Using brand to drive response

Direct Webinar
Russell Kern, Kern Org.
Toni Schottenhammer, Xerox
Ray Schultz, Penton Media

Brand integration in direct marketing improves response incredibly

5 Hurdles of Direct Marketing
1. Increase Response
2. Lifting sales conversions
3. Maximizing consumer value
4. Optimizing investments
5. Getting campaigns out the door

Communication continuum
1. Awareness - willing to be entertained - print, e-ads, site, email, enewsletter
2. Consideration and preference - Willing to learn
3. Connection - Interested in topic
4. Conversion
5. Loyalty - Int. Mag, Mail, TM, site, email, ENewsletter

At top, 80 percent about the brand, 20 percent about the info. Toward the bottom, it's 80 percent on the service, 20 percent about the brand (really?)


Brand advert: driven by creative, based on key consumer insights "clarity of communication, hghly-interruptive to gain attention. frequency, goal of brand building: I know and like that company
har to measure

Direct: driven by strategy. If strategy is wrong, great creative cannot save it. If strategy is right, bad creative can't kill it

Brand driven ... costs more to do it
Direct driven ... costs less... need to know the balance between the two

Print - arresting and dramatic stuff, doesn't get them to buy, gets them aware

Tiffany (direct mail) - name and Tiffany color - creates curiosity

Well known brands generate trust --> performance

What's the goal with 90 percent brand, 10 percent direct... best for print. What's the goal? Awareness, preference, education, response
With higher direct, response or offer with call to action is front and center -- higher response

Brand TV ads - more about ratings, cuz low response. Direct TV ads, don't care about ratings, only about response

Book: The New Maxi-Marketing

DirecTV: TV, print, circular, alt. media, solo mail, web

BMW - created unique offer, with BMW films

Have standard graphic system throughout... but different each time so it's not like "You've already sent me this"

VeriSign: We get what's going on in your mind: pic of a man with lots of stuff written over his head....

It's ALWAYS about the offer. Is your offer so compelling a reader will stop what they are doing and click or call to respond?
Tell them what to do. Don't make them think or work.

Offline: lead in the J-Box, lead in first paragraph, repeat offer over and over. Closing paragraph, PS, response form, brochure and inserts

Print advertising -- tip-ins with your print ads - I guess it's a response postcard
Send response postcards -- spend as much time on them as anything!
There are solutions to your writing problem

Relevant marketing:
New business paradigm - business case approach, price per page may be higher, but focus on ROI
Case study approach - document all results, replicate their success, true A/B comparison
Data, tracking, and how to's:
1:1 Lab created to be vehicle
Partnership with Xerox, Terminal van Gogh, Exstream Software

Heritage funds challenge:
Educate clients on necessity of putting money away for college
Demonstrating the value of investing RESP
Difficulty of forecasting and communicating costs 10 years away
Objectives: direct clients to increase their contribution to RESP, convert from one-time or yearly-to-ongoing
Pictures of kids would be the same age of your kids (!)
Also put in how much it would cost to send a kid to college, based on how old kid (how much it costs to bring in writers later rather than earlier)

balance goals: awareness v. performance
- you can have both

Build your brand by using quality card stock, etc... everything you want your brand to stand for

With no funding: find strategic partner