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October 2006

RELATIONSHIPS | RESOURCES | RESULTS

B2B=Boringto Branding

Association Members Ask,"What's In It for Me?"

Direct Mail Secrets

10

Virtual Worlds:The Next Realm in Advertising

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4 Brilliant Results | October 2006 www.brilliantpublishing.com

B2B = BORING TO BRANDING? 12Why must business-to-business (B2B)

branding be as boring as the companiesthey represent? Answer: It doesn’t have to

be. Find out how to improve your B2Befforts.

By: Martin Lindstrom

VIRTUAL WORLDS: THE NEXTREALM IN ADVERTISING? 14

Traditional media captures less attentionfrom the younger generation - including the

young at heart! Discover how new venuesthat address this demographic is evolving.

By: Bill Nissim

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUTHOLIDAY GREETINGS 19

This guide will show you how to take thechore out of sending holiday greeting.

By: Emily Charette

MARKETING THROUGHASSOCIATIONS 20

Read this article if you do any direct marketing. You may be missing an

important source for leads.By: Jeffrey Dobkin

HOLIDAY & BUSINESS GIFTS 24 It’s that time of the year again and here

are a few suggestions to put more punch in your holiday gift giving.

Contents

8

14

24

columns

COVER STORY 8ASSOCIATION MEMBERS ASK, “WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?”

Has attendance dropped at your association meetings? Have your membership numbers contracted? If so, this article may provide some answers.

By: Ed Rigsbee, CSP

TMbrilliant resultsVol. 3, No. 10

features departments10 DIRECT MAIL SECRETS 26

Some of the most innovative and effective advertising is delivered through the mail, and

savvy business owners are experiencing real rewardsfrom well designed campaigns with a realistic

strategy in mind. Let these secrets from a business insider show you how.

By: Mark Risley

9 STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING YOUR OUTER ENVELOPE 30

If they don’t open the envelope, they won’t get your message. These 9 tips should

improve your opening statistics.By Robert W. Bly

THE GIFT OF TIME 46 Give employees something they will truly

value this holiday season.By: The Creative Group

IT’S ALL PERSONAL 48“It’s all about being personal when you

reward people”By: Dave Ribble

WHAT WORKS PRESENTED BY THE PROMOTIONAL

PRODUCTS ASSOCIATIONINTERNATIONAL (PPAI) 34

Successful Case Studies and research for your next powerful promotion.

ADVERTISING INDEX 42Get FREE information from this

month’s advertisers

THE LAST WORD 49This month Brilliant Results is giving our

readers the Last Word. Complete andemail or fax this special survey.

OFF THE CUFF 50Quote & Charitable Trivia

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9034 Joyce LaneHummelstown, PA 17036

Ph: 717-571-9233 Fax: 717-566-5431

PUBLISHER / ADVERTISINGMaureen Williams-Berman

[email protected]

EDITORIALEditor in Chief

MaryAnne Morrill717-571-9233

Senior EditorsMichelle Donofry, Pierce Roberts

Style EditorCharity Plata

Asst. EditorMildred Landis

Contributing WritersRobert W. Bly, Emily Charette, Jeffrey Dobkin,

Martin Lindstrom, Bill Nissim, PPAI - What WorksSection, Dave Ribble, Ed Rigsbee, Mark Risley,

The Creative Group.

CirculationFor any questions or updates regarding

subscriptions, please email:[email protected]

PRODUCTION / DESIGNArt Director

Percy Zamora

Brilliant Results is published monthly by Brilliant Publishing LLC,9034 Joyce Lane Hummelstown PA 17036 (717) 608-5869; Fax# (717) 566-5431. Postage paid at Mechanicsburg PA andadditional offices. POSTMASTER please send address changesto Brilliant Results, 9034 Joyce Lane, Hummelstown PA 17036.Volume 3. Number 10. Brilliant Results subscription rates: one-year $120; Canadian $160 USD; one-year foreign $225 USD.All subscriptions are non-refundable. Copyright © 2004 – 2006Brilliant Publishing LLC. All rights reserved. The publisherreserves the right to accept or reject any advertising or editorialmaterial. Advertisers, and/or their agents, assume the responsibilityfor any claims against the publisher based on the advertisement.Editorial contributors assume responsibility for their publishedworks and assume responsibility for any claims against the publisherbased on published work. No part of this publication can bereproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means,including information storage and retrieval systems, withoutwritten permission from the publisher. All items submitted toBrilliant Results become the sole property of Brilliant PublishingLLC. Editorial content does not reflect the views of the publisher.The imprints, logos, trademarks or trade names (Collectively the“Marks”) displayed on the products featured in Brilliant Resultsare for illustrative purposes only and are not available for sale.The marks do not represent the implied or actual endorsementby the owners of the Marks of the product on which they appear.All of the Marks are the property of the respective owners and isnot the property of either the advertisers using the Marks orBrilliant Results.


Publisher’s LetterTM


brilliant resultsbrilliant results

262467 Brill492

TRANSITIONS AND CHANGE

October is a month of transition. Fall has arrived and

the foliage is about to reveal its splendor, but in the

evenings there is a bit of a chill to remind us that winter

is coming. This month you will note some editorial

changes, particularly in The Last Word, where we want

our readers to have the Last Word. As we get ready for our fourth year, we

are asking you to let us know what you like…what you don’t like… what you

would like. In the coming year we will be expanding the scope of the magazine

to include new directions in promotional merchandise, incentives and travel

rewards. As we expand our focus, we will be reviewing your suggestions to

create brilliant results.

This issue is filled with tips for reaching clients through associations and

via direct marketing. Questions about association effectiveness and direct

mail response generation for improved ROI are addressed and answered.

Suggestions to improve B2B Branding and how to enter the exciting,

evolving world of Virtual Branding are contained in this issue.

Then there are the holidays…yes they are closer than you think. Check

out our Holiday & Business Gift suggestions and follow the tips on Holiday

Greetings to eliminate stress and enjoy the season.

Most importantly…WE WANT TO HEAR YOUR VOICE, E-MAIL OR FAX

ME YOUR SURVEY…then, remember to

Have A Brilliant Day,

Maureen [email protected] 541-788-5022

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ASI l 95280 W l www.warwickpublishing.com Contact your local Promotional Products Distributor

make a date with success!

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HAS ATTENDANCE DROPPED atyour association meetings? Haveyour membership numbers con-tracted? If you honestly answereither of the above questions inthe affirmative, you are not alone.Both association executives andtheir boards of directors are ask-ing, “What do we do about ourshrinking membership?”

Your membership and meeting atten-dance could be decreasing because of theeconomy, industry consolidations, or per-ceived value. The only one of these rea-sons over which you have some control isthe last one on my list—value.

Over the last half-decade, many associa-tion executives and boards have been luredinto complacency by the opiate, or narcotic,of good times and a strong business envi-ronment. Many companies started sendinga greater number of employees to theirindustry meetings as a reward rather thanas an educational experience. Now many ofthose companies are sending fewer people.

Many associations have foundtheir potential pool of membersdecreasing because of numerousindustry consolidations, mergersor acquisitions. Many associa-tions have forgotten about value.

Recently, for a regional asso-ciation, I delivered a morningkeynote presentation followed

later that afternoon by facilitating anindustry roundtable discussion. As I gener-ally do when I facilitate a discussion, Iasked the attendees to put on the flipchartwhat was most on their mind in referenceto their industry. Then I asked them toweigh the importance of each of the itemson the list. This group put their associationmembership on the top. This associationhad just a bit over 10% of the possiblemembership available to join. It was a prob-lem because of the strength they wouldneed for coming legislative issues.

I suggested to the attendees that thereare basically two kinds of people that joinassociations and attend association meetings.


AssociationMembers Ask,“What’s In It For Me?”

BY ED RIGSBEE, CSP

Ed Rigsbee, CSP

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First, like most of the people in the room that day, arethe industry members that support their associationregardless of the quality of the meeting or its location.Then there are the others, they generally expect to getmore out of the association than they put into it. Theyexpect that the synergy of the collaborative event willdeliver a greater amount of value to them than they payin dollars and time.

To bring back association backsliders from their dis-appearance and abandonment, it is time for every asso-ciation executive and their board members to ask, “Howdo we deliver more value and how do we show thevalue we currently offer?” The first part of the questionwill be different for each association based on the spe-cific needs of the players in their industry. The secondpart of the question was the subject of the roundtablediscussion I mentioned earlier.

First I asked the cost of membership, and then Iasked the attendees to tell me what their associationdid for them. As we listed on the flipchart the valuableservices this association delivered to its members, I alsoasked them to assign realistic dollar values to each item.For this regional association, the cost of membershipand attendance at the two semi-annual meetings waspegged at approximately $1,600. After less than anhour, the group came up with membership value in realdollars at $5,800. Had we have had more time; I believethe membership value number would have been higher.

