Marketing

Maximizing Marketing ROI. It’s not just for recessions.

Given consumer spending at the start of 2023, it may seem like the media are crying wolf when it comes to recession fears. The problem is, although consumer spending and corporate profits seem strong, all of those reports are based on trailing data. It shows us what happened last month or last quarter. The Consumer Confidence Survey®, on the other hand, is meant to reflect prevailing business conditions and likely developments for the months ahead – and confidence is down for the past 2 months.   Regardless of the indicators, ROI-driven marketing is always the safest/best place for your marketing spend. Being an agency that specializes in direct marketing, we have some ideas on this topic.   Recognize which channels drive the most ROI.  For prospecting, the 2022 Association of National Advertisers (ANA) Response Rate Report shows direct mail in the lead. Direct mail’s advantage over digital is that our mailboxes are far less saturated with...

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2023 Direct Marketing: Top Trends and Predictions

With the unexpectedly rapid recovery of 2021 and 2022 in the rear-view mirror, and inflation slowing as we entered 2023, we are left with a big question mark on where the economy is headed. Will inflation plus rising interest rates trigger a recession, or will the Federal Reserve’s policies deliver the “soft landing” everyone desires? In either scenario, businesses are likely to spend more conservatively and look for highly measurable marketing tactics that have the largest impact on the bottom line — i.e., exactly what direct marketers aim to do regardless of economic conditions.   Here are some of the top ways we expect businesses to benefit from direct marketing in 2023:   Increased emphasis on B-to-B marketing: According to the White House, over the last two years, Americans have applied to start 10.5 million new businesses, the strongest two years on record. Layer onto that the fact that B-to-B markets have higher-value purchases...

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5 Tips for Maximizing the 2022 Holiday Shopping Season

Despite the evidence of inflation all around us, consumers seem unfazed when it comes to their shopping habits. According to National Retail Federation President and CEO, “October retail sales data confirms that consumers continue to stretch their dollars on household priorities, including gifts for family and loved ones this holiday season.” In other words, consumers are still spending and they’re spending early on holiday gifts. The question is, what can you do to win your share of today’s  holiday shoppers? We have some tips.   Appeal to the Hybrid Shopper   The intermixing of digital and physical shopping is becoming more dominant with more than half of consumers reporting they shop both ways. Clients of Aptos commerce solutions saw a 75% increase in e-commerce sales fulfilled from their physical stores during the 2021 holiday season. That means more of your customers will expect that they can purchase online and pick up the...

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Insurance Ads Gone Wild – A Brief History

Pure genius. That was the phrase that came to mind when we clicked on the YouTube page for Liberty Mutual’s Young People commercial. It has 1.4 million plus views, half of which are probably from marketers who saw it on broadcast and then had to see it again. Have a look.   Kudos to the agency, Goodby Silverstein & Partners and the client for having a laugh at themselves. Insurance companies have been trying so hard to make ads that people want to watch, that it’s become a competition.   1999: GEICO Gecko Debuts We can thank GEICO for breaking away from stuffy, artless ads with the advent of the GEICO Gecko which first aired in 1999. Originally targeting government employees, Government Employee Insurance Company (GEICO) had an image problem as they entered the broader market. Obviously they succeeded, because according to Ad Age, 98% of people recognize the GEICO Gecko.   With a running start, GEICO...

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Brand Advertising and Direct Marketing – aka Beauty and the Beast.

by Bill Rogers   Many years before joining Direct Choice, I strolled into a creative presentation with Progressive.com weary from an early flight but emboldened by the solid direct mail concepts my team had prepared. This was before Arnold Worldwide had crafted the beloved Flo character. At the time, Progressive.com was the new kid on the block, smothering the airways with a bold offer: get the best quote on auto insurance even if it’s not ours!  It was a novel approach, not to mention an offer that was built for direct mail. The presentation was going exceptionally well until I presented a mailing which removed the Progressive logo from the envelope in favor of what I called an “urgent, under-the-radar” approach. They didn’t get it.   The argument I heard against the “under the radar” approach was the same one I hear today. Quote the client, “Why would we mail un-branded envelopes when we’re...

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USPS Boosts Savings in 2022 Promotions for Marketers

It’s no secret that the USPS loves commercial mail. While last year’s first-class mail volumes fell to their lowest since 1971, marketing mail was on the rise in 2021.  That must be one of the reasons why the postal service is encouraging marketers to innovate and save with six special promotions throughout the year. Many of these special promotions are offering increased discounts compared to last year.   Some quick facts on these programs and why you may want to take advantage:   4% Tactile, Sensory & Interactive Promotion (now through July 31): Perhaps you’ve always wanted to test an interactive pop-up format or a mailer with special textures, visuals, or sound? With this discount, which has been doubled for 2022, you can help offset the added production and first-class mailing costs. Besides making a big impression in the mail, you may discover the added cost is worth the boost in response/sales regardless of...

