Thursday, July 24, 2008

Shame on the Old Gray Lady

The New York Times ran an article which of course was all but flattering to DM'ers. The author quotes a member of Kawasaki's marketing team who, in almost child-like manner, apologizes for not being able to define goals and frame works for "greening up" DM. It's really a horrible article. Not well written and especially not well researched. One simple phone call to the DMA to get a hold of the "Green 15" or "CCC" initiatives and there would have been some balance.

This was just more "dreck" as my dad would have said.

Labels: DMA, green

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

List Leaders Group events successful

If all you took away from last week's DM Days in NY was that it was oppressively hot, you missed the best parts. The List Leaders Group hosted two events; a breakfast with John Greco, President of the DMA, and Donn Rappaport, Chairman of the Board of the DMA. This was an unprecedented event set in a "town hall" discussion platform. Attendees had access to the two leaders of our industry and could hear from them their ideas for the future of our industry. They spent over an hour fielding questions from the audience and giving frank answers.

The next event was Fast Forward... my favorite. The two morning sessions were geared towards what we as owners of marketing companies must do to insure our viability for the future. Our lunch speaker was the always-on-target, Seth Godin who urged us to think differently about the way we view ourselves in the industry. Two more afternoon sessions also dealt with issues critical to marketers' futures followed by the List Leader of the Year Awards dinner. A long but very productive day.

I urge every list marketing company to make the effort to attend next years Fast Forward event. It really is worth every penny.

Labels: DMA, DMDays

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

The new look for NY DM Days

You might not have noticed but NY DM Days has really transformed itself. First it's combined Fast Forward, Directo Days, International Days and List Day into "conferences within the conference". A very bold step.

But just to show you how the DMA is keeping up with the wireless world, DM Days is going mobile. Once you're at the show and registered you can sign up for interactive voice response (IVR) by texting DMDAYS to 58671. This will allow you to view the entire conference schedule, get wake up calls, receive texts alerts about events, or find specific booths.

The DMA's moving ahead at warp speed!!!

Labels: DMA, DMDays, mobile

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

A nice DMCNY event

Last week the Direct Marketing Club of New York hosted one of their monthly luncheons. The centerpiece of the day was a presentation by the DMA's staff: Jerry Cerasale, Patricia Kachura, Alan Kuritsky and Terri L. Bartlett. For those of us who regularly attend DMA meetings much of the information was a repeat. But there were a few nuggets to take away:

+ Alan Kuritsky reported that the Direct Marketing industry's overall revenue will show a modest growth again in 2008. It is expected that as the gas prices go up, DM/email will also increase in growth.

+ Jerry Cerasale stressed the importance of adopting the DMA's guidelines on Commitment to Consumer Choice (CCC). He warned against allowing a "third party to take control over your customers". Adding that we want to avoid the "leave me alone" feeling by over mailing to consumers.

+ Patricia Kachura highlighted the progress of the DMA's efforts and marketers in general, siting many interesting fact about how much is saved by utilizing direct mail.

A good question was raised by an audience participant; is there anything the DMA will be doing to go directly to the consumer to educate them about Green 15 and CCC? The answer appears to be what I blogged about a while ago. The DMA is putting the responsibility of educating the public on the members' plates. If an opportunity arises for some one to address the issues in a public forum they will, but no campaign is planned......too bad.

In any event I urge you all to go to the DMA's website and download the information on Green 15 and CCC. Some very good talking points for us all to be aware of.

Labels: DMA, DMCNY, green

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Recycle Please, please consider

Last year the DMA developed a Recycle Please campaign asking direct marketers to include their blue bin logo on outgoing mail pieces, encouraging its recipients to recycle. A good effort put forth by the DMA. But what if they were to go beyond just encouraging the general public and develop a strategy to get all DM'ers to recycle internally?

Here's my proposal: devise a extension of the Recycle Please campaign asking all DM'ers themselves to install recycling programs within their building (like we did in November). For each company that does, the DMA would partner with Arbor Day Foundation to plant 100 trees (or whatever amount) in a national forest.

