New Survey Concludes Pets’ Emotional Support and
Nonjudgmental Attitude Key to Surviving Tough Times

ROCHESTER, NY (February 1, 2010) – Pet owners don’t believe their money woes matter to their pets, and that’s beneficial to the owner, according to a new study of 400 Americans fielded by independent digital direct agency, Catalyst Direct. Of respondents polled, a majority stated that their pet’s emotional support and nonjudgmental attitude are key to helping them survive these challenging times.

Other surveys have documented the many benefits of the relationship between the owner and their pet(s).  What makes Catalyst’s study unique is, the company looked specifically at the benefits dogs and cats provide in helping owners deal with personal pressures brought on by a tough economy.

Pet owners are experiencing all kinds of stress due to the uncertain economy: 73% are more worried about finances; 64% are more anxious; 59% are less confident, and 32% believe it has impacted their sense of identity.

Conversely, pet owners credit their dogs and cats with helping them cope in a number of ways: 89% say their pets help them deal with the stresses of life; 83% value the steady presence their pets provide in an uncertain economy and 86% value their pets’ appreciation, despite their own concerns about finances and job security.

When asked about spending cuts, pet owners stated that they would be willing to compromise on personal purchases before cutting back on purchases for their dogs and cats: 79% would reduce spending on vacations; 77% on clothing; 49% on certain personal/family food items; 41% Internet/cable and 41% on gas.

About Catalyst Direct:
Catalyst Direct, Inc. (http://www.catalystdirect.com) is a 20-year-old digital direct marketing firm focused on insight-driven marketing campaigns. Our combination of digital and direct marketing focus provides customercentric marketing programs that deliver on clients’ business objectives. We’re headquartered in Rochester, NY, and our client roster includes Bausch & Lomb, Eastman Kodak Company, GE Money, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, M&T Bank, Valvoline, Carestream Health Inc., and Rochester Institute of Technology, among others.

Press Contact:

Janice Snook
janice & associates
650.400.4448
janicesnook@gmail.com

Catalyst won one of BtoB Magazine’s best creative awards of 2009 in the Nontraditional category for our “Catalyst Bat Phone.”  Our goal in this mailing, targeted to editors of advertising industry publications, was to either write articles for these publications, be written about, and/or be contacted and sourced as industry experts.

We scheduled meetings with editors of leading industry-based trade magazines in NYC. Realizing that they are constantly approached by agencies for story and PR opportunities, we knew we had to differentiate ourselves. We also wanted to make it easy for these editors to contact us when they needed a resource or industry expert. The best way to accomplish these tasks was to do what we do best — make an impact with a unique, relevant and useful door-breaker. We succeeded. Read what BtoB Magazine had to say.

Rochester, NY, October 5, 2009 – Digital pioneer Peter Platt joins Catalyst Direct in the newly created role of Chief Digital Officer, leading all digital marketing initiatives for the agency. Platt will report directly to Catalyst Direct Founding Partners Mike Osborn and Jeff Cleary. His responsibilities include building the Catalyst Direct digital marketing services offering, developing new business and growing existing accounts.

Platt is a 20-year veteran of the agency business and has been involved in digital marketing since the early 1990’s. He comes to us from Butler/Till Media in Rochester, NY, where he was Vice President, Online Media, since 2002. Platt built Butler/Till’s online media capability from a department of one, to a 15-person planning, buying and operations team serving a wide range of B2B and B2C clients, including Bausch & Lomb, State Farm Insurance, Eastman Kodak Company and UltraLife Batteries, among others.

Osborn stated, “Peter’s experience brings together a unique combination of business development, account management, technology and strategic planning skills. I don’t know anyone who’s been involved in all things digital, from the creation of websites to the social media revolution, longer or more intimately than Peter. We acquired Auragen Communications in late 2007 to provide a full-service digital arm for our clients. Over the past two years, we’ve integrated and embedded our digital and direct offerings. With Peter at the helm, we have the leadership to take our digital direct capabilities and expertise to the next level.”

Prior to joining Butler/Till, Platt held positions at dockside.net, ICE Communications, Saatchi & Saatchi and Rumrill-Hoyt. He was a founding member of Saatchi & Saatchi’s original Worldwide Internet Marketing Team and was the project manager for the launch of the first www.dupont.com website in 1993. He was also one of the first 100 people certified in the Google AdWords program. Platt has been a contributing author and expert spokesperson for iMediaConnection, eBusiness Association and The Ad Council.

Platt commented, “I’m thrilled to be joining Catalyst Direct. It’s a very exciting time in our business as the hybrid combination of digital, direct and social continues to evolve. Catalyst Direct has deep roots in direct marketing, combined with hi-level digital and analytics expertise. We’re well poised to meet the needs of today’s marketers and deliver solid business results. It’s going to be an exciting ride!”

About Catalyst Direct:
Catalyst Direct is a full-service direct/digital marketing agency specializing in knowledge-based solutions designed to acquire, retain and maximize customer relationships for its clients. Founded in 1990, the company employs close to 100 professionals and is headquartered in Rochester, NY. The company’s client roster includes Bausch & Lomb, Eastman Kodak Company, GE Money, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, M&T Bank, Valvoline Instant Oil Change, Carestream Health Inc. and Rochester Institute of Technology, among others.

Media Contact:
Janice Snook
Janice & associates
650.400.4448
janicesnook@gmail.com

Dustin McAdams, Chief Information Officer at Catalyst, will be one of the featured speakers at the Integrated Marketing Summit, October 8, in Kansas City, MO. He’ll be on a panel sharing his views on The Present and Future of Database Direct Marketing.

Catalyst’s Director of Interactive Technologies, Damir Saracevic, recently shared some unorthodox pay-per-click ideas (PPC) in DM News. Interested in learning more? Please feel free to leave a comment or contact Damir directly at Damir.Saracevic@catalystdirect.com.

