The Integrated Shopper: How well do 3 home and kitchenware brands cross channels?

What’s in a name? When it comes to the three brands I’ve looked at this month … everything. The sign of a great brand isn’t only name recognition, but the image you get in your head when you hear the name. You should immediately feel something when the name is mentioned. The best brands allow you […]

Know Thy Customer: 3 tips for making the most of your research data

We are in the midst of a true paradigm shift. Consumer behavior suggests consumers want to be more in control of their interaction with the marketing that brands are pushing out. As marketers collect more data and gain access to more powerful analytic technologies, there also is a new dimension we need to access to […]

Behind the Curtain: A look at the people and departments responsible for marketing data

Over the past season, we have been looking at many data-driven elements, including the data itself and the processes that are involved in analysis and reporting. However, a simple, often-overlooked, but key part of the whole process is the people who work with the data. Different people are involved across so many parts of the […]

The New Era Catalog

Lois was interviewed by Kamil Porembinski of ProofHQ’s Marketing Operations Blog: 1. What are the most common marketing problems that companies ask J. Schimd to solve for them? The most common challenge for our clients is how do their brands not only survive in this new economy but how do they thrive? New thinking is […]

Beyond the Data: New thinking about data’s role in creating marketing success

“Data” has become the darling of the marketing world recently as information technology and database marketing really hit their strides in business (Check out the Target Marketing July 2012 cover story, “Are You Ready for Big Data?” to brush up on your consumer data know-how if this topic hasn’t been on your radar screen). Marketers […]

In Strategy

The new call-to-action

6 better ways to drive conversion in direct mail and print Customers … why don’t they just do what we want? That would make direct marketing so much easier, wouldn’t it? Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. In today’s marketing climate—with so many choices, technological devices and brand messages bombarding the senses—it’s more difficult than ever […]

Rewriting the Rules of Catalog Copy

On an episode of AMC’s “Mad Men,” the irascible and ubiquitously intoxicated Roger Sterling prods the precocious Peggy Olsen to hire a new copywriter. Peggy cringes, concerned that the potential new Mad Man might be a little, well, mad. “Define crazy for a copywriter,” Roger retorts. “Sleeps all day? Disrespectful of authority? Drunk half the […]

The New Call to Action: 6 better ways to drive conversion in direct mail and print

Customers … why don’t they just do what we want? That would make direct marketing so much easier, wouldn’t it? Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. In today’s marketing climate—with so many choices, technological devices and brand messages bombarding the senses—it’s more difficult than ever to get customers to do anything, let alone what you want […]