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Supply Chain Holiday Blues: Questions & Answers for Marketers.

It’s not just the title track of the 2021 Holiday Season. This year’s supply chain issue is a heavy dose of reality that has retailers scrambling to meet demand and end the year in the black. As marketers, we’re kind of caught in the middle with more questions than solutions. Our Q &A tackles some the broad questions behind this unprecedented Holiday marketing season.   Why isn’t the supply chain keeping up with demand?   The pandemic is ultimately to blame but there is no simple answer. Three key factors have led us to be unprepared for the uptick in demand.   Just in time inventory management: Rather than keeping warehouses full, companies have switched to having raw materials and finished products arrive exactly when they need them. It’s a way of running leaner by eliminating excess inventory. Unfortunately, it leaves little room for surprises like a pandemic.   Lack of warehouse workers and truck drivers:...

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Jack-o-lanterns. Skeletons. Candy. And the $10 billion in sales? … PART OF IT.

If you have not yet seen SNL’s Haunted Elevator (ft. David S. Pumpkins) skit, you’re missing out on the brilliantly odd inspiration for our headline. More importantly, if you can connect your product or service to Halloween in a fun and compelling way but fail to do so, you may be missing out on an easy seasonal boost in awareness or sales.   According to the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2021 Halloween trends, Halloween-related consumer spending is expected to reach an all-time high of $10.14 billion this year. That’s enough to buy 4 billion bags of Brach’s Candy Corn and still have money left for some Necco Wafers – yes, it’s still possible to hand these out to the dismay of unsuspecting trick-or-treaters.   We can thank the pandemic for the added enthusiasm and spending surrounding Halloween 2021. In fact, consumers are expected to spend an average of $102.74 which is close to pre-pandemic...

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Health plans should expect record ACA enrollments in 2022 — thanks ARP!

Back in April we promised to follow up on the American Rescue Plan’s (ARP’s) impact on the health insurance market. As you may recall, the ARP offered larger premium tax credits to a greater number of people who obtain coverage through Affordable Care Act health plans. It also created an extended special enrollment period (SEP) that’s slated to end on August 15th.   Here’s the good news from the ARP’s impact on 2021 enrollments: CMS reports that over 1.2 million Americans signed up for health insurance under the extended SEP as of June 1st.   3 million consumers reduced their monthly health insurance rates by applying for additional premium tax credits.   State-based marketplaces and healthcare.gov helped spur additional enrollments by promoting the SEP along with health plans. This included CMS teaming up with Stride’s Portable Benefits platform to help independent contractors enroll in an ACA health plan during a “Gig Workers Week of...

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Why your marketing plan MUST consider short-form video.

If you’ve been wondering if it pays to make the leap from online image ads to short-form video the answer is most likely a resounding, YES!  Even with the added production costs, video is too powerful to be ignored.   According to Social Media Today, video is the best performing content type on all social platforms. Video wins on engagement, response, shares and other metrics.   Consider these mind-blowing video ad statistics: Facebook: Video gains 2-3x higher click-throughs and a 20-30% increase in conversions compared to image ads (adQuadrant)   Instagram: Video posts gain 60% more engagement than photo posts (Hootsuite)   Twitter: Video delivers 10x more engagement and 50% savings on cost per engagement (Social Media Today)   LinkedIn: Video delivers 3x the engagement as text posts (LinkedIn)   YouTube: Best ROI for video with 34.6 billion visits per month (the world’s second most popular website after Google).   What qualifies a short-form video ad? Anything under 1-minute. 66% percent...

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This holiday season, we’re continuing to support @philabundance to help them end hunger in our local communities. Happy Holidays from Direct Choice Inc! #philabundance #happyholidays ...

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Kudos for Direct Choice at the PDMA Benny Awards last night. DCI won the top award in 3 categories PLUS WON BEST IN SHOW! Congrats to ALL #PDMA #bennyawards ...

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Here`s something many of us can relate to in the era of virtual meetings - enjoy a good laugh and Happy Holidays from the DCI team! #virtualbloopers #Happyholidays #happyholidays2021 ...

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Way to go Reem, our resident @Peloton aficionado, for recently completing 500 RIDES!! #peloton ...

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Shout out to @michelafavazza who will soon be a Drexel University field hockey Dragon! Michela is the daughter of our very own Sal Favazza (a Drexel alum!) https://maxfieldhockey.com/2021-michela-favazza/ #drexelfieldhockey #drexeldragons #drexeluniversity ...

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Time to get your brackets done! #marchmadness #brackets #ncaabasketball ...

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