Wednesday morning in New York at age 82. She had been suffering from emphysema for several years. There were no arrangements at deadline. She is survived by four children: Ann, George, Christopher and Electra. ...
Some Rates to Exceed 2.9%; Mailers Tolerant
While the U.S. Postal Service said Monday it would raise standard mail rates by an average of 2.9% in May, a closer look at the rates shows some that will go up more....
Mailers Face a May Postal Hike
The U.S. Postal Service, in its first increase under the new postal reform rules, will raise its rates on May 12 by low single-digit percentages. ...
Lenders Reduce Direct Mail Volume
Mail volume for mortgage and home equity loans declined 30% in 2007, compared to the previous year, according to the media monitoring service Mintel Comperemedia. ...
Subprime Woes Cause Credit Card Mail Decline: Survey
Credit card direct mail volume declined during the fourth quarter, as issuers were strained from the fallout of the subprime mortgage crisis and unsure about the economy, according to Synovate. ...
Mail Volume Decline Tied to Housing, Finance Slumps
Mail volume was down 3%, or 1.7 billion pieces, for the first quarter of fiscal 2008, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Postal Service. ...
Royal Mail Forms Panel on Direct Mail Effectiveness
Royal Mail haas begun putting together a panel of industry suppliers to help improve the effectiveness of direct mail campaigns....
Winterberry Anticipates Steady Direct Mail Spending Growth
Direct mail spending, including preparation, production and postage) reached $58.4 billion in 2007, and may pass $72 billion by 2011, according to a new study from the Winterberry Group. ...
Chefs Catalog Shutting San Francisco Office
(Multichannel Merchant) Cooking and kitchenware products merchant Chefs Catalog will close a San Francisco office and shift jobs from that location to its Colorado Springs, CO, headquarters....
UnitedHealthcare Acquires Fiserv MO Pharmacy
UnitedHealthcare has acquired Fiserv Inc., a mail order pharmacy and healthcare service firm, for $775 million. ...
DMA Revamps Direct Mail, Catalog Opt-Out Program
The Direct Marketing Association has modified its DMAChoice program, dropping the $1 online verification fee and allowing consumers to opt out of receiving catalogs on a brand-by-brand basis without cost. ...
CVS Shutters Mail Order Center, Axing More Than 400 Jobs
CVS Caremark Corp. will eliminate more than 400 jobs when it shutters a Phoenix mail-order prescription center next week, according to wire service reports. ...
The Write Stuff
Did you know your customers and prospects are getting hit with about 3,000 advertising messages a day? This barrage of noise is making it hard for anyone...
Bidart & Ross Gets In the Mail
Investment consultants Bidart & Ross decided last year to stop making cold telemarketing calls to drum up leads for its advice about corporate 401(k)...
PCH to Change Its Marketing to Elderly Iowans: AG
(Promo Xtra) -- Publishers Clearing House has agreed to reform its practices when marketing sweepstakes to elderly people in Iowa....
Gander Mountain Acquires Overton's for $70 Million
Gander Mountain Co., the outdoors cataloger, has acquired Overton's Inc. from Linsalata Capital Partners for $70 million. ...
How to Craft Stronger, More Compelling Offers
If you want to improve your direct mail response rate, the answer may be as simple as making a better offer. ...
Oriental Trading CEO Resigns
(Multichannel Merchant) The CEO of Oriental Trading Co. has stepped down. The gifts and novelties cataloger says that Stephen Frary resigned Nov. 30 "to pursue other interests." He had been CEO of the Omaha-based company since 2000....
Victoria's Secret Cuts Circ to Curb DC Woes
(Multichannel Merchant) Problems with its new distribution center continue to plague Victoria's Secret Direct. Integration issues in the DC are keeping the women's apparel merchant from meeting expected volume, and it is reducing catalog circulation to suppress demand....
Nissan Heads North
After four years of getting response rates as high as 10% in the United States, Nissan North America Inc. has exported its customer-retention direct mail program to Canada....
Responsys Partners with Print-on-Demand Firm
E-mail technology provider Responsys announced today it has partnered with print-on-demand firm Integrato....
Charming Shoppes Starts One Title, Shutters Another
(Multichannel Merchant) A week after launching its Lane Bryant catalog, Charming Shoppes yesterday announced it would close its Regalia women's apparel catalog....
Wildfires Spare Southern California Mailers
(Multichannel Merchant) The tragic Southern California wildfires had many catalogers working on suppressing mailings to ZIP codes in the affected areas last week. But merchants based in the region had more pressing concerns, such as evacuations, air quality, distribution problems, and of course, general terror that the flames would reach them....
Can a Mailer Find True Happiness?
Direct mailers have been searching for even a shred of contentment since the most recent postal increase. It may be too much to think that the postal rate cloud has a silver lining. But, like a child's security blanket, it could at least be flannel. In other words, there's hope....
Univenture Acquires Unikeep
Univenture Inc., a manufacturer of direct mail packaging products, has acquired UniKeep LLC, for an undisclosed sum. ...
