The Integrated Shopper: How well do three outdoor adventure brands cross channels?

Retailers must make a concerted effort to get consumers’ attention in today’s fast-paced environment, where prospects are subjected to hundreds of adverting messages a day. When it comes to brand recognition, integration is the name of the game. For consumers to really connect with a brand, they must have the same brand experience online, in-store […]

Eight Reasons Why Direct Mail Still Works

Multichannel marketers today tend to get caught up in the frenzy of the next greatest trend. What about Web 3.0? What’s the hot social networking application? How do we make our e-mails more effective? Sexy online strategies are and should be a big part of direct marketing. But that doesn’t mean you should ignore some […]

Test Your Catalog’s Effectiveness

Mailing a catalog is a considerable investment, so every single book, every page, every photograph must work hard to maintain the catalog’s goal: tapping customers on the shoulder and driving a sale no matter the channel. Has your team lost sight on how important this format is? Are you taking advantage of every square inch […]

Direct Selling: Hero Worship

Products and services. That’s what we sell. Every company has something to offer, whether it’s a tangible good, training, technology, or financial products and services. As marketers, we are in the business of selling “things.” But some of these products stand out because they provide the solutions to problems people need answered. They are your […]

Out of the Box Experiences

How do you survive these extraordinary times? You have to think in extraordinary terms and escape the shackles of the ordinary, everyday promises of quality, value and service. Customers have come to expect these three factors. You can’t merely deliver — you must overdeliver and create an experience that will resonate with customers. How? All […]

The Integrated Shopper: How well do three home decor marketers cross channels?

For this third installment of our review of brand integration, we explored the selling channels of Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware and Crate & Barrel to see how they’re navigating the recession. Pottery Barn Romantic afternoon light streams through the windows. Your gin and tonic is refreshing and cool in your hand. You hear Daisy’s voice, […]

Killer Kickoffs: How to Structure Creative Planning Meetings to Strengthen Your Marketing Efforts

Your marketing efforts are under attack! They are costing more to produce and getting lackluster results, right? Your efforts must be stepped up in order to survive. In most cases, every marketing effort your company has produced could have been stronger, more strategic and garnered better results. Almost every time the culprit that keeps you […]