Direct Marketing (evolution)

The Integrated Marketing Challenge

Mike Osborn, Managing Director — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:13:50 +0000

The New Marketing Reality

Consumers are in the driver’s seat. The Web has put them there.

Today’s savvy consumers engage with brands on their terms – when they want and how they want. They connect with brands through multiple channels – researching, comparing, and buying as they choose – on the Web, through the mail, over the phone, and in brick and mortar stores.

How’s the economy effecting your target audience?

Karen Menachof, Director, Client Services — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 12:15:06 +0000

One of the real benefits of working in an agency environment is the constant exposure to new and different marketing challenges across a range of industries. And while each industry is fundamentally different, the commonalities are what I am most drawn to.

Money Woes and Tough Economic Times Don’t Matter to Your Pet

Peter Platt — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:01:21 +0000

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.

Social Media is going to the dogs

Peter Platt — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:56:03 +0000

It’s interesting to watch how social media continues to evolve and takes new paths. I’m pretty sure that when Facebook was created they never thought that people would be creating pages for their pets.

Just what are you measuring anyway?

Peter Platt — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:08:53 +0000

Ever since the first banner ad appeared and asked the question “Have you ever clicked your mouse right here?” (AT&T ad on HotWired in 1994), agencies and marketers have tracked and talked about the click…but is that really a valuable measurement?

Don’t Strike the Captain Morgan Pose in Social Media

Peter Platt — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:13:08 +0000

While reading the recent stories about Captain Morgan’s guerrilla marketing effort with the NFL, I realized that we’re often tasked with similar objectives for developing social media campaigns. There are huge audiences out there actively communicating and brands want to be part of the conversation, but is inserting our message really the right approach?

Catalyst Named to BtoB Magazine’s Best of 2009

John Brogan — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:43:25 +0000

Catalyst won one of BtoB Magazine's best creative awards of 2009 in the Nontraditional category for our "Catalyst Bat Phone."

Consumer benefits of behavioral targeting

Peter Platt — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:13:36 +0000

According to a recent study, 66% of Americans do not want marketers to tailor advertisements to their interests. Reading this statement made me wonder: Is that a true feeling, or perhaps was the question worded in the wrong manner? For years, studies have shown that when asked, consumers adamantly believe that advertising doesn’t affect their purchase decisions, but clearly we know that this isn’t true. So rather than focusing on the negative perception of targeted ads, I wanted to point out some key benefits targeting provides to consumers.

Catalyst Direct Hires 20-Year Digital Veteran Peter Platt

John Brogan — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:12:09 +0000

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.

Dustin McAdams on Integrated Marketing Summit panel

John Brogan — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:15:39 +0000

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.

Is this the year of mobile?

dsaracevic — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:07:31 +0000

We have heard it for years now …2006, 2007, 2008 was going to be the year of the mobile, yet year after year, we all realize that it wasn’t. Is 2009 or 2010 going to be it? Hard to tell, but mobile is certainly becoming more mainstream. With the proliferation of smartphones, billion application downloads, $199 iPhones, Android, the third screen is definitely gathering attention. Why wouldn’t it? With these types of numbers, it’s a great opportunity to engage with customers on their own terms.

We cracked the code of Incentive Compensation Agreements.

Mike Osborn, Managing Director — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:06:21 +0000

At Catalyst Direct, Inc., we create long-term client relationships (averaging eight years) based on shared business objectives. We realize that when our clients succeed, we succeed. Part of what makes this work is our Incentive Compensation Agreement.

Damir Saracevic shares pay-per-click ideas in DM News

John Brogan — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:11:45 +0000

Catalyst's Director of Interactive Technologies, Damir Saracevic, recently shared some unorthodox pay-per-click ideas (PPC) in DM News.

Variable Data Printing: Why doesn’t everyone use it?

Jeff — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:12:04 +0000

Variable data printing a powerful tool that enables us to make content relevant—to take it beyond advertising to become information that consumers want to use because it’s personal to them.

Catalyst Direct Wins Prestigious Pro-Comm Award From The Business Marketing Association

John Brogan — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:46:12 +0000

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.

Using Relevant Content to Initiate, Build and Close the Sale.

Jeff — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:30:57 +0000

In my last post I wrote about Catalyst Directs’ belief in the integration of Sales and Marketing in order to move prospects through awareness to consideration and, ultimately, to the purchase decision.

Catalyst Direct named one of best B2B agencies.

John Brogan — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:18:03 +0000

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.”

