Driving Force
For nearly four years, Nissan dealers have gotten response rates better than 4% to mailings promoting parts and service to their more than 20 million...
Learning to Type
Ever wonder who invented direct mail? Remington Typewriter Co. claimed that it was the originator of the advertising circular letter, and that this happened...
Postal Pointers
With last month's postage rate hikes, mailers must deal with a brand-new system where shape matters more than weight. Direct recently sat down with Arnie Cohen, senior manager at Carlsbad, CA direct mail services firm Modern Postcard, to get some survival tips....
Staples Acquires American Identity
Staples Inc. has acquired American Identity Inc., a promotional products company, for an undisclosed sum. ...
Short Cuts
The Direct Marketing Association has launched an effort to encourage consumers to recycle catalogs and mixed paper. Beginning this summer, member companies will be adding "Recycle Please" logos to their catalogs and direct mail pieces....
ACMA Sends Greco "Dear John" Letter
In a letter to DMA president/CEO John A Greco Jr., ACMA president Hamilton Davison took Greco to task for his comments last week suggesting that the Coalition of Catalog Mailers (CCM), which the AMCA supports, undermined the DMA's legislative efforts....
Live From ACCM: Differentiate to Stay Ahead of the Curve
Marketers need to find a way to differentiate themselves. The key, said Bart Sichel, principal, McKinsey & Co, is to find a niche, whether in a positioning or tactical area. ...
Disabled Vets Foundation Raises Millions by Mail for Memorial
The Disabled Veterans' Life Memorial Foundation reported it has secured $7.5 million in pledges in the first quarter to cover pre-construction and construction costs for new memorial in Washington, DC....
Dead Letters
There are lots of ways for communications to go astray. On the digital side these often involve drop-offs and gopher holes in the network supporting the...
HP Mailing Spurs 66% Conversion
An enthusiastic response to a highly personalized mailing from Hewlett-Packard led to a 66% conversion rate. Last November HP sent out a direct mailing...
Small World
What does it take for a small cataloger to stand up to the likes of Pottery Barn Kids, Harry & David or Barnes & Noble? Start-up capital, guts, and a...
That Personal Touch
Thanks to a personalization system it began using late last year, Atlantic Broadband has been getting responses as high as 10% to its 500,000-piece monthly...
Live from the DMI Co-op: What Postal Rate Hikes?
Mailers and vendors may be concerned about the looming increases in postal rates, but they're not panicked, if a panel of pundits is any indication. ...
Live from the DMI Co-op: Guidepost's Test of Faith -- And Effort
More is better, consumers don't need to be bribed to do good works, and when given a choice of two design packages, going for the "old ladyish" variation is the formula for success. ...
Melissa Data Acquires Peoplesmith
Melissa Data, a direct mail services firm, has purchased Peoplesmith Software, a direct mail software firm, for an undisclosed sum. ...
Chase Tops 2006 Acquisition Mail List, Says Mintel
Chase bank sent out the most financial services acquisition direct mail pieces in 2006, with 1.7 billion pieces, according to market research firm Mintel Comperemedia....
Restoration Hardware Will Focus on Catalog, Web Sales
Restoration Hardware will concentrate on driving direct sales from its catalogs and Web site and expects to get more than half its sales from those centers within three years. ...
PRC Extends Deadline for Standard Flats Comments
The Postal Regulatory Commission has granted the Coalition of Catalog Mailers more time to file comments on the reconsideration of its recommendations for standard mail flat rates, some of which call for increases of more than 40%. ...
DMV Renewal Mailing Advertising Program Comes Under Fire
Depending on how several lawsuits are decided, marketers may either lose a channel to consumers, or Departments of Motor Vehicles may be turned into 51 shared-mail service providers -- one for each state, plus the District of Colombia. ...
Stone Age DM
Another giant is gone. Bob Stone, a self-described depression kid who co-founded one of the great direct marketing ad agencies, died last month at 88....
Custom Fit
When considering a new delivery vehicle for an insert marketing campaign, don't think one size fits all. Customizing the piece to suit a particular format...
Insert Success Here
Zed Marketing Group president Jim Zuckermandel offers the following insert marketing do's and don'ts: Test, test, test. Just because a catalog list works...
New Products and Services
www.pbpostalinfo.com: a new Web site that aims to guide mailers through the U.S. Postal Service's latest rate changes -- Pitney Bowes, Stamford, CT....
UPS Introduces Package Intercept and Rerouting Service
United Parcel Service has instituted a package intercept and rerouting service -- for shippers to designate a new delivery address while a package is still in its transit network....
Live From NEMOA: An Association of Friends
The New England Mail Order Association differs from many other DM clubs in that it has always been a very personal organization. And that, said Tim Litle on Thursday, can make all the difference in the world. ...