The DMA could showcase logos of all participating companies on their microsite and include numbers of the amount of trees planted to date, and the amount of trees saved through recycling. The DMA could have a splash on their home page with the tallied figures. And, if the numbers are strong enough, they could site how many trees were used for mailings in 2007 countered by how many were saved and planted.

DM’ers would be encouraged to join in because a) it’s coming from the authoritative DMA b) they don’t want to be singled out and c) for the honorable exposure/advertising.

The DMA could get the movement going by surveying to find out how many companies are already recycling and plant the trees retroactively.

Press coverage on this could be substantial. And at that point, who could say that we're not doing enough...

Labels: DMA, green, recycling

Thursday, December 27, 2007

The DMA responds

The DMA is responding to the ongoing negative press about our ability to police the amount of unsolicited mail delivered. Business Week will run an article not very gracious to the DMA. John Greco, President of the DMA has responded to members in a letter outlining some of the omissions in the story and stating that a letter to the editor will follow. This is of vital importance faced with all the "Do Not Mail" legislation that could be headed our way.

We really need to get out ahead of this issue. Somehow the DMA has to get in front of the public directly...I don't know maybe The Today Show, Good Morning America and all of the rest of the morning shows. We need a full on program that heads off negative impressions. It seems like we're always responding. Maybe this is happening and I just don't know it, but by the end of 2008 it may be too late.

Labels: DMA, legislation, press

Friday, December 7, 2007

Shelly Lazarus

This month's issue of Target Marketing had a quote by Shelly Lazarus, chairman and CEO, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, from the DMA conference in Chicago. It's worth reading.

"We always know which offer sells best when we are using direct response, but I don't think we['ve] yet asked the same kind of question aggressively enough for new media....We need to go from a sense of wonder that 'Wow, we can do it' to a demonstration that what we can do is valuable....It will take years to get to be serious....to be able to measure the [effect] of all this interactive communication, but we have to start by asking questions. You, as direct marketers, know how to do this. This industry, your industry, must lead here. This is the territory of direct marketing."

Labels: chicago, conference, DMA

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Check out our snazzy booth

The professional photos of our new booth arrived today! Starring from left to right: Martin Stein, Tally Maffucci (hiding behind Martin), Mike Kertelits, Joe Russo, and Dennis Bass from CSPI. What a crowd.

Labels: DMA, exhibit

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Capitol Hill

If you ever get an invitation to be part of a group from the DMA to spend the day on Capitol Hill, take it. It is a very gratifying experience. In one day you are given one on one exposure, up close and personal, to Senators and Representatives who affect the way we do business.

This year we went there with a mission: to make sure that those Senators and Representatives, who hold positions on committees that influence direct mail, are aware of what our positions are on environmental issues, "Do Not Mail" legislation, identity theft and the use of Social Security Numbers.

At each of the seven meetings we had, (which by the way consumed an entire day of walking on concrete or marble floors, traversing multiple House and Senate office buildings), we were with extremely bright and knowledgeable Members of Congress or Staffers. They were all well versed on each of the issues we brought up and understood their individual impact and how they related on the whole to the economy of direct mail. They were genuinely appreciative that we met with them.

Multiply our visit by as many groups, organizations and associations trying to make contact with them and you can respect how hard a job these elected officials and their staff people have.

The take away from this day is this: if you want to make your voice heard, you've got to get involved. I was given access to speak directly to the Congressmen and women who can enact change. It was awesome!

Labels: DMA, legislation

Monday, November 5, 2007

More anti direct mail attacks

If you are a direct marketer and haven't realized our industry is under serious attack you've been on vacation too long. With 15 states having 18 "Do Not Mail" bills this year alone (and at last count at least 7 will be carry overs to next year) we need to get ahead of the issues. Not withstanding the all out assault by the environmental groups demonizing the use of direct mail, you've got a perfect storm to put big hurt on all of us. The DMA has identified about 13 organizations who would like it very much if commercial and non profit mail stops. Groups like GreenDimes, 41Pounds and CatalogChoice are well organized and have the backing of some very well healed foundations like Merck Family, Overbrook Foundation and Tudor Investment Corporation.