I believe the best way for an association to grow itsmembership is through a one to one method; that is onecurrent member bring in a new or lost member eachyear. Realistically, not all members will do this, butmany will. Wouldn’t you like a 20%, 30% or moreincrease in membership, and revenues for your associa-tion? I suggested to the roundtable attendees that their

association could produce an Association Valuebrochure and/or a Value PowerPoint presentation tohelp current members show other owners in their indus-try the value of association affiliation. This would helpthe current members to more easily articulate the rea-sons for their personal emotional ownership in theirassociation. Give ‘em the right tools, and people willamaze you with their results.

As a primer for your own Value Brochure, listedbelow are the actual services and values offered to meby the group:• $1,000 for industry specific technical training offered

twice a year.• $1,000 for business, management and marketing train-

ing twice a year.• $300 for monthly legislative updates.• $1,000 for coupons for goods and services offered by

the national organization with national and regionalmembership.

• $600 for legal seminars offered twice a year.• $200 networking value at semi-annual meetings.• $300 tax savings on income spent attending vacations

(meetings).• $500 for mentoring opportunities available through

meeting attendance.• $200 for product knowledge gained at meetings.• $200 for company credibility and image associated

with membership.• $300 for education in accessing local publicity.• $200 for publicity and exposure through association

membership.Perhaps you might argue with some of the specific

dollar values listed above? That’s fine because you nowhave bought into the value idea, now you are just hag-gling over the actual amounts. If prospective associationmembers or industry leaders, quibble over the actualvalue amounts—that’s great too, because they have alsobought into the value idea. Any smart business leadercan see that it makes good business sense to join theirindustry association and receive $5,800 worth of valuefor a small investment of $1,600.

Remember, your association has control over theamount of value offered to its membership. Perhapsyour members, armed with the right recruitment tools,can help industry players that are non-members in per-ceiving a higher value in association membership? Give‘em the right tools, and perhaps your members willamaze you too?

Ed Rigsbee, CSP is the author of PartnerShift,Developing Strategic Alliances and The Art of Partnering.Rigsbee has over 1,000 published articles to his credit andis a regular keynote presenter at corporate and tradeassociation conferences across North America. He can bereached at 800-839-1520 or [email protected]. For atreasure trove of information and ideas, visit hisPartnering University Web Site at www.rigsbee.com.

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LET’S DISCUSS A PRODUCT category that’sexcruciatingly boring: rolling bearings and seals. Iwant to look at SKF, one of the world’s largestmanufacturers of rolling bearings and seals.

I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t think of aless sexy and uninspiring product line. If you didn’tknow this business or the brand, you’d think(when you visited SKF’s site) you’d arrived at thewrong URL. SKF not only tells you about the com-pany’s support of one of the world’s largest rockshows and how SKF products help their clientsmake delicious biscuits, it also has a special post-card section. The SKF postcard facility allows youto download cute love letters or birthdaypostcards that you can send to your friends. Forexample, one of the postcards illustrates a couplewho has just been married and is now kissing eachother. The text reads, “We reduce friction to helpyou move the world forward.” Another postcardbears two hearts created with an assemblage ofrolling bearings. The title on this one reads, “Youmake my heart spin.”

Keep in mind: This is a rolling bearings andseals company I’m talking about.

Not Lewis, or Diesel, or Nike... but SKF! Why must business-to-business (B2B) branding

be as boring as the companies they represent?Why is B2B considered second-tier branding,requiring cursory, dubious management?

Companies are recognizing that their valuedoesn’t lie only in turnover, assets, and new products,but also on the strength of their brands. They’reresponding to this realization by dedicating energyto annual reports and press releases. Hey, hang on.Are annual reports and press releases the alphaand omega of brand exposure? Far from it, as wellyou know. For some reason, most companies stillfavor these over the extensive menu of brandingtools that are available.

A pure “business” person no longer exists. We — you and I — are all private people with emotionsand feelings that allow us to be just as affected bybranding when we’re at home as when we’re at work. If you have a bad experience with a

B2B=Boring to Branding?

BY: MARTIN LINDSTROM

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company at home or hear something negativeabout it when talking to your neighbor, would youforget the information as soon as you got to work?I doubt it. We’re all subject to information intakeacross a range of social strata and within countlessemotional contexts. This human factor opens thedoor for B2B branding.

Know what? I’m not in the market for rollingbearings, but if I were to become a decision makerin this area, I’d choose SKF products. Why…because the company engages in human commu-nication. It doesn’t treat me like a boringbusinessman. It treats me like a person, usingpersonal and relevant communications withtwists of humor. I don’t need to ask you to consid-er how boring SKF’s site could be (you’d fallasleep before finishing this column). Just visitSKF’s competitors (or 90 percent of the rest of B2Bbrands on the Internet, for that matter), and you’llfall asleep before you’ve scrolled past the picturesof their factories, CEO mug shots, and archives oftheir last 400 press releases.

That’s not brand building. SKF’s tactics are.SKF’s communication not only reaches my brain,

it touches my heart. That’s what branding’s allabout, even if you’re communicating with con-sumers who are wearing suits.

Martin Lindstrom is recognized as one of theworld’s primary branding gurus and more thanfour million people read his weekly columns thatare syndicated across twenty-one countries.Martin Lindstrom’s books have been translatedinto twelve languages and published in more thanthirty countries. He sits on several boards globally,and his clients include Disney, Mars, Pepsi,American Express, Mercedes-Benz, Reuters,McDonald’s, Kellogg’s, Yellow Pages andMicrosoft. . In addition, his acute insights havebeen featured in USAToday, Fast Company, TheTimes, Fortune, BBC 1, BBC World, BBC Radio,The Daily Telegraph, The Observer, WashingtonPost, The Australian and The Independent.Lindstrom’s latest highly acclaimed book; BRANDsense, with a forward by Philip Kotler is pub-lished by Simon & Schuster, New York. For moreinformation on Martin Lindstrom please visit hiswebsite at www.martinlindstrom.com.

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WHAT DOES MAJOR League Baseball, Coca Cola, Wells Fargo Bank, the W Hotel, and the American Cancer Society all have in common? They all use avirtual realm to reach out to potential customers and supporters in novelways. Today, traditional media captures less attention from the youngergeneration - including the young at heart! New venues that address thisdemographic are evolving.

One such approach to connect to this allusive audience is video gameadvertising. Consider Massive Corporation, which is now part ofMicrosoft. The premise of this organization is to reach “Lost Boys”(ages 18 to 34) that pay less attention to mainstream media. Theadvertising “spend” for this market segment is estimated at $12 bil-lion for television and another $10 million on static product place-ments in video games. The challenge for advertisers is a declininguse of television due to other distractions (Internet, music, mes-saging) or simply “skipping” ads via TiVo or other recordingdevices. Another age-old problem for advertisers is the inabili-ty to directly measure results or return on investment (ROI).

Massive Corporation’s value proposition was to “insert” aseries of ads into select Internet-based video games, visibleduring play. Massive worked with video game publishers to

Virtual Worlds: The Next Realm inAdvertising?

BY: BILL NISSIM

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install code into their programs allowing for dynam-ic advertisements to flow into place cards withinthe gaming environment. Concurrently, impressiondata flowed back to Massive to be packaged as datafor the advertiser. This data allowed the advertiserto adjust content on an ongoing basis for greatereffectiveness. For the first time, advertisers hadreal-time data about their ads which where directly

targeted to the audience they sought. Since mostInternet gaming environments require payment andpersonal information demographic detail increased.

Another untapped arena for advertisers isVirtual Worlds. Places like Second Life and EntropiaUniverse provide opportunities to interact and com-municate with users in ways not achievablethrough traditional mediums. In these settings,individuals create a 3D “avatar” (human or fantasycharacters) and through walking, flying, or teleport-ing can explore unimaginable worlds. These virtualspaces take shape in numerous forms and mayresemble a city street in Amsterdam, a walkthrough the Louvre Museum in Paris, or standing onthe bow of the Titanic - strike a pose as Rose orJack! As part of your “Second Life,” you mayacquire land, build a house, and shop at yard salesto buy clothes or home furnishings. Real dollars areexchanged in these worlds and the lines betweenfantasy and reality become blurred. In addition, youmay form relationships with neighbors and groupsthat share similar interests or causes. Innovativeorganizations may create venues that interest thisyounger generation and weave their brand into theactivity or environment.

Consider how Coca Cola approaches this demo-graphic. Coke Studios is a place where teens can mixmusic in a virtual studio and win “decibel” points byplaying their mixes to other members. With thesepoints, they can buy things such as furnishings fortheir studio. Points are also earned by participatingin games and other activities. Whether you’re on aroller coaster or answering game quizzes, the ever-present red and white wave (Coke’s logo) adorns theobjects, wallpaper, or surroundings and serves as anactive brand builder. This subtle approach createsmore than awareness like advertisements do, butallows the individual to interact with the brand.

