In this ERA Minute, Scott Richards, “The Optimizer” and CEO of Dial 800 explains how a repeater number can deliver dramatically improved results for a DR campaign.
Repeater Toll-Free Number Delivers 69% More Calls
January 27th, 2010
Shine Your Light for Beacon of Hope: Time Is Running Out!
January 20th, 2010
It has been over four years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. As we’ve been so poignantly reminded in recent days with the devastating earthquake in Haiti and its aftermath, such disasters can seem overwhelming, yet there is also a sense that if each individual contributes something of their gifts to the greater good, that the collective effort will aid those in need in some small way. That’s why I hope you’ll join at least 60 other ERA colleagues who have signed up to support Beacon of Hope, which assists neighborhoods still devastated by Hurricane Katrina. On Sunday, January 31, before the Great Ideas Summit kicks into full gear, members of the direct marketing community will band together to help homeowners with such tasks as painting, landscaping, minor demolition, clearing and general rebuild work. No experience is necessary and lunch, transportation and a donation to Beacon of Hope will be provided. Only a handful of slots remain, so if you’d like to be a part of this team, contact Jamie Hill at jhill@retailing.org or 703-908-1026.
January 2010 Issue Now Available Online!
January 15th, 2010
Electronic Retailer’s January 2010 issue featuring Jeff Taylor (founder of Monster.com and CEO of Eons.com) is now available online. For more information on Jeff’s upcoming keynote address at the ERA Great Ideas Summit, click here.
New Strategies Used in Spending this Holiday Season
January 5th, 2010
The economic downturn first hit just before the holidays last year and companies were by no means eager to continue to throw money into advertising when it was clear no one was buying.
Consumers and companies alike were panicking, and everyone stopped spending. This year, though, we may be seeing the economic boost the holidays have always promised – and we might be getting that present a little early.
A wide range of retailers put money into holiday campaigns, and they showed more enthusiasm for spending ad dollars than they have in previous years, especially in TV.
The Gap, for example, hasn’t bought television ads for two years, but returned to the tube this year with a new campaign. Wal-Mart, K-Mart and other bargain-priced stores pitched the savings tip hard this year, as consumers cautiously began to spend money again while sticking within their budget.
By positioning themselves as the places where consumers can get the most bang for their buck, both stores hope to see a good return on their ad investment.
Best Buy, J.C. Penney, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Sears, OfficeMax and many others jumped on the ad bandwagon. While strategies and ad mediums differed, the message was the same: Spend money this holiday season, but shop here and you’ll spend much less.
I think you will see an extension of this message following the holidays, to try and tap into a more cost conscious consumer mentality even as the recession recedes. Retailers and marketers who can effectively position their products and services as good values will have more success in today’s challenging marketplace.
Peter Koepell is the President of Koeppel Direct and has over 25 years of advertising, marketing and media experience.
Search Advertising: A Look Back at 2009…And How to Prepare for 2010
December 23rd, 2009It’s that time of year again when we start to see industry pundits and influencers thoughtfully reflect on the year in review. Overall, 2009 has been a tough and tumultuous year for the economy, and digital advertising, as a whole, has not been immune to that. A look back at the year in search, however, tells a slightly more promising story.
While some things continue to remain the same in search advertising—for example, the market dominance of Google, Microsoft and Yahoo—there were some major market shifts, which are going to impact the year ahead. From the introduction of Bing to the major search deal between Microsoft and Yahoo!, one thing is for certain: as we head in to 2010, these dynamic industry events have search marketers and advertisers on their toes.
There has been news to write home about, too. Just this past month, both Efficient Frontier and SearchIgnite issued reports based on search advertising industry data from the third quarter of 2009. Both reports indicate paid search spend was up during that time period, compared to Q2.
This latest industry data comes on the heels of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) release of the IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report for the first half of 2009, which indicates that search revenues were up slightly from that same period in 2008, amounting to more than $5.1 billion for the first six months of 2009.
While all of this recent market data certainly alludes to an underlying sense of cautious optimism, given the ups and downs of the past year, it’s certainly understandable that many search marketers are still hesitant, and unsure of how to move forward in 2010. Our tip? Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. One important thing advertisers can do right now is to diversify their efforts by complementing campaigns on major search sites like Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft, with alternate sources of traffic with less-competitive CPCs.