New look, same great taste

Justin Morelli — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:54:31 +0000

I'm proud to unveil the new face of CatalystDirect.com. It's sleek and sexy, but then again, I'm partial... The new look is more than just a design; it's a story. I don't want to give it all away in this post so sit back, relax and enjoy — then explore and get an understanding of our viewpoint and see how we take it from conception to reality in 3 new portfolio pieces.

Share Your Heart and Make a Difference.

djones — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 16:19:31 +0000

Catalyst made some noise in the media last week with the official launch of the public service initiative, "Unexpected Benefits," for OneCityConnection.org — a website dedicated to providing volunteer opportunities within the city of Rochester — a joint venture between the City of Rochester and United Way of Greater Rochester, in collaboration with Advertising Council of Rochester.

Kevin Seaman quoted on lists and databases in BtoB Magazine

admin — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:15:13 +0000

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.

Catalyst Direct Invests in PR Education and Research

jfazar — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:19:44 +0000

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.

Keeping Up with Human Behavior

Mike Osborn, Managing Director — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 21:54:30 +0000

I recently spoke with Ginger Conlon in the 1to1 Blog about how consumer behavior is changing, especially in the way customers communicate and interact with brands. Consumers are much more empowered.

Catalyst Direct And Valvoline Instant Oil Change Win Silver At 2008 National Center For Database Marketing Conference’s Database Excellence Awards

admin — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 22:34:53 +0000

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.

Catalyst and Valvoline Instant Oil Change Win Silver.

Mike Osborn, Managing Director — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 22:27:18 +0000

Catalyst Direct and our 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). The Database Excellence Awards honor organizations that have demonstrated ingenuity and creativity in leveraging their marketing databases. Read the press release here.

Integrating Marketing and Sales.

Jeff — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:14:20 +0000

Why is it that within most companies "Marketing" and "Sales" are competing disciplines that seldom (if ever) work together? We don't believe in it. We believe, and have proven, that when Marketing and Sales join forces they can move prospects through awareness to consideration, and ultimately to the purchase decision.

What is the most effective method for finding great talent?

Mike Osborn, Managing Director — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:45:45 +0000

An edited version of this article recently appeared in the October 27 edition of DM News. Jeff and I are very fortunate that we have been so successful at recruiting and retaining the talented people here at Catalyst. Here’s how:

Catalyst Walks the Walk in B to B Magazine

John Brogan — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:53:26 +0000

The hard work and thought leadership of Catalyst Direct is hitting the industry press. Recently, Jeff Cleary, one of our managing partners, took part in a roundtable discussion in B to B Magazine discussing trends in direct marketing, ranging from use of BRC’s to offers, to prospect targeting and analytics.

Catalyst Direct Hires Technology And Digital Expert Dustin McAdams As Chief Information Officer

Rui Da Costa — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:00:01 +0000

Media Contact: Janice Snook
1-650-400-4448

Catalyst Direct Hires Technology And Digital Expert Dustin McAdams As Chief Information Officer

Rochester, NY—Catalyst Direct today announced the hiring of Dustin McAdams as Chief Information Officer, reporting to agency managing directors and founders, Mike Osborn and Jeff Cleary. In this new position, Mr. McAdams leads the agency’s technology team in the innovative use of information, processes and technology to better serve their clients. Mr. McAdams is the latest in a string of new hires for the agency, which continues to witness double-digit growth, with a combination of new business and organic growth from current clients.

Ambiance and Ubiquity: The Keys to Consumer Context

admin — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:01:37 +0000

Consumers crave intelligent marketing, and they love it when we get it right. That coupon arriving just when I was considering my purchase options? Brilliant! Your letter to me about how your particular product suits my needs? Right on target. But where were you when I was at the mall last week? And why didn’t you stop me from buying that other product that isn’t as good as yours?

Dimensional mail works.

John Brogan — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:01:15 +0000

I contributed to an article for last weeks’ DM News, titled “Adding Dimension to DM Success”. You can read the entire article here. For the right target, and the right product or service, nothing works like getting a “present” in the mail. We recommend a dimensional piece for a number of our clients, because the engagement level is so great. And most importantly, because they work. Here’s one we recently mailed for Weyerhaeuser. You can check it out in our portfolio

Catalyst Direct included in the Inc. 5000.

admin — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:11:06 +0000

Catalyst Direct is pleased to have been selected as one of the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America.