What about educational branding? If you are afinancial institution, you can achieve this objectivethrough a venue that informs and creates brandawareness to a new generation. Well’s Fargo builtStagecoach Island in Second Life and touts it as thefirst virtual reality (online) financial literacy game.In an official press release, Well’s Fargo cites “overhalf of U.S. High School students graduate withoutknowing the basics of banking…and 70% of collegestudents play video games.” This blending ofentertainment and learning achieves more thantraditional mediums would ever hope to.

www.brilliantpublishing.com16 Brilliant Results | October 2006

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This free Internet-based game allows studentsto create a character on Stagecoach Island and theability to interact with other island members.Although most activities are free, such as skydivingand paintball, other experiences require money andcan be earned by attending a Virtual LearningLounge and answering basic banking questions.The topics covered in these sessions include budg-eting, saving, managing money and were derivedfrom a Well’s Fargo signature program called“Hands on Banking”®. By creating a hip and funsetting, Well’s Fargo engages this younger genera-tion by interacting with their services (Well’s FargoATM machine) while associating their brand withbanking services.

What if you are launching a new brand to thistarget market? That’s exactly what Aloft (A WHotel brand) did in September 2006. According toAlison Brod, Public Relations, Aloft will be the firsthotel brand to open its doors for operation in avirtual setting. Visitors will be able to visit guestrooms, lounges, and surrounding environmentswell before the first real-world hotel opens itsdoors in 2008.

The Aloft brand suggests an “escape” from theordinary and provides a highly unique experience.

Visitors will be able to provide feedback on ameni-ties such as food service and décor. The purposebehind developing this site was to educate consumerson this brand by allowing visitors to experience theloft-style rooms and trendy environment. In essence,Aloft is building a potential customer base viafamiliarization and use of their services.

Imagine if you are non-profit organization withlimited resources? The American Cancer Societyrecently held a “walk” through a virtual route toraise needed funds. In a recentOnPhilanthropy.com article, the American Cancersociety raised $38,000 during their “Relay ForLife.” This walk involved thousands of partici-pants whom walked in a virtual setting. “We arethrilled with the success of this year’s Second LifeRelay for Life program,” said Michael Mitchell,Vice President and Executive Director of theAmerican Cancer Society’s Futuring & InnovationCenter. “Now, more than ever, we know that a virtual community can be engaged just as effec-tively as a real community to help fight cancer.”The beauty of using this environment is undoubt-edly the wide reach at minimal financial burden.Since these activities exist in virtual worlds, thecost to sponsor an event or cover incidentals (like

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t-shirts and cleaning fees) is manage-able. By virtue of their success, thisshould be an attractive venue forother causes and charities.

What about Fortune 500 organiza-tions? Could another advertising chan-nel exist in these virtual worlds?Consider the possibilities.

Your company produces a newmobile device that enables the user todo far more than is currently available.Traditional media channels targeted tothe younger market are highly congest-ed and commoditized. Due to the tech-nical nature of your offering, you willneed consumers to spend time learning

these features in a fun and interestingmanner. As a result, you build a tech-nology center in a virtual world toshowcase capabilities in a game format.For example, to educate users on a GPSfeature, you build an Amazon jungleand have them navigate their waywhile avoiding quicksand and preda-tors. By completing the game, theyhave “learned” how to apply thesefeatures and become more encouragedto try other offerings.

What is the real value of advertis-ing in this new virtual world? First,consumers have the ability to experi-ence things not currently possible inthe real world. Product trials in virtualsettings provide a low-risk environ-ment for testing features and benefits.You can hire avatars to be productambassadors and answer commonquestions. Also, you can demonstrateyour 3D product or service in use. Livevideo and jpegs can add to the experi-ence to help educate the user. In somecases, live feeds such as the AtlantisShuttle launch can be viewed in somevirtual settings.

Could virtual environments be ajust another channel for advertis-ing or a viable community for con-sumerism? When blogging came on the scene, people dismissed it as afad and characterized it was asoapbox for loonies! Today, organi-zations of all sizes closely monitorthese sites and take what’s beingsaid very seriously. Could virtualworlds be the next medium foradvertising?

Bill Nissim consults with organizationson strategic branding imperatives. Hiswebsite www.ibranz.com contains ref-erence materials, links, and helpful arti-cles on the many facets of branding. Inaddition, Nissim released his first book“The Brand Advocate” to provide atool-kit for the marketing practitioner.

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WITH THE HOLIDAY SEASON fast approaching, it’stime to start thinking about what sort of gestures ofgoodwill you plan on extending to your clients andemployees. Many businesses choose unique, beautifullydesigned holiday greeting cards to fit thispurpose. Business greeting cards can enhanceyour current business relationships, attractnew customers, remind old clients that youexist, and show appreciation to supportiveclients. Use proper business greeting cardetiquette. What is a well-meaning gesturecan offend the people you want to impresswhen it is not done properly.

But, when it comes to holiday businessgreeting cards, what are the rules of eti-quette that apply? In an increasinglydiverse world, it’s important to be up-to-dateabout industry standards and prescripts, aswell as understanding the printing processesinvolved in order to conduct a smooth holidaycampaign. Here, Dimaco pros give you thelow-down on greeting card etiquette andhow to make sure your printing goes off witha hitch.1. Buy Quality Cards: Start with a good quali-

ty business greeting card to show that youvalue your clients and colleagues. Skimping onyour selection can be interpreted in a numberof ways. You recipients might take it as a signthat business has not been good or that theyaren’t worth a little investment. Even better:have a unique card designed specifically foryour business. Doing so shows clients thatyour business is prospering and can providesingularly great service.

2. Update Your List: Make sure your list is up-to-date with correct names and addresses. If you do thison a regular basis, it does not become a dreaded holi-day chore. As you gain new contacts throughout theyear, take time to add them to your database for yourbusiness greeting card group. This way you won’tembarrass yourself by sending the card to the oldaddress.

3. Print Signatures, not Typed Names: Even if you havepreprinted information on the business greeting card such

as your name, you need toad your handwrittenprinted signature.

4. Personalize the Envelopes: If you are ready tothrow up your hands at this point and forget

the whole project, then have someone elseaddress the envelopes for you. Use

computer-generated addresses in a hand-written font, printed directly to the enve-lope instead of onto a sticky label. Labeled

envelopes are impersonal and makeyour holiday wishes look more like amass mailing. You may save money, butcan lose a client in the process.5. B Sensitive to Traditions: Go with a

generic card that will not offend.“Season’s Greetings” and “HappyHolidays” are safe bets.6. Order Extra: Our clients tell us theyoften have last minute additions totheir mailing list, so we suggest youorder a few more cards than youroriginal estimate. It is always lessexpensive to order extras with youinitial order compared to placing a

second order.7. Allow Enough Time: Give yourselfand your printer plenty of time to cre-ate and prepare your order, especial-ly in the holiday season. Do yourselfa favor by handling it now – beforethe holidays sneak up (as if thatever happens.)8. Avoid the Mail Rush: Mail your

business greeting cards in time toarrive for the designated holiday, and

mail far enough in advance so yourgreetings don’t arrive in a stack of your competitors cards.

Yes, the holiday season can be stressful, but your holi-day greeting campaign doesn’t have to be.

Emily Charette can be reached at Dimaco, LTD., a company specializing in Printing, Direct Mail, Design andStrategy to make every direct mail campaign catchy, accuratelytargeted, cost efficient and most importantly, easy for you,at www.directmailcompany.com.

What You Should KnowAboutHoliday Greetings

BY: EMILY CHARETTE

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IF YOU’RE IN DIRECT MARKETING, you’re contin-ually looking for new list sources — everybody’stired of mailing to the same lists. If you’re not indirect marketing and thinking about putting a mail-ing together, here’s something a little different: takea look at marketing through associations.

Why would anyone ever market to associations?They’re great targets: try sending a press release toan association’s publication – whether it’s anewsletter or a magazine. Why, you can alert anentire industry of your products or services withone or two well-placed news releases.

Since the magazines and newsletters of associa-tions are not the mainstream prospecting tools ofmost marketers who market through more tradi-tional channels association publications receive justa fraction of the press releases and promotionalarticles that go to major publishers. Yet the compre-hensive lists of over 23,000 associations go aston-ishingly deep in most major and minor markets. Inaddition, association publications are usually wellregarded and lend excellent credibility to the firmsthat get ink in their house publications.

Why else would you market through associa-tions? Maybe you’re an affinity marketer – andyou’d like to have the 96,000 members of theAmerican Speech-Language-Hearing Associationapply for the special trial rate of your new creditcard. Or, maybe you’d like the National ElectricalContractors Association – with 80 people on staff,and a budget of $10 to $25 million to support their4,000 member firms that comprise 118 local chapters(along with the entire personnel of each memberfirm) – to apply for your new phone service.Associations can deliver thousands of their

members – new customers for you – with a just afew contacts and a modest budget.

