Swedish Match AB to Acquire Cigars International
Swedish Match AB will acquire Cigars International Inc., a direct marketer of cigars and related accessories. ...
Direct Sales Up, Retail Down for Eddie Bauer
Eddie Bauer Holdings Inc. generated second quarter revenue of $227 million up from $22.57 million during second quarter 2006. ...
Quarter Sees Sales Growth, New Catalog for AeroGrow
AeroGrow International Inc. generated $6.3 million in revenue during the quarter ended June 30, compared with $822,000 a year ago. The company's net loss shrank from $2.1 million to $2 million. ...
Losses Widen at Vertis Communications
Direct mail printing and marketing firm Vertis Communications saw its second-quarter losses grow to $19.7 million from $5 in the same period a year ago, largely due to declines in the freestanding ad insert market. ...
Avista Capital Acquires Direct Mail Firm IWCO Direct
Avista Capital Partners has purchased IWCO Direct, a direct mail production services firm, from Court Square Capital Partners. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. ...
Direct Mail Assets Boost Revenue for Mod-Pac
Mod-Pac Corp., an on-demand print services firm, generated $10.9 million in revenue for its most recent second quarter, virtually the same amount it generated a year ago in second quarter 2007....
Catalogs Drive Online Sales: USPS Survey
Direct mail recipients were nearly twice as likely to purchase from a retail Web site as those who received only an Internet communication, according to a new survey by the U.S. Postal Service....
A Call to Postal Action
C. Hamilton Davison, executive director of the American Catalog Mailers Association, was up against a tough audience. He asked catalogers at Merit-Direct's...
Parents Go for Soft Sell
A magazine's editorial staff knows better than anyone what makes a publication great. It's no surprise, then, that a new subscription-building package...
Fifteen Tips For Better Sales Letters
One of the most important factors in the success of your direct mail package is your sales letter. In many cases, particularly with small businesses, the sales letter may be the entire package. But given the right list and the right offer, a skillfully crafted sales letter can be all you need to turn a substantial profit -- or pull in a large number of qualified leads. Here are 15 tips that virtually guarantee you a more effective letter....
Advo Acquisition Boosts Valassis's Revenue as Net Income Falls
Valassis generated $612.1 million during its second quarter, well over the $260.6 million it realized in second quarter 2006. But a healthy chunk of that gain was due to its acquisition of Advo Inc., which was competed on March 2....
Mail Stream: A Report on Incoming Direct Mail
OfficeScapesDirect’s current catalog offers 40 pages of artificial vegetation designed to bring color into the workplace. A solicitation from Handicap International informs recipients that “The little crutch inside is not a toy” – and indeed, the 2 1⁄4” crutch attached to the appeal letter is more of an empathy-inducing freemium, and is accompanied by a $25/$35/$50/$100/other ask ladder. And collectibles company Entertainment Earth’s 60-page book features a theme index so collectors can more easily browse its science fiction, fantasy, pop culture and historical figure collections....
Short Cuts
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has awarded Catalogixx LLC a patent for its direct mail and catalog customization software system....
50,000 Winners in DM Sweepstakes Prompt Do-over
A Roswell NM Honda dealership had intended to include only one $1000 grand-prize winner among the 50,000 scratch-off cards it mailed to prospects....
Live from the MeritDirect Co-op: ACMA Head Calls for Postal Activism
ACMA plans to intervene in rule and rate making, influence Congress and document the economy strength of the catalog industry, as shown by sales and the number of employees....
New Products and Services
Direct Mail Dish: a blog designed to give small to mid-size business owners tips and resources on all aspects of a direct mail campaign located at www.printandmailcenter.com/blog -- Avery Print and Mail Center, Brea, CA....
Avista Capital to Acquire Controlling Interest in Iwco Direct
Avista Capital Partners, parent of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, will acquire a controlling interest in direct mail services company Iwco Direct from Court Square Capital Partners for an undisclosed sum. ...
Greco Warns of No-Mail Bills, Hopes Next Rate Case Tied to CPI
Direct Marketing Association president John Greco Tuesday warned of the possible dangers of do-not-mail legislation under consideration in 15 states. He also solicited contributions to the Mail Moves America Coalition, an organization of 50 direct marketers, trade groups and printers the DMA set up to fight such bills. ...
Postcards From the Cutting Edge
While catalog mailers are adjusting to hefty new postage increases, postcard mailings are thriving. Even the largest 11-½-inch cards qualify as standard mail at the lowest letter-size rates....
Compassion & Choices Ups Mail Volume
Right-to-die advocacy group Compassion & Choices is boosting direct mailings from four to six times a year despite the difficulty it's had getting conservative lists. ...
The Bombardment Begins
My friend and list guru Bob Dunhill sent me a fundraising mailing, to which he appended the statement Abraham Lincoln made when asked how long his legs...
Canada High Court Upholds Tobacco DM Advertising
The Supreme Court of Canada has upheld a decade-old federal law setting strict limits on advertising by tobacco companies but does allow advertising through direct mail, according to wire service reports. ...
VistaPrint to Offer Creative, Mailing Services
VistaPrint Ltd. has entered the marketing services business with two new offerings -- Mailing Services and Creative Services. Both new capabilities will target the company's core small business client base. ...
How Direct Can Your Mail Be?
It's just common sense. Prospects will respond better to mail that addresses them directly or makes a reference to something showing that the marketer understands their needs....
Dig These Results
Sure, a construction contractor could test-drive a new tractor at its job site. But doesn't using the machine to build your own dirt track and then race dune buggies on it sound like a lot more fun? Caterpillar thought so, and its customers agreed, judging by the 18% response to a mailing promoting a sweepstakes to win the racing experience....