What’s the bottom line for 2010? Innovate, diversify, and think outside the de facto search standards. Your ROI will thank you for it.
Gill Brown is vice president of advertising network sales for LookSmart.
The Future of Media
December 8th, 2009Jeff Zucker, the president of NBC Universal recently gave an interview in which he made predictions about the future of media, ad buying and selling, and the role of consumers in media consumption.
A few of his predictions included:
- • Media will trend more toward “a la carte” options so customers can pick and choose the features they most want in their media consumption.
• Interactivity is going to play a huge role in future media advertising.
• Targeted advertising will become more important, including using locations to find out where consumers are and what they’re buying.
• Mobile technology will be a 24/7 commodity, with smart phones being a necessity for all consumers.
• Television will continue to rely on great content to command the highest advertising dollars.
• Consumers will have more control about how they choose to access media content.
• Media will have to learn to keep up with the pace of changing technology; there’s no going backward when it comes to new innovations.
• Methods of researching the best places to put television advertising dollars must be overhauled; the current process is outdated and it’s losing advertisers’ money.
• Social networks and search will become even more integral to media consumption.
• Prime-time television will trend more toward big events, news and information than entertainment.
I feel that Zucker has hit on many key issues related to the future of media; however I think that the convergence of TV and online media and the overall shift by consumers and advertisers to online media are key trends that need to be added to Mr. Zucker’s list.
Though most of his speculations wouldn’t be argued by the majority of the media industry, the things that constantly surprise Zucker are still the speed of media change. Keeping up with the future developments may be the most important challenge any advertiser needs to address, while execution seems to be less important in today’s fast changing media environment.
Peter Koepell is the President of Koeppel Direct and has over 25 years of advertising, marketing and media experience.
Going Green: Good Business That’s Good for the Planet
November 20th, 2009
As parents and grandparents as well as global citizens, we’re all interested in preserving the planet for future generations. But going green is also sound business. The Natural Marketing Institute estimates that the green marketplace (defined as products that are organic, natural or have an environmentally friendly benefit) is estimated to reach $420 billion by 2010.
According to Nielsen, half of Americans say they want to buy green, but don’t. It’s believed that this is a byproduct of consumer confusion about just what constitutes green and whether or not the price paid for a green product is worth it. As marketers of consumer goods, the direct response industry has an opportunity to take the lead on such matters by simply offering consumers cost-effective packaging that uses less plastic and is recyclable.
At SF Video, we are doing our part by promoting new green packaging solutions that reduce CO2 emissions, use less energy and are made from eco-friendly materials. What does all that mean? If you distribute CDs or DVDs as part of your product, now the discs themselves as well as the package they arrive in, including the insert that secures the discs, can be made of materials that are 100 percent recyclable. Marketers can take an environmentally conscious stand that will reflect well on their brand and be welcomed by all stakeholders from their customers to employees, not to mention Mother Earth.
If you need a reminder of why such stewardship is imperative, check out this video from Oprah. It profiles the Great Pacific Garbage Dump, an enormous floating pile of plastic sewage thought to be twice the state of Texas and large enough to stretch from the coast of California to Japan. According to the Huffington Post’s David Burdick, “Discarded water bottles from Iowa, takeout containers from New York City, flip-flops from California and plastic debris from the world over make their way from land into storm drains, streams, rivers and other waterways. They are carried out to sea, where they get trapped in swirling ocean currents - forming a giant, floating trash dump of an enormous proportion - no matter how you quantify it.”
While the magnitude of such ecological disasters may seem insurmountable, if business owners think of themselves as more than a drop in that ocean capable of embracing substantive change, together we can turn the tide.
Steven Feinberg is the CEO of SF Video and the current Treasurer and a member of the Board of Directors of the Electronic Retailing Association. Celebrating its 20th year, SF Video is the leader in DVD and CD replication and duplication to the direct marketing industry. Steven can be reached at 1-800-545-5865 or steven@sfvideo.com.
INTELLIGENT ROUTING: THE SOLUTION FOR DROPPED CALLS
November 6th, 2009
Now that the annual bloodbath known in direct marketing as “Red October” is over, the usual conjecture regarding why results for DRTV have not been better ensues. One of the culprits that has surfaced in a big way is dropped calls. As difficult as it is to get the consumer - to pick up the telephone and call to order, imagine a marketer’s - frustration to learn that his or her call center may have dropped as much as 70 percent of the calls! It may sound far-fetched, but this is the  sort of statistic floating around the industry based on actual campaign results.