You’d definitely market through associations ifyou’re part of the hospitality industry and would liketo arrange a convention – complete with hotelrooms, ballrooms, and services for the completescreaming regime of whoever shows up – of the2,300,000 members of the National EducationAssociation of the United States. Or go for a small-er piece of their $100,000,000 budget – give or takea few million – get hired as a speaker or on-siteentertainment, or snag some of the association’sprinting business. Association lists work for all theabove.

Quite frankly, I realize the big organizations arenot for everyone. Not everyone is looking for the bignumbers, even in lists. Some people are just lookingfor a short cut – an entry wedge into an industry atthe top level. For this purpose, association lists arealso useful in marketing to the elite leaders of selectindustries. For example: If you wanted to get in bedwith all of the 53 companies who belong to theBiscuit and Cracker Distributors Association, a refer-ence book showing detailed information about theirassociation may be just your cup of tea. You’ll findtheir address – along with their association size,annual budget, history, newsletter and publicationdetail, meeting and convention dates, website, emailaddress, and their executive director’s name – in theNational Trade and Professional Associations of theUnited States directory.

The National Trade and ProfessionalAssociations of the United States reference tool lists7,600 associations, and is published annually byColumbia Books, Inc. along with its companion, the

MarketinThrough Associations

BY: JEFFREY DOBKIN

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State and Regional Associations of the U.S. directory.The state and regional association guide is particu-larly useful if you are targeting specific geographicareas and want access to top local association con-tacts not included in the national book. The Stateand Regional Associations of the U.S. directory alsohas a higher percentage of association managerswho, while managing multiple associations, crossmany industry lines when sourcing vendors oraffinity marketers.

Information in both Columbia Books directoriesis cross-referenced by association index, subjectindex, also by budget index, geographic index,executive index, and acronym name index.Association management companies are alsoshown. All of their data is available on disk. Thesetwo reference tools fit in your briefcase, and makesurprisingly great reading, if - like me - you’re amarketer and have no other life outside of market-ing and occasionally watching cat-dog on TV (askyour kids!).

Association lists and data are also available inthe Encyclopedia of Associations by The GaleGroup on disk, CD, and on-line through Lexis-Nexis.This hardbound, three-volume set is the motherload of associations - showing detailed informationon more than 23,000 local, state, national, and inter-national associations. Gale says that seven out ofevery ten Americans belong to an association, andnow I believe it: they all show up here in this exten-sive directory set.

Referenced and cross-referenced in every which-way possible, you can reach the 30,000 members of Retinitis Pigmentosa International, the 200 members of the 1954 Buick Skylark Club, the 20members of the Vacuum Cleaner ManufacturersAssociation, or the 10 members of the HolyInnocents Reparation Committee with equal ease.

Another great resource of associations is TheAssociations Yellow Book from LeadershipDirectories. While it doesn’t have the number of associations found in Gale’s Encyclopedia ofAssociations, it has an exceptional depth of infor-mation about the top thousand or so associations,arranged and presented in an attractive and logicalmanner. So if you’re looking for the top players inthe association field, this resource tool may bejust what your doctor ordered. To be listed in TheAssociations Yellow Book, associations mustoperate on a national level and have annual operating

budgets of at least $2 million. The listings in The Associations Yellow Book are supplemented by eight indexes: Industry; Geographical—alphabetically by state; Budget—alphabeticallywithin five budget classifications; Political ActionCommittee; Foundation; Personnel—all namesare listed alphabetically; Acronym; and MasterIndex of Associations.

One of the most outstanding features of this easyto use directory is the quality and depth of informa-tion about each association. For example: the fullpage and one-quarter listing for the InternationalAssociation for Management Education shows notonly the 18 officers and management personnel withtheir individual direct dial phone numbers and exten-sions, their affiliations, education and email address-es, but the listing also contains the names and affili-ation of each of their 23 board members. Even thereceptionist gets her name mentioned with herphone number. So if you’re looking for the personwho just handles the conventions, or the publica-tions, you can write or call directly to him.

Marketing to - or through - associations may turnout to be a key component of your campaign; don’toverlook these great resources for their member-ship lists or for opportunities for joint ventures inaffinity marketing.

Association directors represent key playerswho are in charge and in tune with virtually anyindustry, so they make great resources if you needinformation. Sometimes mailing or faxing a fewsimple questions to an association headquartersmay produce more information faster than anentire year of researching books or reading tradeperiodicals. The foremost goal of most associa-tions is to educate their members - might as wellhave them educate their members about yourproducts and services.

Jeffrey Dobkin is a direct marketing copywriter, ahumorous and fun speaker, and an all around goodguy. He can be reached at 610-642-1000, and hiswebsite - where you can read other articles of his -can be found at www.dobkin.com. Call him forother articles, free samples of his work or a freereview of your current campaign. Jeffrey Dobkin isalso the author of two books, Uncommon MarketingTechniques, and How To Market A Product ForUnder $500!, a direct marketing how-to manual.Thanks. Satisfaction Always Guaranteed.

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Live Holiday PlantsLive Holiday Plants

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To Show the Love!

Why Settle for Ordinary Rewards……Cloud 9 Living is an experience gift company that opens up a whole new world of incentives with more than 1,200extraordinary gift experiences that motivate, inspire and reward special employees and customers.Cloud 9 Living

Give Sales A Billboard……This “brilliant marketing tool” convertsyour ordinary laptops into valuable newmarketing mediums. The frame adheresto the cover of your company’s laptops.

Once on you can insert any sheet ofpaper with your company’s logo,

slogan, website or photograph of yourproduct or service. Plus, you can updateyour ad in seconds by inserting any sheet

of paper. Laptops are used everywheretoday at sales meetings, marketing

events, trade shows, seminars, letyour employees attract newcustomers while they work.

LapLooks

YES, IT IS THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN…time to think about how your company is going to show its

appreciation for loyal clients and employees. Today, the holiday cash bonus is being replaced by the gift card/

certificate/basket or promotional item. Executives who are weary of the same tired holiday gifts can now search

websites that provide directories with links to companies that specialize in gifts. Ask Google® to search ‘corporate

holiday gifts’ and you’ll receive over 6,500 hits.

In an effort to keep readers ahead of the crowd and save them the time required viewing 6,500 websites, we have

included some innovative and exciting gift ideas for your consideration this holiday season.

It’s Time

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Make Your Message Stand Out……This season make sure your company

card is on top of the pile. Any one of thesebeautiful possibilities is sure to get positive

attention this holiday season.Warwick Publishing

If Comfort is What YourLooking For……Make sure this all-weatherhooded Journey Jacket with a100% nylon taffeta shell and a soft 100% cotton fleece lining is on your company gift list. It’sperfect for any season and theoversized hood and adjustabletoggles, make this jacket is a must for corporate outings.Sierra Pacific

Every Desk Should Have One…Everyday customers and employees reach for

a Post®-It Note. This holiday season, put yourimage front and center all year with a stylish holder

engraved with you company’s logo and message. 3 M

Cover the Sand with YourMessage…

Flip-flops are in and what better wayto get noticed. Leave your company

footprint wherever staff or clients travelwith this innovative footwear.

Neet Feet

For Those Who Drive……What better way to say thanks thenwith this stylish thermos and engraved

mug set. Every time they take a sip ofthat beverage to keep them on the goyour message will be front and center.

Bullet Line

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FOR THE PAST DECADE, many business ownershave regarded direct mail as the ugly stepsisterof print or broadcast advertising. Loud, misleadingand cluttered pieces mailed anonymously to mil-lions of prospects only served to reinforce this perception.

Today, however, some of the most innovativeand effective advertising is delivered throughthe mail, and more and more business ownersare finding the rewards of direct mail are great iftheir campaigns are designed with a discerningeye and a realistic strategy in mind. Looking forsome tips to help you create a direct mail cam-paign that brings in results without breaking thebank? Here are 10 smart tactics, culled from my15 years as a direct mail professional:

Develop a visual sense for what works andwhat doesn’t. You have an abundance of learningmaterials right inside your mailbox. The next timeyou go through your mail, take a minute to exam-ine what’s there, what catches your attention,what attracts you and what repels you. Do youhave examples of previous campaigns you’ve sentout, or pieces from your competitors that you canlearn from? “Junk mail” has a unique style—learn

to recognize it and think about how you can create the opposite.