The DMA has put in motion several great initiatives which are geared towards self policing on issues like recycling and The Commitment to Consumer Choice(CCC) and Mail Moves America. However, these items never seem to make it to the major news outlets or your local news channel.

Get the facts from the DMA website and get involved.

Labels: DMA, legislation

Monday, October 29, 2007

List Day on Capitol Hill

Wednesday, October 31, 2007 is List Day on Capitol Hill. This is an event organized by Mark Micali, Vice President Government Affairs for the DMA, to give list executives the ability to speak face to face with members from the Congress, both Senate and the House, about important industry issues. The ability to get "face time" with the people who make legislation concerning our industry is invaluable. To be able to grab 10 or 15 minutes with a Senator or Congressperson may just be one more way to insure that when the time comes for an important votethat could be very detrimental to our industry, they may have a better understanding of what is at hand.

You are also able to realize just how busy things get on The Hill. It's a constant flow of meetings and people moving here and there. I wondered last year just how anything really gets done. Everyone's always in meetings, going to meetings or scheduling meetings. And of course speaking to list people.

Labels: DMA, legislation

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

A boon to the list industry

In case you haven't heard, the new Chairman of the DMA Board of Directors is Donn Rappaport, CEO of The American List Council. The newly elected Vice Chairman is Kelly Browning, EVP and COO of The American Institute for Cancer Research. With a nod to exiting Chairman, Markus Wilhelm who did a great job making us all more aware of our duties to self policing.

For those of us directly involved with the list business the new Chairs of the DMA are quite a boon. They know our business inside and out as they are totally immersed in it on a daily basis. We will have voices at the highest board level who"speaks our language". In return, it's up to use as list professionals to get behind them and make sure we take active roles in furthering their vision for the next year. I've often heard from other list company owners that the DMA doesn't understand us....well not anymore. No more excuses. Get involved.

Labels: DMA

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

It's time to get serious

John Greco is right on the money. For those of you who missed his opening speech at the Fall Conference a great recap is on Direct Newsline today.

This is a scenario that happens all the time. At industry functions the conversation moves to "what's the DMA doing about 'X'" ? And no one has the answer. Well John Greco gave us all the answers. And did it quite passionately.

Now it's up to us as members of the Direct Marketing community to get behind the initiatives laid out by the DMA and make sure our clients are at least aware of what needs to be done. I've already heard people say this is just a lot of inflammatory rhetoric. Maybe it is. But I'd rather prepare for the worst and be pleasantly surprised than suffer the consequences. We can't afford to be wrong on this one.

Labels: chicago, conference, DMA, legislation

Friday, October 12, 2007

Off to Chicago

Gonna be busy for the next few days. Not unlike other companies, we start planning for the Fall DMA Conference immediately after the prior one. So, our meetings are all set up, our schedules are full and we're psyched to go. An interesting point; so many people I speak to about this Conference immediately bring up next year's in Las Vegas. Hmmmm? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Be back next week.

Labels: chicago, conference, DMA

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

How quickly your dance card fills

Direct marketers are about to face the same problems our potential customers face daily. We are going to descend on Chicago to our annual conference in hopes to accomplish whatever our predetermined goals are. The only obstacle: so is every other direct marketer. The next problem is time. We only have about three days to do it in.

Broker/manager, mailer or data service provider, we all want to make that contact who will seal a deal or promote our business or our client's business. It's hard! It's like trying to be at every one's wedding on the same day. Or mail box clutter.

We need to take a tip from our own play book. Make sure you stand out in the crowd. Then above all make sure you deliver what you say you will.

See you in Chicago and... have a good and productive show.

Labels: chicago, conference, DMA

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Shame on the Old Gray Lady

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

List Leaders Group events successful

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

The new look for NY DM Days

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

A nice DMCNY event

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Recycle Please, please consider

Thursday, December 27, 2007

The DMA responds

Friday, December 7, 2007

Shelly Lazarus

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Check out our snazzy booth

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Capitol Hill

Monday, November 5, 2007

More anti direct mail attacks

Monday, October 29, 2007

List Day on Capitol Hill

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

A boon to the list industry

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

It's time to get serious

Friday, October 12, 2007

Off to Chicago

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

How quickly your dance card fills

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