Aligned Intention Marketing

admin — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:07:42 +0000

Search is a strange new animal in marketing landscape. Why? Because it represents the closest alignment ever achieved between the goals of consumers and the goals of marketers. In no other medium do consumers broadcast their intentions so clearly than in search – intentions to window shop, to buy, to refer, to rate.

Testing Matters

admin — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:35:42 +0000

We rely on research and testing to optimize the user experiences we build for our clients. Sometimes it’s big stuff, and sometimes it subtle stuff: What a difference a few pixels make (via CNET News) provides a great example of how granular these tests can be–and how much they can matter to the bottom line.

Effective Use of Mobile?

admin — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:22:35 +0000

Mobile marketing (cell phones, not cars with billboards attached is probably the most exciting new frontier in direct marketing. With the cell phone being the most personal, the most context sensitive, and the most attended-to communications channel in the media landscape, it clearly represents a big opportunity to reach customers effectively.

Read more on Effective Use of Mobile?…

What’s so Cuil remains to be seen.

John Brogan — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:23:06 +0000

A new search engine, Cuil (pronounced “Cool”), was launched on Monday. It was developed by some folks from google and was introduced with great press and fanfare. So far, the responses have been mixed and the search results spotty.

An Introduction to Lifestreaming for Brands (via ReadWriteWeb)

admin — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:45:13 +0000

The process of putting your life online, in aggregate, has been called “lifestreaming,” so it’s inevitable that brands (having personalities all their own) would join in: Here’s a good introductory article on lifestreaming for brands.

Report on Mobile Trends (via Mobile Life)

admin — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:55:00 +0000

Found this excellent review of mobile trends in the US and UK. Visit Mobile Life 2008 and download the full report (pdf).

Long Tail Debunking, Debunked?

admin — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:00:34 +0000

You may have read recently that the notion of “the Long Tail” (which is a guiding principle in interactive marketing) had been debunked by an article in the Harvard Business Review. I had been struggling with how to explain to my colleagues why the HBR article was, in my opinion, off base (it was, essentially, discussing a different point entirely). Anyway, Seth Godin has saved me the trouble with his post: There it is again.

The urban living sports enthusiast

Justin Morelli — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:22:22 +0000

I’m proud to announce the new ParagonSports.com is live. If you live in the NYC area, chances are you’ve heard of Paragon Sports. If you’re not in the area (just like me) their newly redesigned site (designed by Catalyst) has 30,000 of their products and major brands available.

The cult of the bulleted list

Janine Yagielski — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:09:26 +0000

For years, I’ve talked about the importance of scannability in any online presentation. (My coworkers are definitely sick of hearing me talk about scannability AND exploration.)

I’ve written and edited my share of thousand-word articles, don’t get me wrong. But the more I watched Web traffic reports and usability testing, the more I evangelized scannability (and specifically, short bulleted lists).

Why CMOs Keep Getting Fired (via Belly of the Beast)

admin — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:38:58 +0000

An interesting post from Steve Feinberg (Belly of the Beast Blog) about Why CMOs Keep Getting Fired.

Monthly Bills = Marketing Opportunity? You bet!

admin — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:44:37 +0000

I’ve written before (on my other blog, etailology) about the power of “service communications” in the etail and direct marketing landscape. To put it simply, people pay more attention to shipping confirmations, bills, and other administrative communications than they do “marketing messages.” So… the real trick is ensuring that service communications do all of the following:

Brand Beliefs Made Easy

Janine Yagielski — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:28:13 +0000

This morning I discovered an interesting experiment on crowdsourcing and brand. Brand Tags describes itself as "a collective experiment in brand perception." The home page presents a brand logo and asks users to "enter he first thing that pops into your head."

Online Display Advertising: Revolution Needed

admin — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:27:48 +0000

I attended the Advertising 2.0 conference in NYC on Wednesday. The keynote was Susan Decker, President of Yahoo. She talked about the state of online display advertising and compared it a bit to search.

Our new site

John Brogan — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:49:50 +0000

It’s finally here! I can tell you from past experience that’s it’s a lot more difficult to create a website for your own company than it is to create a site for a client. But we made it. We’re still in semi-beta, because we’re doing some things differently. For starters, we built the site on a blog platform (WordPress) so we can update it easily and try out new things.

What’s new at Catalyst

John Brogan — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:29:27 +0000

It’s been pretty busy here at Catalyst Direct recently, but not too busy to work on our new website. Here’s a sneak peek. We’re feverishly working away and look forward to the launch, coming soon.