Don’t insult your prospects’ intelligence byusing cheesy tag lines or see-and-say visuals.Believe it or not, “FREE MONEY” doesn’t attractmuch attention in the inundated world of today’sconsumers. So avoid using bold with italics, ALLCAPS, and multiple exclamation points (!!!!), asthese are the clichéd visual cues of junk mail.And try to be innovative in what you do show.Make a point of avoiding see-and-say graphics,which are too elementary to involve and acti-vate the brain of a potential customer. Forinstance, let’s say you were sending outa postcard for your lawn-care servicethat reads “Lawn-MowingService” and the photo or illus-tration depicts a companyemployee mowing a lawn.(See: picture of employee mow-ing lawn. Say: “Lawn-MowingService.”) Boring! Instead, bemore creative. The key here is toentice your audience to complete a story intheir minds of how your product or service solves

10Direct Mail Sec10

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BY: MARK RISLEY

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ecrets

“The next time you go through your mail, take a minute to examine what’s there, what catches your attention, what attracts

you and what repels you.”

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a problem they have. In the example above, you mightshow the uniformed employee mowing the lawn buthave the caption read “Honey, did you mow the lawntoday?” “Yeah, it’s a tough job, but someone had to doit.” That way, the audience has to figure out the picture.They might complete the riddle like this: “Why is thisguy taking credit for mowing the lawn? Because hehired this lawn-mowing service and got the job done.Maybe I could relegate my lawn-mowing responsibilitylike this guy did.” Involving your audience lengthensthe time they take to look at your mail piece andimproves the odds they’ll take in the information theyneed to make a decision for your business. Humor canalso play a great part in these visual stories.

Don’t assume your audience knows everything. Aneducated consumer is one that’s more willing to make apurchase. Your headline should draw attention to yourbody copy, which is your most powerful selling tool.Ignore what people say about how no one reads any-more—if compelled by a good headline and provokingimagery, a potential customer will want more informa-tion immediately. Directing them to a web site or phonenumber is asking a lot of your audience, so instead,include essential information right on the mail piece.When writing copy, start from the beginning, be direct,and include as much information as you can in five sen-tences or less. Chances are, the reader is scanning, souse words that are easy to understand but are descrip-tive enough to accurately communicate your message.

Use what you know. If you know your customersinside and out, by all means, use that information inyour mail piece. Meeting your potential customerswhere they are is a great way to attain trust quickly.Become familiar with your market so you can be specif-ic about your mailing list. Consider demographics likegender, age, income, climate, leisure activities and morewhen deciding where to mail each piece. The more youuse information that’s been hard-earned in years past,the better your response rates will be.

“You Won’t Believe This Amazing Offer!” At leastthat part’s true, when it comes to your prospects—peo-ple are much more skeptical these days. So do some-thing completely unusual with your direct mail piece:Tell the truth. Exposing your weaknesses make yourstrengths seem even greater, and (yes, believe it) cre-ates a sense of honesty and trust. Consider this exam-ple: A flooring company boasts “the best styles at thebest prices.” While the claim sounds attractive, it does-n’t have the same believability (thus response-eliciting)factor as a piece that claims “the same styles at the bestprices.” Creating a trustworthy message allows con-sumers to set positive expectations, rather than refuting

any false ones they might be reading. And when poten-tial customers set expectations, you can bet they’reready to take a risk on your business.

Ask and you shall receive. Know exactly what actionyou want your mail piece to elicit, and then ask for it.Then ask again. This is known as the call-to-action in theworld of direct mail, and it’s the consumers’ cue for get-ting what they want. If there’s no call-to-action, yourdirect mail piece is just creating brand recognition. Isthere a number to call? Don’t just list the number—askthem to make the call. Is there a website to visit? Isresponse mail required? Ask, suggest and entice youraudience to respond to your piece. Make the informationaccessible, easy to read and effective—which may meanmaking some changes in the office, whether that’s a des-ignated phone line or a more memorable web address.

Consider the medium. What will your message bedelivered on? Postcards are an effective medium formost products, because they cut down a barrier (theenvelope) between the consumer and the message.However, some direct mail is more appropriate whencrafted as a letter, especially those that involve high-dol-lar sales and financial services. Think carefully aboutyour product and your message before making a deci-sion about the medium. No matter what format youchoose, consider the paper your message will be print-ed on. Inexpensive paper communicates something verydifferent from high-quality paper. If you’re selling any-thing that’s considered expensive, high quality or cus-tom, nice paper will communicate that message muchmore effectively than something inexpensive. On theother hand, the type of paper you choose makes littledifference when you’re selling items that are inexpen-sive, sold at bulk rates or discounted. Deciding what’sbest for your direct mail piece will improve yourresponse rates exponentially.

Use color wisely. Color will always catch more atten-tion than black and white, but when it comes to color,more is not necessarily better. Additional colors maycost more money to produce—and too many colors cancreate a piece that’s confusing and cluttered—so it’simportant to find what’s best for your project. Begin bychoosing one or two main colors and one or two sup-porting colors based on the feelings they elicit: Warmcolors are exciting and energizing; cool colors are relax-ing and refreshing. Bright colors speak loudly; dull col-ors suggest quietly. Think about your product, corporateimage and your audience when choosing color. Metalliccolors are a great option for one- or two-color jobs. Andcheck with your printer to see what’s available thatmight make your piece stand out for a small—or no—increase in price. Consider colored paper, as well as

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using a color as a field (covering a large shape area)and reversing out the text (that means showingwhite text on a colored background). These tech-niques will help you make the most of your budgetand color choices for maximum impact.

Personalize your pieces. You’ve seen them:“[your name here], you’ve got to check out thisdeal!” Personalization can enhance a consumer’sinclination to read your direct mail piece by creat-ing a sense of familiarity. It also emphasizes theirimportance to your business. For example, are youmore likely to open an envelope that says“Current Resident” or “[Your Name]”? Most like-ly, you’ll feel important to the second businessand choose to open that mail first. When it comesto personalizing a direct mail piece, there are a lotof options, ranging from addressing it to a specif-ic consumer or including their name in the letterportion to printing their name in the art area onthe actual postcard or letter. Some of theseoptions can get pricey, so if you think it’s appropri-ate for your mailer, talk with your printer aboutyour personalization options so you’ll know whatoptions fit your budget.

Determine the best way to mail it. When it comesto mailing your direct mail pieces, you have optionsregarding the postage you purchase. Think aboutyour customers and the value of your product, as wellas time sensitivity. Will “presort” (formerly bulk rate)mail arrive in time? Do your potential customers careabout first-class postage or not? Are you eligible toreceive special, not-for-profit postage rates? Anddon’t forget to consider the type of postage for yourdirect mail piece. You can choose to use first-class orpresort stamps, or you can print the first-class or pre-sort postage directly on the mail pieces (this is knownas the indicia). In pieces that are highly personalizedand official looking, a stamp can enhance responserates because consumers infer a human touch. Onpostcards, indicia work just as well as stamps anddon’t cost anything to apply to the mail piece. •

With fifteen years of direct mail experience, MarkRisley, President of Dallas-based Dimaco Ltd., a full-service, direct mail company, specializes in devel-oping highly effective direct marketing campaignsfor businesses across the United States. Visit thecompany’s web site, www.directmailcompany.com,for more information.

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IT’S NOT UNCOMMON for a marketer to invest atremendous amount of time, effort, and money in anew direct mail package, and then create the outerenvelope almost as an afterthought.

That’s a mistake, because tests have shown thatvarying the outer envelope can increase or depressresponse rates in an A/B split – even if the mailinginside is identical – by 25% to 100% or more.

Here are 9 important outer envelope factors toconsider when putting together your next mailing:

1. TO TEASE OR NOT TO TEASE? We use outer envelope teasers because we think

the strong teaser we have written will increaseresponse.

But there are times when a teaser – even one we think is strong – has the opposite effect andactually decreases response.

Some marketers argue that the purpose of theteaser is to get the recipient to open the outer enve-lope. But a blank envelope from a stranger getsopened every time: you want to know what it is andwho it’s from.

So why use a teaser at all? Copywriter BobMatheo says the function of a teaser is to create apositive expectation for what’s inside the envelope.

Recommendation: If you can’t come up with com-pelling copy for the outer envelope, don’t use ateaser. If you have a teaser you think is strong, doan A/B split test of a teaser vs. no teaser. Then rollout with the winner.

2. WHO IS IT FROM? The corner card – the sender’s name and address

on the outer envelope – tells the reader who the let-ter is from.

Strategies for Improving Your Outer

Envelope 9 BY ROBERT W. BLY

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“The corner card – the sender’sname and address on the outer

envelope – tells the reader who the letter is from.”

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Let’s say you are doing a mailing to sell subscrip-tions to an investment newsletter. The letter couldbe from the editor (Ron Gurian), the publisher(Capital Financial Media), or the publication itself(Tech Stock Update).

The corner card copy is not trivial, and should betested. One publisher had just the name of the edi-tor and the publishing company in the corner card.When they added the name of the publication, itdepressed response by 25%.

