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Direct Mail Industry News

The Most Effective Direct Mail Campaigns

Well-targeted mail campaigns are increasing in-store traffic.

by Colin Beasty

February 07, 2005 - Vertis announced the results of its "Customer Focus 2005: Retail Direct Marketing" study, which revealed that direct mail campaigns increase the number of in-store and first-time visits from customers. The survey, conducted by telephone, interviewed 2,000 adults, age 18 years and older.

The study reveals the effect a direct mail campaign can have for a retail business on new customers. For example, one out of every four adults surveyed with a household income of $30,000 to $50,000 responded they would try someplace new based on direct mail received within the past 90 days. That figure jumps to 33 percent among older baby boomer (1946-1955) women.

"It's all about driving those new customers to the store or Web site," says Scott Marden, director of marketing research at Vertis. "Retailers are becoming more targeted and understanding about who they want to reach, and the survey clearly demonstrates that direct mail is a great way to do that."

The study also reveals what messages adults respond to the most. Direct mail that carries discounts or cost savings is most effective, the report finds. For 51 percent of those surveyed a special offer or discount will make a difference whether or not they open direct mail. Seventy-six percent of adults with a household income of $50,000 to $75,000 who read retail direct mail have responded to messages with coupons.

Similarly, 72 percent of adults with a household income of less than $30,000 who read retail direct mail said they have responded to messages with buy-one-get-one free offers, indicating cost savings are important across wide ranges of income. Also, 63 percent of adults responded that an interesting looking package makes a difference as to which direct mail they open.

"I think the results are relative to where we are in today's economy," Marden says. "Seventy-two percent is pretty high, and we're seeing that everywhere, not just direct mail, but also in newspapers and circulars. People are paying a lot of attention to coupons and I think that's expected during an economy where people are careful about how they spend their money."

Finally, the results reveal the types of direct mail that women read in comparison to their age. Ninety-four percent of younger female baby boomers (1956 to 1964) who read retail direct mail said they read from discount stores, compared to 83 percent of older baby boomer women. Ninety-five percent of younger female baby boomers said they receive information from a department store, compared to just 84 percent of generation X (1965 to 1976) women. Ninety percent of female generation Y (1977 to 1994) women said they read grocery direct mail, compared to 85 percent of older baby boomers.

"With the huge number of products competing in the marketplace, consumers are always seeking information on the prices and selections available to ensure they are getting the best value," says Therese Mulvey, vice president of marketing research at Vertis, in a prepared statement. "Adults have become more receptive to using direct mail to obtain this information, and it has proven to be an effective medium for retailers to connect with new customers."

NZ Post pushes the personal details envelope

10 February 2005 - New Zealand Post doesn't just deliver your mail. It also sells your personal details to its business customers. The range of services offered to companies – all within privacy laws as no names are passed on plus some that require householder permission – include:

Movers' mailing list, described on NZ Post's website as "a constantly growing and regularly updated direct marketing consumer mailing list of people who have recently moved".

"It allows access to an estimated 10,000 new movers each month...allowing segmentation by geography, home ownership, recency of move or period of residence."

Household street address list: A non-personalised mailing list of 950,000 households nationwide.

"Supports other marketing activities. Allows support of campaigns through the use of generic titles such as the Gardener, the Investor, the Pet Lover."

Address Correction Services: "You can make sure your mailing lists are up-to-date, and you can reactivate relationships with customers you may have lost contact with."

Hot leads' list: "A constantly growing and regularly updated direct marketing consumer mailing list of people who have particular purchasing preferences."

Rural Post consumers' list: "Provides access to over 62,000 rural dwellers. Addressees can be segmented by a variety of interest-based criteria, such as animal care, arts/crafts, books, clothing, computers/technology, distance learning, financial services, food/wine."

Rural Post business list: As above but for rural businesses.

Online Advertising Leader AzoogleAds Grew More Than 100 Percent in the First Half of 2005, Dramatically Outpacing the Overall Growth of the Industry

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 10, 2005--

AzoogleAds Reports Nearly 46 Billion CPA Impressions and 10 Million Unique Transactions, Underscoring Its Position as Leading CPA Advertising Network

AzoogleAds (www.AzoogleAds.com), a leader in performance-based online advertising, today announced that during the first two quarters of 2005, the company improved revenue and EBITDA by more than 100 percent as compared to the first half of 2004. In 2004, AzoogleAds' revenues surged to $64 million.

In the first half of 2005, the AzoogleAds Network, which has more than 7,000 websites and publishers, generated approximately 46 billion cost-per-action (CPA) impressions. It generated 461 million unique click-throughs and facilitated almost 10 million transactions or sales from January to June 30th. These metrics illustrate that the AzoogleAds Network is one of the industry's largest CPA networks.

Much of this growth is attributable to AzoogleAd's fraud-proof model in which the company pays publishers only when verified actions are generated. This model enables AzoogleAds to deliver one of the most cost-effective and risk-free advertising tools available to customers such as eBay.com, Omaha Steaks, Netflix, True.com, Stamps.com, MatchNet, and Ask Jeeves.

"Our focus on maximizing revenue and guaranteeing return on investment for both advertisers and publishers has enabled AzoogleAds to grow into one of the industry's largest CPA ad networks," said Joe Speiser, AzoogleAds co-founder. "That volume and reach, coupled with the quality of leads generated and a performance-based model, deliver a return on advertising dollars unmatched by other providers and other advertising vehicles."

Specializing in all forms of online media, AzoogleAds offers high-impact direct marketing response and fast return on investment through banner network and site-specific advertising, online promotions, data-capture and co-registration programs, campaign management and advertising measurement. A pioneer in the performance-based advertising industry, recent network metrics illustrate that AzoogleAds has the largest network of quality traffic, with network partners reaching billions of impressions monthly.

The online advertising industry continues to grow exponentially, mushrooming to $2.8 billion in first-quarter revenues, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau. And the rate doesn't seem to show signs of slowing. Forrester Research predicts that online advertising will increase by 23 percent, reaching $14.7 billion in 2005, and growing to $26 billion by 2010.

"The rapid growth we've experienced is a good illustration of the industry's trend toward allocating more and more of the ad budget toward new and more measurable forms of advertising that fuel amazing growth," said Alex Zhardanovsky, AzoogleAds co-founder. "The model of the AzoogleAds Network enables us to offer effective solutions for clients and positions us to capitalize on this industry growth and maintain our leadership position."

About AzoogleAds

AzoogleAds, founded in 2000, is a profitable and rapidly growing online advertising network that delivers customers and generates revenues for its customers. A pioneer in the performance-based advertising industry, AzoogleAds now has the largest network of quality traffic. This highly effective network coupled with proprietary technology and unparalleled industry expertise enables the AzoogleAds team to deliver the most comprehensive and cost-effective strategic online marketing campaigns for advertisers of all sizes and across all industries.

For publishers, AzoogleAds provides high-impact campaigns that enable publishers to maximize earnings on their inventory. AzoogleAds customers include eBay.com, Omaha Steaks, Netflix, True.com, Stamps.com, MatchNet, Ask Jeeves and Intermix, among others. The company is privately held and venture backed by TA Associates and the Stripes Group. For more information, please visit AzoogleAds' website at www.AzoogleAds.com.

Contacts

AzoogleAds
Regina Barboza (Media), 973-313-1689
press@AzoogleAds.com

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