Read more on What’s new at Catalyst…

Catalyst Direct in the news.

admin — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:45:46 +0000

Catalyst Direct was recently profiled by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle as one of the Rochester area’s Top 100 companies. The Rochester Top 100 annually recognizes the fastest-growing privately held companies in the nine-county region. It’s a great recognition of our team, our thinking, and of all our great clients who look to us to help them grow their business.

Catalyst Direct, Inc., wins top honors for data analytics

admin — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 17:05:47 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Diane Quinlisk December 11, 2007
585-453-8313
dquinlisk@catdir.com

Catalyst Direct, Inc., wins top honors for data analytics
Company competed among most well-known companies in the nation

ROCHESTER, NY-Catalyst Direct, Inc., a Rochester-based direct marketing agency, has received top honors in the Direct Marketing Association’s Analytics Council’s Analytic Challenge, which was cosponsored by the CAC Group. Competing against 26 teams, Catalyst Direct placed fourth among some of the most well-known data companies in the country.

Catalyst Direct, Inc., announces acquisition of Auragen Communications

admin — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 13:00:12 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Diane Quinlisk November 13, 2007
585-453-8313
dquinlisk@catdir.com

Catalyst Direct, Inc., announces acquisition of Auragen Communications
Company Enhances Interactive Marketing Capabilities

ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., a nationally recognized direct marketing agency, has purchased Auragen Communications, a leader in strategic interactive services. The acquisition brings together two top companies and enhances Catalyst’s capabilities, positioning the company as a truly integrated direct marketing firm.

“Direct marketing is changing and becoming more Web-oriented,” says Mike Osborn, co-founder and managing director of Catalyst Direct. “More and more consumers want to be connected to and communicated with online. This acquisition allows us to expand our capabilities, meet the needs of our clients and connect with consumers in the most effective way possible.”

Catalyst Direct, Inc., announces the certification of Lora Downie as email marketing professional

admin — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:32:28 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Diane Quinlisk March 31, 2008
585-453-8313
dquinlisk@catdir.com

Catalyst Direct, Inc., announces the certification of Lora Downie as email marketing professional

ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., is proud to announce that Email Marketing Manager, Lora Downie, is now certified as an email marketing professional by Marketing Experiments.

Summary of Forrester’s Five Year Interactive Marketing Forecast

admin — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:58:33 +0000

Donna DeClemente has a nice summary of a recent webinar: Forrester’s Five Year Interactive Marketing Forecast.

A taste:

Search Marketing is expected to triple in 5 years to over $25 billion.

Direct Brand Marketing

admin — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 22:20:09 +0000

The Railroads Did It
The need for brands was initially spawned by national companies who wished to compete with local manufacturers — an opportunity brought on by mass production and Rail’s ability to distribute products more widely. Brands have since evolved from a “logo and mark” to complete personalities which capture the essence of how businesses wish to relate to their customers.

Microsoft + Yahoo! = SEM

Janine Yagielski — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 13:00:41 +0000

We all heard the headline last week. “Microsoft makes a bid for Yahoo!” (an unsolicited $44.5 billion bid to be exact).

Yahoo! has many great assets — e-mail, the portal site, flickr, del.icio.us. — but this offer is all about search advertising.

Read more on Microsoft + Yahoo! = SEM…

Who says direct mail can’t be art?

djones — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:00:38 +0000

Artist Aurora Robson, that’s who.

Among her other remarkable works of art, Robson has created a series of junk mail collages. (I have forwarded an e-mail to her — hoping she’ll consider changing it to “direct mail” collages.)

The art and science of reviewing creative.

John Brogan — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 13:00:34 +0000

It’s no secret that we’re in a very competitive communications environment out there. We don’t just compete with other DM or online materials. It’s everything that people look at…television, outdoor boards, point-of-purchase materials, newspapers, magazines, Web sites, YouTube and other forms of alternative media.

Creative in B2B Programs

Jeff — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:00:50 +0000

We’ve been having some interesting discussions about creative execution with a number of new clients. They are very interested in design and formats. Should we do postcards or dimensional mail? E-mail or PURLs? On and on it goes. I could answer that targeting and offer ought to be considered first, but that’s not what clients want to hear,… at least not initially.

Read more on Creative in B2B Programs…

iPlot: The End of the End of Marketing?

admin — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 22:34:07 +0000

Tim Leberecht at iPlot has an excellent post which points at some of the ideas in Direct Marketing 2.0. Included is a distillation of some thoughts from Seth Godin and and a few excellent links. Blogroll material for sure. Enjoy: The End of the End of Marketing?