3. COMPANY LETTERHEAD OR PLAINENVELOPE?

When the recipient gets an envelope with thelogo of a company he does not know, he suspectsthat he is getting promotional mail and is thereforeless likely to open the envelope, read the contents,and respond.

To avoid this from happening, you can omit yourlogo and set the company name and address in thecorner card in plain type, such as Helvetica or New Courier.

When your company or brand is well known,using your corporate logo may lift response. IT pro-fessionals, for instance, are likely to read a mailingfrom IBM because they think it may be importanttechnical or product news.

A number of mailers type the name of the personwho signed the letter in New Courier above thelogo, so it looks as if it was typed on the envelope byhand. Those who have done it tell me the techniqueincreases their response.

4. PAPER STOCK AND COLOR? In a test, a mailer did an A/B split of their control

using a Kraft envelope vs. a white envelope. Thewhite envelope out pulled the Kraft envelope by 25%.

This does not mean that the rule is “white alwaysout pulls Kraft.” It does mean that outer envelopesmatter and you should test.

Agora Publishing’s long-time control forInternational Living was mailed in a white #10 enve-lope. When the control threatened to tire, they revivedit by taking the entire package, putting it inside a Kraftenvelope with a cover letter, and mailing it that way.

5. SIZE? Test different sizes: Monarch, #10, #11, #14, 6 by

9 inches, and the 9 by 12-inch jumbo. In direct mailenvelopes, size does matter, so this is worth testing.A common result is that the jumbo lifts responseover the #10, but not enough to make it profitable.Exceptions? Tons.

6. STAMP, METER, OR INDICIA? Conventional wisdom says that best to worst, in

order of preference, is a stamp, then a meter, then apreprinted indicia. Some marketers report a lift inresponse when using commemoratives and otherunusual stamps. Another technique I’ve seen workwith a jumbo mailing is to use multiple low-denomina-tion stamps to reach the total required for postage.

7. FIRST CLASS OR THIRD CLASS? Direct mail that sells a product via mail order is

almost always sent third class because of the eco-nomics. However, if you are doing lead-generationmailings to business prospects using just a letter inan envelope with a reply card, and your universe issmall, first class may lift your response.

8. WINDOW? Should you use a closed-face envelope? Or should

you use a window envelope?Test. The advantage of a closed-face envelope is

that it looks like real personal or business mail. Theadvantage of the window envelope is that the recipi-ent’s name and address can be imprinted or affixed tothe reply element, which is positioned so that theyshow through the window – eliminating the need forthe customer to write in his own name and address.

9. BULK? Should the envelope be flat? Or should you make it

bulky, and therefore arouse the reader’s curiosity, byputting something inside it other than paper? The mar-keting director for a national nonprofit told me that all oftheir best-performing packages have “heft” created bya small, enclosed object, such as a crucifix or necklace.

When I worked for a manufacturer of wire meshused in chemical plants, we dramatically boostedresponse by enclosing an actual sample of the wiremesh along with our sales letter (actually, we designedthe letter as a faux shipping tag and attached it to thesample). The teaser on the bulky envelope read: “YourFREE mesh mist eliminator enclosed.”

Enclosing an unusual object works especiallywell when you plan to follow up each package witha phone call. A contractor sent a brick with his busi-ness card silk-screened on it. When he called to fol-low up, he told prospects, “I’m the guy who sentyou the brick.” He almost always got through.

Robert W. Bly is a freelance copywriter and theauthor of more than 50 books including TheComplete Idiot’s Guide to Direct Marketing (Alpha).His e-mail address is [email protected] and his Web siteaddress is www.bly.com.


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For most companies these days, everything comes

down to three little letters—ROI. Return on investment

is probably the most important tool in determining

the success of any program—including a promotional

campaign. ROI means you evaluate your investment

in the promotion by comparing the magnitude

and timing of your expected gains to the cost of

the program.

But how do you estimate the number of times a

company’s message might be viewed over the life of

a promotional product? More importantly, what is

the cost of advertising via the medium? The following

scenarios help to estimate the ROI for three of the

most popular types of promotional products. Please

note that this information is anecdotal because there

is no formalized measurement of cost per impression

in the promotional products industry like there is for

other advertising mediums.

ROI Of An Imprinted T-Shirt

• Assume a $5 t-shirt lasts six to 18 months and

is worn at least one to two times per month.

• If an average of 10 to 50 people view the shirt, there

will be between 10 and 100 impressions per month.

• Over the life of the shirt, there will be between

60 and 1,800 impressions.

• The cost per impression is between $.083 and $.0027.

• CPM (cost per thousand impressions) will range

between $2.70 and $83.

ROI Of An Imprinted Mug:

• Assume a $3 mug lasts 12 to 24 months.

• With an average of three to 10 people viewing

the mug each day, there will be between 90 and

300 impressions per month.

• This amounts to between 1,080 to 3,600

impressions a year.

• The cost per impression per year is then between

$0.0027 and $0.00083.

• If it lasts two years, the cost per impression is

between $0.0013 and $0.0004. Longevity of

the product reduces the cost per impression.

• The cost per thousand impressions will range

between $0.83 and $2.70.

ROI Of A Bumper Sticker:

• Assume a $1.50 bumper sticker lasts six

to 12 months with five to 25 people viewing it

every day.

• There will then be 150 to 750 impressions per month.

• If the sticker lasts six months, that will result in at

least 900 to 4,500 impressions over a six-month period.

• If the bumper sticker lasts for a year, that would

result in 1,800 to 9,000 impressions in that period.

• The cost per impression for this product, if it lasts for

a six-month period, is between $.0016 and $0.0003.

• If the product lasts one year then the cost per

impression is between $0.00083 and $0.00016.

Convinced to give promotional products a try? Go to

www.promoideas.org to find a promotional consultant

and scores of case studies, ideas and resources to

help you.

For Serious ROI, Give Promotional Products A Try

Presented By:

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www.brilliantpublishing.com

CHALLENGE:When business seemed a little slow for the sales repsat Mosaic Sales Solutions, a provider of in-store/in-branchfield merchandising and sales services, the repsdecided to jump-start the business. They were onlyreceiving approximately one MBNA credit card application per bank branch per month and wantedto increase this number. To accomplish this, LauraMaschler, director of sales for Mosaic, called promotional consultant Bill Lowery of SchroepferWessels Jolesch in Dallas, Texas, to help increaseawareness of the credit card program by using market-ing signage, rep uniforms and promotional products.

SOLUTION:“In this promotion,” says Lowery, “promotional products were used as incentives for bank customersto sign up for credit cards and for bank employees torefer customers to sign up for credit cards.”

Bank customers signing up for a credit card hada choice of patriotic-imprinted, “Spirit ofAmerica” premiums—ball caps, tumbler mugs,tote bags or playing cards—or “Simplify Your Life”

premiums, such as pocket atlases, memo tapemeasures, book light pens, mini tool sets or notejotters with pens.

Bank employees who had a referral sign up for acredit card had a choice of food incentives designedto look like credit cards—microwave popcorn,Hershey bar or mints card—or a “Think of YourselfAs The Customer” jelly bean-filled light bulb.

RESULT:“As a result of this promotion, the number of creditcard applications taken per branch increased on averagefrom one a month to more than 50 per month—analmost 5,000-percent increase,” says Maschler.

Find a promotional consultant at www.promoideas.org

TIP: For successful promotions, identifythe action you want recipients to take.Then identify the product that will motivate this change.

Brilliant Results | October 2006 35

INDUSTRY: Financial—Mosaic Sales Solutions/MBNA America Bank, N.A.


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CHALLENGE:Sometimes goals can be reached with the help of others.Who couldn’t use a little rah-rah support every nowand then? Instead of bringing in the cheerleadingsquad from the local high school, J.C. Ehrlich Co.,Inc., a pest control and yard care company, turned toits staff when it wanted them toreach their goals. The ideawas for co-workers to moti-vate andencourageeach other tomeet a set ofsix production-improvement goals.

SOLUTION:Margaret Ideman, director, continuousimprovement for J.C. Ehrlich Co., Inc.,wanted to see high levels of participation in thecompany’s 42 districts, so she met with promotionalconsultant Rick Mann, MAS, of Lasting ImagePromotions & Wearables in Sinking Spring,Pennsylvania, to develop a theme for the program.They launched “Space Odyssey 2001,” suggesting ajourney toward out-of-this-world business results.

Each district office was given planet and space shipmarkers that moved along a space odyssey chart totrack progress. Of course, to introduce the intergalacticcampaign, the company’s president dressed as Mr.Spock when speaking to his space crew. To keepthe program highly visible, crew members wereencouraged to decorate their offices with a space theme.