This is why intelligent call routing can be so vital to a business - that relies on in-bound telemarketing. Intelligent routing allows you - to send calls to multiple locations and establish hard rules for how those calls are received. So, for example, if a direct marketer wants to use multiple telesales centers or even home-based agents, he or she can split the incoming calls among any number of different locations.
Further, the marketer can establish a rule whereby if a call is not answered within a set number of seconds by the first location in the cue, it is then re-routed to another location. This is truly a win for everyone involved, for nobody triumphs when a call goes unanswered–not the consumer, whose enthusiasm for a product is dampened by a bad experience, not the marketer, who loses out on the precious sale, not the ad agency struggling mightily to make an airing payout, and certainly not the telemarketer who has to face the wrath of all of the above!
Scott Richards is CEO of Dial 800, a company that specializes in marketing optimization. Among the company’s offerings is IntelliRoute, intelligent call routing that ensures direct marketers calls get to the right place the first time, every time. Richards can be reached at scott.richards@Dial800.com or 1-800-DIAL800.
ERA Spotlight Sessions: Endorsements and Testimonials - Pop Quiz!
November 2nd, 2009The FTC has recently released new Guides on Endorsements and Testimonials. These new Guides mean new rules for all types of marketers and talent. But are you ready to comply? Take this pop quiz to see if you are prepared:
- Can celebrities have liability for endorsing a product that does not work?
- Can you ever use a disclaimer like “results not typical�
- Do you need to do a study to show what the generally expected result will be for your product? If so, what kind of data do you need?
- Are you responsible for the claims your affiliates make? If so, what can you do to avoid liability for the actions of rogue affiliates who make claims you don’t agree with?
- A celebrity wears clothing with your logo as part of a contract. Is this an endorsement?
- What is a clear and conspicuous disclosure on a blog?
- When you show a testimonial, are you claiming that others will experience similar results?
- Can you structure your TV spots in a way that does not send consumers the message that they will experience similar results?
- (How) Can you comply by simply editing your existing spot?
- What is the FTC particularly concerned about? How can you make sure you are complying with the Guides?
Get the answers to these questions and ask your own at the ERA Spotlight Sessions: Endorsements and Testimonials. The first session is December 7 in New York City, the second session is December 14 in Long Beach, CA and the final session will be a live webinar on December 17 (free to ERA members).
Rich Cleland, an Assistant Director in the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection will participate in each session. He will be joined by top legal experts in the industry to answer your questions. The two in-person sessions will be half-day events including two panels and a question and answer session with all of the panelists. These in person sessions will give you the opportunity to meet and share strategies with others experiencing similar challenges. See the details and register now. retailing.org/ERA_Spotlight_Sessions
Tomi Turner is ERA’s legislative manager.
Got Your Halloween Outfit Ready?
October 29th, 2009The spookiest of American holidays is just days away. If you’re like me, you’re still scrambling for a unique and easy-to-throw-together-last-minute costume. The thought entering an over-stimulating and smelly party store just days before Halloween is out of the question for me, but will be my outfit be as cool as others?
Apparently the days of your dad throwing a sheet over your body and calling you a ghost are over. The costumes these days are more and more intricate and creative. From Kate Gosselin wigs to the late Michael Jackson and DRTV’s very own Billy Mays outfits, the best-selling costumes this Halloween season are personal and fierce!
Think dressing up as the legendary Billy Mays is tasteless and offensive? Well, Billy’s son, Billy Mays III, gives these outfits the Mays’ signature two thumbs up seal of approval! He’s even throwing a contest for his fans to see who has the best Billy Mays outfit on his website www.wheresbillymays.com. So go ahead, bust out your blue shirt and represent Billy’s positive spirit this season - you won’t be alone!
Jamie Hill is ERA’s marketing manager.
Buzzing ERA Crowd at Stingaree in San Diego
October 27th, 2009It’s not a far stretch to say that everyone that attended the ERA Networking Reception in San Diego on Monday, October 19, had a FABULOUS time. With 200+ direct response pros in attendance on the rooftop of Stingaree, the vibe and overall buzz of the evening was upbeat and optimistic. The drinks were flowing, the atmosphere was perfect and the conversations were flowing! Many people said they were making more connections during the two hour reception than they had made all day on the conference in town!