Catalyst Direct, Inc., has been named BEST OF DIVISION WINNER of a coveted Pro-Comm Award from the Business Marketing Association. The Pro-Comm Awards are the only national awards that recognize excellence in business-to-business marketing and communications.  

The winning entry in the Variable Data/Personalized Direct Mail category was for the Kodak Digital Imaging campaign: ScanMate/What’s in your inbox? This comprehensive print and digital campaign featured multiple VDP versions of the print component, as well as an email, PURL, microsite and a follow-up print mail piece.

“This is just one example of the fine work the entire team here at Catalyst performs every day,” said Jeff Cleary, managing director. “It’s based on solid strategy, innovative creative solutions and passion for what they do. The win is really theirs.”

The formal awards presentation will take place at the BMA 2009 Annual Conference on Wednesday, June 10, at the Drake Hotel in Chicago, IL. This year marks the 34th Annual Pro-Comm Awards competition. According to the BMA, “The annual BMA Pro-Comm Awards competition recognizes the work produced for clients who possess the foresight and understanding to direct superior communications, by agencies that demonstrate the ability to transform ideas into effective information that produces results.”

In their annual look at the country’s top shops, B to B Magazine named Catalyst Direct one of the country’s top B2B agencies. “This really validates the hard work our team is doing on behalf of our clients,” said Jeff Cleary, Managing Director. “While it’s always great to be recognized, the real reward is in helping to make our clients more successful.”

Read the article and see the list.

Kevin Seaman, our director of data and analytical services, was recently quoted in BtoB Magazine in article about optimization of internal databases and customer lists.

Read the article here

Donation to RIT assists in creating state-of-the-art computer lab

Rochester Institute of Technology has partnered with four Rochester-area advertising firms to enhance educational and research facilities for students in the fields of advertising, public relations and journalism.

Partners + Napier, Catalyst Direct, Martino Flynn, and Mason Selkowitz McDermott provided funds to RIT’s College of Liberal Arts to assist with the creation of a new Mac Computer Lab. The facility includes enhanced video editing, publishing and design capabilities and will be used for classes and research work in the college’s advertising and public relations program and its newly created journalism degree.

“I’d like to thank all four firms for their assistance in the creation of this lab and in enhancing opportunities for RIT students,” notes Robert Ulin, dean of the College of Liberal Arts. “In the college we make use of both sides of the brain in that we have programs that range from the humanities to those that emphasize the research methods of the natural sciences. Therefore, we have a need for facilities that enable teaching and research in both the creative arts and science and technology.”
“The fields of advertising and journalism are increasingly tied to new digital technologies, and students studying in these fields need a comprehensive understanding of and access to these technologies to succeed,” adds Rudy Pugliese, professor and graduate coordinator in the Department of Communication.

The new Mac lab is available to additional RIT students in a host of majors, including printing, photography and graphic design, and it will be utilized to design and edit professional publications for RIT hosted conferences and symposia.

The Department of Communication and College of Liberal Arts also hope to increase cooperative education opportunities for students through the partnership as well as explore additional educational and research projects in the future.

Catalyst & Valvoline Instant Oil Change Honored for Ingenuity, Creativity in the Analytics & Modeling Applications Category

December 9, 2008, Rochester, NY - Catalyst Direct and client Valvoline Instant Oil Change (VIOC), have been awarded the Silver award in the Analytics and Modeling Applications Category by the National Center for Database Marketing (NCDM), according to Managing Partners Mike Osborn and Jeff Cleary, Catalyst Direct. The NCDM Database Excellence Awards were announced today at the NCDM Conference which is organized and presented jointly by DIRECT and the Direct Marketing Association. The Database Excellence Awards honor organizations that have demonstrated ingenuity and creativity in leveraging their marketing databases. This year a jury of 11 leaders in the Direct, CRM and Database Marketing fields judged submissions from organizations around the world, bestowing a total of 11 awards. This is the first time Catalyst Direct has made a submission to the NCDM awards.

Commenting on the win, Mr. Osborn stated, “It’s an honor to be recognized for our work, but even sweeter to share this award with our friends at VIOC, a client with vision, passion and courage to create change. Analytics has been a rapidly growing segment of our business at Catalyst. We believe we have one of the strongest in-house analytics teams and this award is a tangible testament to their skill and craft. We are thrilled and thank the judges and executives at NCDM for this award. It will be proudly displayed in our lobby!”

Laura Carpenter, Director, Direct Marketing, Valvoline Instant Oil Change, commented, “Our partnership with Catalyst Direct is one of those rare relationships where we truly sync on all levels. The talent and intellectual horsepower of their team allows us to both envision, and execute, new, highly innovative programs. They really are an extension of our marketing team here at VIOC. We are proud of this recognition, and the honor it brings to both our companies.”

About Catalyst Direct:
Catalyst Direct is a full-service direct/digital marketing agency specializing in knowledge-based solutions designed to acquire, retain and maximize customer relationships for its clients. Catalyst is positioned as the DM 2.0 agency. Founded in 1990, the company employs close to 100 professionals and is headquartered in Rochester, NY. The company’s client roster includes Eastman Kodak Company, GE Money, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, HSBC, M&T Bank, Scotts Lawnservice, Valvoline, and Weyerhaeuser.

About Valvoline Instant Oil Change:
There are more than 825 VIOC service centers nationwide, each of which offers the highest standard in automotive fluid maintenance services with an emphasis on speed. VIOC is a business of the Valvoline division of Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH), a fortune 500 company. For more information, visit www.vioc.com.

MEDIA CONTACT: Janice Snook, marcomPR, telephone 1.650.400.4448