As districts reached performance goals, all employeesin the district received promotional items such astravel mugs, robotic calculators, umbrellas, picniclunch bags and folding chairs. Upon reaching thehighest point level on the space odyssey chart, eachdistrict selected its final destination—Hershey Park,Atlantic City or Niagara Falls—where the entire

district and their families traveled as a group to celebrate the mission’s completion.

RESULT:Ideman was pleased to see enthusiastic, company-wideparticipation in the yearlong program, leading the 42districts to show substantial improvement in all sixobjectives. Eighteen district offices exceeded theirbusiness goals and earned the grand prize trip.

“The program was not only successful for the companyfrom a business perspective, but it was motivationalfor our co-workers as well,” Ideman says. “How wetreat our co-workers is how they, in turn, treat their customers.”


INDUSTRY: Pest Control and Yard Care—J.C. Ehrlich Co., Inc.

FACT: Promotional products are the only media that engage all five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. What could be more powerful?


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BR0706_Section03 9/24/06 9:40 PM Page 61

CHALLENGE:Many sales organizations sponsor incentive conteststo motivate their salespeople to increase sales andproductivity during certain timeframes. James Spore,GEICO Direct sales promotion manager, wanted such acontest for a two-month period to motivate the company’s 535 direct representatives (GDRs) and its4,300 sales counselors to increase productivity.

SOLUTION:Because GEICO was celebrating its first year as a cor-porate sponsor of a Busch Series NASCAR racing car,promotional consultant Amy Tillotson of SummitMarketing in Silver Spring, Maryland, designed thecontest and the incentive products around a “GEICO500” theme. At the GDR kickoff rally, GDRs receivedGEICO 500-imprinted caps, flags and mini tire pres-sure key chains. At the sales counselors’ kickoff rally,GEICO 500-imprinted racing pennants, racingweepuls, race car cans, stadium cushions, race cartire yo-yos and caps in bags were presented to thecounselors. To maintain enthusiasm during the two-month period, GDRs and salespeople won racing poloshirts, scratch cards, stadium seats, smart mugs andrace fan kits by participating in trivia games.

RESULT:Spore reports, “The degree of success was measurednot only by the number of sales but, more impor-tantly, also by an increase of productivity by oursales counselors during the first quarter contest period. The results speak for them selves. There was a company-wide corporate increase of two percent inoverall productivity for auto insurance policy sales.Additionally, company-wide new corporate businesspolicies increased by 9.4 percent.

“In the GDR program, there was a 1.6-percent overallproductivity increase for auto insurance policy sales.Also, the posted new business policies increased byan overall productivity of 14.3 percent.”


INDUSTRY: Insurance—GEICO Insurance

FACT: The right promotional products are the hooks that embed a positive memory andmaintain a memorable experience.


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CHALLENGE:A new logo and two new facilities for NortheastAlabama Regional Medical Center meant majorchanges had taken place. The hospital wanted to create public awareness using a kid-friendlyapproach. Since one of the new pavilions was forwomen and children, it seemed fitting to create ayouthful program.

SOLUTION:Working with Melanie Perry, promotional consultantfor Birmingham, Alabama-based MBF Perry Company,the hospital’s Director of Community Relations SusanWilliamson, developed a spokesperson of sorts thatchildren would easily recognize. A tall, cuddly Louiethe Giraffe served as the hospital’s communityambassador, making public appearances to promotechild safety, education and good hygiene habits.

A series of open houses was announced with woodenpostcard invitations sent to executive senior staffmembers, while paper invitations were mailed to anaudience of 1,500 employees, a surrounding networkof physicians, referring medical offices, schools andcivic leaders.

At the employee open house, attendees received apair of “Louie Says Get Well” socks—a welcomeimprovement from the standard-issue disposablesocks patients typically received. Louie also madeappearances at hospital-sponsored Read-A-Thons,where he presented plush giraffe bookmarks toschoolchildren.

New mothers weren’t overlooked—in addition toreceiving the snuggly socks, they also received a custom-made stuffed Louie who welcomed their babyto the hospital family. Employee involvement in thenew facilities culminated in a picnic pep rally withthe distribution of t-shirts displaying the new slogan, “Good things are happening at RMC.”

RESULT:Louie the Giraffe became a beloved member of the

RMC family, with a medical center pollshowing more than 750 people had astrong fondness for and recognition

of the friendly giraffe.

“The outcome of these promotionalitems has truly helped set us apart from

other facilities,” Williamson says. “We have had more than 750

positive responses to ourpromotion campaign fromour target market.”

INDUSTRY: Healthcare—Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center


TIP: It’s not so much the product that you choose, but the way it makes yourrecipient feel.


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CHALLENGE:Moving to a new area offers manychallenges—to people and businesses.No one wants to be the new kid on theblock for very long. It was no different for promotionalconsultant Joan Charbonneau when she relocated her business to Chester, New Jersey. She wasted notime introducing the company to clients in the newterritory.

SOLUTION:“We initiated five direct mail promotions about sixweeks apart to showcase Promotions Unlimited’s personality, creativity and expertise to 82 prospectsat 15 pharmaceutical companies. The first waveincluded a Parker Vector pen with a letter invitingrecipients to call us if they were interested in writingmore business,” says Charbonneau. “The second mailingwas a Swiss Army ruler, a case study postcard featuringa custom EKG ruler and a letter detailing how, by anymeasuring stick, we reached the mark.”

Next, Charbonneau sent a postcard announcing thecompany’s website. The fourth mailing was sent inan imprinted mailer box containing a travel mug,special blended coffee packet, letter and a companybrochure. The message read, “If you are looking forgourmet imagination, give us a call. With a blend ofcreativity and expertise, we’ll give your brand a jolt.”

The fifth mailing contained a custom-designed talkingpedometer and an issue of Better Homes & Gardensthat had a poignant article about the importance of walking for health reasons.

“After each mailing,” says Charbonneau, “we madefollow-up calls to each person on the list to introduceourselves, set up appointments to present our capabilities and keep our company top of mind.”

RESULT:Charbonneau reports, “We had a 46-percent activeresponse rate from this direct mail promotion. Weare currently working with seven of the 15 originallytargeted companies.”

INDUSTRY: Advertising/Promotional Products—Promotions Unlimited, Inc.

TIP: It’s time to order holiday thank-you giftsfor vendors, clients, co-workers and employees.


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BR1006_Section02 9/25/06 3:18 AM


CHALLENGE:Thomas & Betts Corporation, a manufacturer oftelecommunications products, wanted to increasemarket share and acquire new accounts, particularlythose currently using the competitor’s product. Howcould it prove to its target audience that it offered a superior product?

SOLUTION:Familiar with the age-old task of conquering thecompetition, Catherine Anderson called promotionalconsultant David Tate of Signet, Inc. in Memphis,Tennessee, for help developing a campaign to obtainnew accounts.

The team decided to emphasize the long-term qualityof its product by placing a Thomas & Betts telephonepole bolt next to the competitor’s comparable bolt.For 30 days, the bolts were weathered simultaneously.Anderson and Tate were pleased with the endresult—the T&B bolt looked brand new, while the competitor’s bolt appeared eroded and worn.

“The aim of the promotion was to present specifictechnical information explaining why the Diamondbranded hardware outperforms and outlasts all com-petitor brands,” Anderson explains. They embeddedthe two bolts side-by-side in a Lucite™ block, thepersuasive point clearly made. Thomas & Betts salesreps delivered the blocks to potential customers onsales calls, letting the results speak for themselves.

“In addition to having this immediate visual impact,we anticipated the Lucite™ block would become adesk accessory that would act as an ongoingreminder, subliminally reinforcing the DiamondDifference message,” says Anderson.

RESULT:The results of the simple comparisontest worked to Thomas & Betts’advantage, landing them a multimillion dollar account.Anderson reports that the blockswere delivered to key purchasingand engineering decision makers in the telecommunications industry, with power player CoxCommunications converting completely to T&B products.

INDUSTRY: Telecommunications—Thomas & Betts Corporation

TIP: Giving calendars this holiday season?Give them early so recipients can beginplanning for 2007!



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Location. Location. Location. It’s the mantra in real

estate, and it has its place in the realm of promo-

tional products as well. To generate the highest ROI

and increase brand recognition, promotional items

must be seen. How can you ensure you get the most

value for your promotional dollars?

Choose items that need to live on a visible landscape,

such as a desktop. In a PPAI study* designed to

explore the impact and exposure of promotional

products, desk/office/business accessories rounded

out the top three promotional products categories,

just behind wearables and writing instruments.

Workers spend 40-plus hours a week in the office.

Capitalize on this captive audience by giving

promotional items that are integral to their daily

duties. Note/scratch pads and Post-it Notes® were

mentioned by 37 percent of the respondents who

received an item in this category, followed by

calculators, which were cited by nearly one-quarter

of respondents. Why are these products so popular?

The common thread appears to be information: these

items are the tools to record and generate it.

