By Rick Petry
As a marketer new to direct marketing, you may wonder how to best evaluate and select a terrific media planning and buying agency. The following is intended to give the reader a few things to consider and qualities to look for when looking for an agency partner.
Size Matters
One of the issues frequently debated is the size of an agency – is it large? Does it have enough clout? And while certainly you want assurances that the agency has sufficient resources to do right by your campaign, there are pros and cons to be weighed between Madison Avenue buying behemoths and a shop that is more of a boutique.
For example, if you’re a fledgling business just starting out, you’re not likely to have a huge budget. It is easy to get lost in the shuffle amid a large agency that is doing hundreds of millions of dollars in billings and may be under financial pressure to focus on established, big budget accounts. Direct marketing is about testing and retesting, and a giant agency may not have the patience or desire to nurture a smaller player. On the other hand, a small- to mid-sized boutique may be hungry and more inclined to invest the time necessary to build a client from a few thousand dollars in media per week to hundreds of thousands over time. - READ FULL DIRECT RESPONSE ARTICLE: How to Select a Great Short Form DR Media Agency
By Mark Lopreiato
Moving furniture, appliances, mattresses, hot tubs, HVAC units, cabinets and the like has taken on new meaning throughout 2010: supporting the fight against breast cancer. A.A.C. Forearm Forklift, Inc. (FF) has launched their newly pink-packaged, pink leverage straps! They’re proud supporters of The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). In fact, a donation of $10,000 will be made by FF to help fund the charity’s work.
“My co-workers and I feel like we’re supporting women who look after their wellbeing,” said Mark Lopreiato, inventor of the Forearm Forklift. “All of us here are committed to help protect women’s health and we’re impressed that BCRF is the most highly rated breast cancer organization in the U.S. I found documentation that over 90% of the resources raised by the foundation go directly to research grants and awareness programs. They’re an efficient charity, with a great cause and we’re honored to support life-saving research.”
FF joins many other companies that have “turned” pink to improve awareness and fight one of the most common causes of fatality in women. “BCRF is honored to have Forearm Forklift as a dedicated partner in our fight against breast cancer,” said Robbie Franklin, Dir. of Mktg. at the foundation. According to 2009 findings from the American Cancer Society, women in the U.S. have a 1 in 8 chance of developing invasive breast cancer in their lifetime and a 1 in 35 chance of dying from breast cancer.
ABOUT FF
Forearm Forklift moving straps have a patented design that employs leverage which makes the furnishings carried seem 66% lighter. They also encourage proper body mechanics which reduce the chance of potential injury due to heavy lifting. The straps are also easy-to-use and adjustable. They move furniture off the ground which keeps dollies’ wheels off your sensitive floors. Their suggested retail is only $19.95 for a pair. (www.BuyStraps.com)
Based in Azusa, California, FF is still owned and operated by the former mover who invented the product right after college in San Diego and who shortly thereafter founded the company in Pasadena more than 10 years ago. His company produces and distributes the straps which can be found at U-Haul, Home Depot, Target.com, Ace Hardware and Sears. More information and its complete product line can be found at www.ForearmForklift.com
With help from its one, two and five minute spots for both the English and Spanish markets, to date MORE THAN 6 MILLION PAIR HAVE BEEN SOLD! That’s also a testament of how well the product works and how they’re marketed and quality controlled!
“Without the spots airing on nationwide television, we couldn’t have achieved all the success we have enjoyed for more than 3 years now,” said Mark. “Our direct response campaign has turned our straps into a household name which translates to super-quick turnarounds at retail and big box placement is where the huge volume has been realized for us.” Mark added, “There are two things that I always recommend to people who are where I was ten years ago. First, buy patent abatement infringement insurance because it gives you access to millions of dollars per occurrence to fight against infringers. In fact, we’ve won every defense and earned some high dollar awards through judgments. Second, have a spot produced and invest in media. Buyers love As Seen On TV products. I recommend Direct Avenue!”
MORE ON BCRF®
The foundation was founded by Evelyn Lauder as a non-profit organization dedicated to funding innovative clinical research. In 2009, nearly $29 million was awarded to 173 scientists across the globe. BCRF directs at least 90 cents of every dollar raised directly to research. And for the 8th consecutive year, BCRF has received Charity Navigator’s highest rating, four stars, thus outperforming over 99.8% of the 5,400 evaluated charities. The American Institute of Philanthropy has awarded the BCRF its highest possible rating of A+. BCRF is, in fact, the only breast cancer organization in the U.S. to receive these accolades. For more information, visit www.bcrfcure.org - READ FULL DIRECT RESPONSE ARTICLE: Forearm Forklift supports The Breast Cancer Research Foundation
By Brett Astor
Direct response television (DRTV) advertising can be very effective at driving profitable sales. If there were a downside to DRTV, most would say it’s the high cost of creating and modifying the ads and the lead times associated with that process. Direct response radio advertising compliments DRTV on these specific points, ad development costs and lead-time, extremely well. Furthermore, done right, DR radio can significantly enhance the profitability of any DRTV effort.
DRTV is often the core engine of huge direct marketing success. Why? Put simply – the numbers are bigger. However, it's also the most expensive media channel - so one has to consider the risk/reward tradeoff. As you'll learn, direct response radio plays the role of "risk minimizer" - that's why including radio advertising in your marketing efforts is such a smart business move.- READ FULL DIRECT RESPONSE ARTICLE: Why DRTV + Direct Response Radio = More $$
By Chris Setser
ConnectFirst, a cutting-edge hosted technology company, offers a Cloud Routing Platform that is very useful for limiting abandoned calls, decreasing queue times and testing multiple contact centers from the same media campaigns.
ConnectFirst helps you manage your call traffic by allowing you to make use of multiple destinations distributing calls based upon your preferences. Allocation can be configured in many ways, so no call receives a busy signal or is placed in an infinite queue.- READ FULL DIRECT RESPONSE ARTICLE: ConnectFirst Cloud Routing