Having Andi Barness and Ben Freedman from PrimeImage Media at the reception also created a lot of buzz, they managed to get more than a dozen interviews with attendees asking why they were planning on coming to The Great Ideas Summit 2010 in New Orleans. Check out the video they produced below and the pictures that Kim Lewis with ERA snapped. www.ERAGreatIdeas.org
For all of you that attended, we hope it was a worthwhile and successful networking event for you!
Soft Trials and The Bottom Line
October 27th, 2009On most days I wake up and the first thing on my mind is: “Who am I going to make more money for today?” Now, I say most days because Saturdays I wake up and first thing on my mind is “Ahh, it’s Saturday!” and on Sundays the first thing on my mind is “Dear God! You must be a Giants fan, after all you made the sky blue. So how about a win today?”
Monday through Friday however I am constantly focused on bringing more dollars to peopl’s bottom line by helping them pay attention to what most do not: the recovery of consumer receivables.
I think that in today’s turbulent economy and in the face of quarterly losses by even the biggest in our land, it’s more than time to start watching the bottom line from every possible aspect especially the collections.
I am finding more and more companies in the DR segment are trying to acquire more sales by offering soft trial offers for very little amounts of money. This is increasing their bad debt to rates that are 4 and 5 times higher than the average. This average being defined as standard multi-pay offers where you get 1/3rd of the money in the first installment as opposed to 1/5th with a 30-day no questions asked return. People are taking advantage and the DR Marketer is losing profitability. How can we resolve this?
One answer, if you’re insistent on keeping your offer to the consumer with the soft trial, is through a competent and detailed recovery process. If you know the bad debt will mount into very high percentages than you can be better prepared to handle it. Here are some tips to do this:
Have your fulfillment house and agency on the same page - nothing will hurt you more than inconsistent dates of service on the portfolios.
Have the portfolios run through the recovery scoring models and predictive metrics are to ensure maximum liquidation - the informed you are about the consumer you are attempting to get your money or product back from, the more you will get either of those.
Are bad addresses and phone numbers being appended? What service?
Are bankruptcies and deceased claims being validated? What service?
What is the dunning strategy? How are letters and impacts being measured?
What is the calling strategy? How many times a week is my portfolio being dialed? Attended? Unattended?
There are many more questions to ask of your agency or a prospective agency and be sure to do so.
As for the money that’s out there right now to be collected; my advice is simple:
Go get it. It’s yours and it can be obtained with the right partner.
As for me, I am going to make my partners more money as soon as I am done typing. They earned it and they deserve to have it.
ERA’s Tomi Turner on the FTC’s Revised Guides
October 6th, 2009
Yesterday, the Federal Trade Commission released its revised Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. The Guides are more than 80 pages long, so we’re still analyzing the changes. However, there is no question that our extensive advocacy efforts have had an effect on the final iteration of the Guides. The commentary included with the changes explains that advertisements using consumer testimonials should be evaluated by the net impression of the advertisement. A footnote in the revised Guides also suggests that in some cases a disclaimer could be sufficient. A more comprehensive legal document will be circulated shortly, but it is clear from a preliminary review that our efforts have not been made in vain. The 35 advocacy meetings on the Hill, 40 constituent meetings at the Fly-In, the testimony before the Senate, two sets of detailed comments and our suggested language were all helpful in presenting our case to the FTC.
However, the new Guides certainly do present some challenges, both to traditional TV marketers and those in social media. ERA is already planning educational opportunities that will provide suggestions for compliance with these changes. We hope the FTC will seize the opportunity to improve the marketplace by presenting to these changes to ERA members at one of our conferences.
Members who attended the Fly-In, supported the Leadership Reception, participated in the Government Affairs Committee, helped to author and review our comments to the FTC, and of course, testified before the Senate, were all instrumental in mitigating some of the more harmful changes. We thank you.
Tomi Turner is ERA’s legislative manager.
To read ERA’s official statement, click here.
To read more about ERA’s government affairs efforts and what you can do to help, click here.
To read Electronic Retailer magazine’s June cover story on Endorsements & Testimonials, click here.
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