Plus, desk and office accessories are useful, which is

the key for recipients to keep items, as noted by

more than 75 percent of the respondents. Thirty-eight

percent use their promotional desk and office items

once a day, with another 39 percent citing weekly

usage. With 60 percent keeping promotional products

for as long as two years, that’s more than 830

impressions per product.

If you want promotional products that capture

decision makers’ attention, talk to your promotional

consultant when making marketing and advertising

plans. Together, you can choose decorated merchandise

that is useful and warrants placement in prime real

estate—the desktop.

Now that’s the power of promotional products.

PROMOTIONAL PROOF

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL3125 Skyway Circle NorthIrving, TX 75038888-I-AM-PPAI (426-7724)www.ppa.org

PPAI—the promotional products industry’s only international not-for-profit trade association—offerseducation, mentoring, public relations, publications,technology, tradeshows and legislative support to its7,500 global member companies.

INDUSTRY RESEARCH: The Power Of Promotional Products

38%

39%

10%

0% 13%

Once a day Once a week Once a monthOnce in six months Never

Usage Of Desk/Office/Business Accessories

*Promotional Products: Impact, Exposure And Influence© 2006 Promotional Products Association International


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WITH THE HOLIDAY SEASON fast approaching,marketing managers should start thinking aboutemployee gifts. But instead of opting for a smalltoken of your appreciation this year, considerrewarding your staff with an untraditional present:the gift of time. Employees value programs thatallow them to achieve greater work/life balance,especially during the hectic holidays. And whilebusiness never comes to a grinding halt, Novemberand December tend to be slower than most months,making the winter season the ideal time for youremployees to recharge.

By giving your marketing team time off or pro-viding them with the flexibility to meet personalobligations, you’ll keep staff members energized,happy and at the top of their game. Here are sometips for making this holiday season a bright andcheerful one for your department:

BE COMPLIMENTARY. Remember the spirit of giving during the holiday

season. For example, if your entire department willneed to work tirelessly on a key project with anearly November deadline, allow employees to takesome personal days once the assignment has beencompleted. Or give the whole team an extra day

off around Thanksgiving.

of TimeTheGift

Give employees something they’ll truly value this holiday season

BY: THE CREATIVE GROUP

BR1006_Section01.qxl 9/24/06 7:03 PM

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TRY TELECOMMUTING. If employees have the discipline and equipment

necessary to work from home, telecommuting onan as-needed basis can be an excellent alternativework arrangement. Allowing workers to telecom-mute once a week near the holidays (or on dayswhen commuting is difficult because of inclementweather) is sure to be appreciated.

CONSIDER FLEXTIME. Flexible scheduling enables employees to shift

their start and end times around a firm’s regularhours. For example, if standard office hours are 9a.m. to 6 p.m., an employee on flextime might work7 a.m. to 4 p.m. A compressed workweek is anoth-er option. Instead of working an eight-hour dayMonday through Friday, an employee on a com-pressed schedule works four ten-hour days.

Select a staffing firm. While you want to reward your team with some

hard-earned downtime, you might be concerned yourdepartment will suffer productivity freezes if everyone

is out at once. Address those worries by contacting aspecialized staffing firm, which can provide expertassistance in short order should an unexpected proj-ect surface while core team members are away.

The degree to which managers can modifyemployee schedules varies from company to compa-ny. But even if you work for an organization thatdoesn’t allow tremendous leeway, options likelyexist. Closing up shop just an hour or two early oneFriday may lift your team’s spirits without raisingproductivity concerns.

Put simply, appreciation is appreciated.Thanking employees for their hard work and thentelling them to take off the rest of the day to relax— or do some holiday shopping — will instill loyaltyand make for a much merrier staff.

The Creative Group is a specialized staffing serv-ice placing creative, advertising, marketing and webprofessionals with a variety of firms on a projectbasis. For more information, visit www.creative-group.com.

“If employees have the discipline and equipment necessary to work from home, telecommuting on an as-needed basis can be an

excellent alternative work arrangement.”

BR1006_Section01.qxl 9/24/06 7:03 PM

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IT ALL STARTED when we were kids. Rip, my middle brother, was, and stillis, the all-time champion when it comes to anticipating a gift that is placedbefore him for his Birthday or Christmas. He would pick it up, shake it, holdit up to the light, turn it upside down and I’ve even seen him try to smell thecontents just to see if he could figure out what is in there before taking offthe wrapping paper. Rip was so into gifts back then that my oldest brotherDan and I would watch with amazement and, if Rip had 5 or 6 gifts tounwrap, he would go and “hide” one of them somewhere so that later in theday he still had one more to open!

Cost of Gift: $20Cost of Ribbon, Card and Wrapping Paper: $5Fun of Dan and I following Rip and then re-hiding that Gift: Priceless

Remember the “Let’s Make A Deal” game show hosted by Monte Hall?Grown men and women dressed as Hot Dogs, Clowns, Flowers, Faucets,Playing Cards, Little Bo Peep with her Sheep and a host of other incredu-lously-attired, otherwise seemingly sane, educated, people, acting likenut cases. They’d howl at the moon and jump up and down on nationaltelevision to get Monte Hall’s attention, and if it worked, they went evencrazier, all because of the anticipation they might score the big prizebehind Curtain # 3.

Anticipation and Curiosity are probably the most underrated of our traits ashuman beings. We anticipate the Opening Kickoff, the start of the Series. We arecurious about our first kiss. We wonder about things because it is our nature.

If your Direct Mail piece arrives at my door and it looks like every otherpiece of mail in my mailbox, will I open it? Studies have shown that if thepackaging is different, if there is something in there that, perhaps, rattlesaround or moves or makes the package “lumpy”, the curiosity factor kicks inand I am twice as likely to open your information before discarding it. I wantto see what is in there. You want me to want to see what’s in there becauseyou want me to know about your products and services.

So, let’s revisit. If you know you want to do a Direct Mail campaign, con-sider the following scenario-

Cost of Direct Mail Piece and all it took to produce: $$$$$Cost of Promotional Product to get my attention: $ POTENTIAL $$ BENEFIT to getting a higher response rate: Priceless

The combination of Promotional Products and Direct Mail can reallyaccomplish a lot when you have anticipation and curiosity working for you.

Is that making your Direct Mail Program personal? Yes. It’s ALL Personal.

Dave is president of The Company Image, Inc./Geiger. [email protected] orwww.TCI4me.com for more information on lumpy mail and thousands ofother ways to help your company accomplish its goals.

It’s ALL Personal

Dave Ribble

Studies haveshown that if

the packaging isdifferent, if there is something in

there that, perhaps,rattles around

or moves or makes the

package “lumpy”,the curiosity

factor kicks in...

BR1006_Section01.qxl 9/24/06 7:04 PM


1. What is your favorite section of the magazine?

2. How can we improve the publication?

3. What are you top 3 marketing / branding concerns or challenges going into the New Year?

4. What is the best / most effective promotional product you have used?

5. What is the best / most effective incentive you have used in your marketing campaigns?

6. Is there a feature or section you would like to see added to our editorial mix?

Name:_____________________________________________________Title:______________________

Company:____________________________________________________________________________

Phone:_____________________________________email:____________________________________

We sincerely appreciate your time! Thank you for filling this out!

BRILLIANT RESULTS magazine values your opinions. We are always looking for ways to

serve you better through improving our publication. Below is a short survey that will help us

to better serve you. It will take less than 5 minutes to fill out. Please send your answers to

us either by fax at: 717-566-5431 or email: [email protected]. We want to hear

from you so please take 5 minutes…we can only improve this magazine with your input.

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BR1006_Section01.qxl 9/25/06 3:08 AM


QuoteOff The Cuff

Organization & Charity Trivia:• There are approximately 23,000 national and international organizations listed in the 2004 edition

of the Encyclopedia of Associations.• According to USA Today about 71% of adults say they make holiday donations of cash or gifts to charities.

2005 Charitable Contributions by Type of Recipient Organization(In billions)

NOTE: All figures are rounded. Total may not be 100%.1. Estimate.Source: Giving USA Foundation/Giving USA 2006.

Is It Charity?Circle the non-profit/charity organization(s):

Dalit Solidarity Touch ‘em All FoundationWorld Changers Wildlife on Easy StreetKars4Kids Soaring EagleWireless Foundation National Fragile X Foundation

Answer: All of the above are listed on www.give.org.

Type of organization Amount contributed Percent

Total $260.28 100.0%

Religion 93.18 35.8

Education 38.56 14.8

Human services 25.36 9.7

Health 22.54 8.7

Foundations1 21.70 8.3

Unallocated giving $16.15 6.2%

Public-society benefit 14.03 5.4

Arts, culture, and humanities 13.51 5.2

Environment/animals 8.86 3.4

International affairs 6.39 2.5

BR1006_Section01.qxl 9/24/06 7:08 PM

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