Web 2.0 = Dangerous? Expensive?

admin — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 00:24:42 +0000

Jakob Nielsen has posted two articles of note to direct marketers:

Why Web 2.0 Can Be Dangerous. Nielsen is right on the money here — literally — for once taking the economically prudent path of ROI and aligning it with the user-centered path of UI. This post is not to be missed. (Though, in truth, the Web 2.0 things your company does should represent the bleeding edge of a cutting edge of a comprehensive strategy. If they are, more power to you. Ignore him.)

Catalyst Direct, Inc., announces new board member

admin — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 13:00:56 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Diane Quinlisk December 17, 2007
585-453-8313
dquinlisk@catdir.com

Catalyst Direct, Inc., announces new board member

ROCHESTER, NY—Jim Hammer, president and CEO of Hammer Packaging Corporation, has joined Catalyst Direct, Inc.’s board of directors. As a board member, Hammer will play an integral role in developing long-term goals and strategies for the company as it seeks to expand the business and develop new clients.

Using PURLs, offline learnings in an online world

Karen Menachof, Director, Client Services — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 13:00:19 +0000

The PURL is all the rage.

As a long-time DMer, this makes me smile. After all, it’s reassuring to know that the things we have spent decades learning in the offline world continue to be relevant and impactful in the online arena.Way back when, we always said that customers scan mailings for their name…the address vehicle is the first place they look. Then the Publisher’s Clearinghouse folks took it up a notch…using personalization techniques to bombard readers with their name. Guess what. It worked. And it still works, both in the mail and online.It signals relevance.The problem is, if you don’t deliver against the promise of relevance, you are hurting your brand.

Karen Menachof promoted at Catalyst Direct, Inc.

admin — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 13:00:46 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Diane Quinlisk December 13, 2007
585-453-8313
dquinlisk@catdir.com

Karen Menachof promoted at Catalyst Direct, Inc.

ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., is pleased to announce that Karen Menachof has been promoted to director, client services. In her new role, Karen will be responsible for the entire account management team and the organic growth of the account base. In addition, she’ll continue to play a key role in new business efforts.

How Web writing has impacted print

John Brogan — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:00:41 +0000

Copywriting is copywriting, right? Not exactly. As the Web assumes greater dominance over how we gather and obtain information, it’s had a significant impact on how read content in print mail, as well. It’s part of what makes up DM 2.0.

Web sites are dead

Karen Menachof, Director, Client Services — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:00:05 +0000

That’s what I learned at the DMA in Chicago last month.

The whole idea of the Web site as a static environment…one that delivers information in an organized way and enables visitors to find information due to its “structure”…is a thing of the past. We no longer make our Web site available to our customers and prospects. We create an environment that is customized entirely based on their needs. So when a prospect searches for refrigerators and then clicks on Sears, the site is designed to provide information on refrigerators…not the Sears home page. After all, they’ve already told us what they want, right? Why make them tell us again?But that’s just the beginning. As data is gathered based on customer behaviors and inquiries, our ability to deliver an increasingly customized experience on our Web sites has grown substantially. Current customers are recognized upon entry…specific cross-sell offers are presented, based on their current product ownership…special offers are presented on products that have been of interest in the past…the entire experience is unique. In one test that was referenced, targeted vs. random content drove a 71% lift in site effectiveness.So don’t even bother “building” a Web site…think of it as a sales presentation, one that is fully customized to the audience and everchanging as we learn more. And what do we know about effective selling? Spend your time talking about the client…not yourself.Web sites may be dead. Branded, relevant, customized experiences, delivered online (as we have done in the offline arena for years) will carry the day. It’s the start of something truly different. DM 2.0.

Spending $4.5 billion to focus on the customer

Janine Yagielski — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 13:00:12 +0000

Dell may have lost its top spot in PC sales, but Sunday it took a $4.5 billion step to lead its industry into integrated marketing. The Texas-based computer company announced a partnership with WPP “to create a new global integrated marketing and communications agency” with both “the creative horsepower and ability to measure the business impact” of its work. Vice President of Global Marketing, Casey Jones, said the new venture, dubbed “Project Da Vinci,” will allow the agency to “spend 100% of their time thinking about our customers.”

Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group embraces DM 2.0

Diane Quinlisk — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 14:00:58 +0000

At the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA’s) annual meeting (October 13-17 in Chicago) I participated in a number of sessions that addressed marketers’ growing desire to integrate interactive and traditional direct marketing methods into cohesive and tightly coordinated campaigns. A new form of direct marketing is afoot. Clearly, marketers who embrace multi-channel communication strategies quickly realize the powerful effect these channels have on delivering results and revenue. These clients and agencies are the ones embracing Direct Marketing 2.0, and they are quickly reaping the benefits. All the different talk tracts (Strategy, Creative, and Data and Analytics, across both B-to-B and B-to-C) delivered observations, case studies, and best practices that included interactive marketing as a key and critical component of direct marketing. Let me share a personal example.

Traditional ad agencies don’t get it

admin — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 20:20:20 +0000

Time and again, general advertising and marketing communications agencies have invested, purchased, persuaded, cajoled their way into Web work – without ever really understanding it.

I remember one such example vividly: an agency director muscled his way into a meeting about a Web platform redesign and commandeered the first twenty minutes to highlight the many faults and problems with the client’s existing site. We sat patiently. At the end, the agency bigwig posed the killer question: “Who built this for you anyway? It’s horrible!” To which the client replied: “You did.”To be fair, that general agency exec was setup for a fall. After all, the birth of brands was in the late 1800s, and the birth of the agency came coincidentally with wider distribution of broadcast technologies such as print, radio, and television. It was a “setup” because the Internet is a narrowcast technology—not a broadcast one. While the birth of marketing came in broadcast form, the future clearly lies in new “narrow” ways of reaching customers.

A new way of looking at things

John Brogan — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 14:05:56 +0000

As you can see, we have a new look…but it’s not our final look. Let me take a moment to explain.

We began the process of redesigning the Catalyst Web site a few months ago (with help from Auragen). It’s a very thorough process of determining what you, our clients, and other interested parties would like to see from us and how we can best deliver that to you. I’ll leave that for David Thiel, our director, digital marketing, to explain more in a future post.

The Impact of the Web on DM

Jeff Cleary and Mike Osborn — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 22:00:33 +0000

As you may know by now, Catalyst Direct recently purchased the interactive agency, Auragen Communications. Auragen began in 1995, as one of the first organizations of its kind, and built an impressive record delivering strategic brand experiences online to leading national companies such as Russell Investments and Eastman Kodak Company. Now we are integrating this knowledge and experience into Catalyst. Here’s why.

Diane Quinlisk returns to Catalyst Direct, Inc.

admin — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 15:05:50 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Mike Osborn September 13, 2007
585-453-8331
mosborn@catdir.com

Diane Quinlisk returns to Catalyst Direct, Inc.

ROCHESTER, NY—After three years at Kodak, Diane Quinlisk has returned to Catalyst Direct, Inc., as director of business development. Quinlisk previously served as Catalyst’s director of business development from February 2000 to September 2004.

Catalyst Direct, Inc., adds director of data & analytical services to its management team

admin — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 15:23:54 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Mike Osborn June 29, 2006
585-453-8331
mosborn@catdir.com

Catalyst Direct, Inc., adds director of data & analytical services to its management team

ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., is pleased to announce that Kevin Seaman has joined the agency as director of data & analytical services. The newly created position is a direct result of the recent acquisition of Equient, a marketing analytics company.

Catalyst Direct Inc., honored with two community service awards

admin — Thu, 08 Jun 2006 19:08:12 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Mike Osborn June 8, 2006
585-453-8331
mosborn@catdir.com

Catalyst Direct Inc., honored with two community service awards

ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct Inc., a local direct marketing agency, was recently honored with two community service awards. Mary Cariola Children’s Center presented Catalyst with the “Special Friend of the Children Award” and the Ad Council of Rochester acknowledged the company with the “Potter Founder’s Award.” Both awards recognize Catalyst’s commitment to giving back to the Rochester community.

Catalyst Direct, Inc., revs up its business

admin — Fri, 12 May 2006 15:18:06 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Mike Osborn May 12, 2006
585-453-8331
mosborn@catdir.com

Catalyst Direct, Inc., revs up its business

ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., a direct marketing agency in Rochester, NY with a client roster that includes Bank of America, Citigroup, Eastman Kodak Company, HSBC, Sage Software, and Valvoline Instant Oil Change, has added more horsepower to its business by acquiring marketing analytics company, Equient. The purchase, effective May 1, 2006, enhances Catalyst’s service offering and better positions the company to compete on a national level.