i-News: October, 2006
Data-Driven Marketing Automation for Media Professionals, 10/11/2006
> Highlights
• Survey Shows Ad Budgets Moving to Trackable Media
• Keeping Your Loyalty Program Current and Relevant
• Did You Know...?
• ASTECH News
> Survey Shows Ad Budgets Moving to Trackable Media
An Epsilon survey of 175 senior marketers in the USA indicates that 79% are moving money from “mass” to “trackable” media. Most, in fact, are already spending half of their ad dollars on channels such as direct mail, e-mail, telemarketing and search. The objective: greater accountability.
“Companies are looking at the relationship between dollars being spent and the return on investment,” according to Epsilon’s Al DiGuido. “Never before has there been a tighter scrutiny of the way marketers are spending money.”
Of those companies surveyed, nearly 75% actively integrate their marketing efforts. For 62% of those, double-digit lifts in performance have resulted.
In identifying target markets for those multiple channels, most respondents use sophisticated data analysis tools to optimize selection.
“It all starts with the marketing database,” says DiGuido. “Some folks have archaic databases. They kept data in silos. They don’t have a 360-view of the way in which their customers interact with channels.”
> Keeping Your Loyalty Program Current and Relevant
Michael Greenberg, VP/Marketing for Loyalty Lab in San Francisco, offers some important advice for ensuring that loyalty programs continue to meet their strategic marketing objectives.
First, Greenberg believes that good programs are open to change. Every aspect of a loyalty initiative should be evaluated regularly. “The key is not to think of any component as fixed. Everything should be considered mutable. If your systems and staff permit, pilot new concepts with test markets or segments. Don’t be afraid to go ahead and make the changes that adapt your program to your customers’ needs.”
When introducing new programs, you don’t have to get it absolutely right from the start. Says Greenberg, “Many companies think they need to spend large amounts of time and effort trying to get their program designs exactly right the first time. While the program should be well thought out and relevant to its target audience, designing in flexibility will be far more valuable over the long term than getting the last 5% right.”
Typically, the largest expense associated with program change is reprinting materials and/or mailing notices to customers. This pain can be lessened significantly by moving to e-mail notification.
Just like any relationship marketing initiative, loyalty program concepts can be tested and modified. A plan of continuous testing and improvement will pay dividends over the long run.
> Did You Know...?
• Circulation: Paid circulation grew 0.56% worldwide last year. Including free dailies, daily circulation increased 1.21% to 464 million. Readership is estimated at more than a billion.
• Advertising: Newspaper advertising grew 5.7% in 2005 – the best performance in four years. The industry’s share of the world ad market declined slightly from 30.3 to 30.2 percent. Newspapers remain the world’s number two advertising medium behind television.
• Internet: The audience for newspaper web sites has increased 200% in the past five years. Ad revenues were up 24% in 2005.
Source: World Press Trends published by the World Association of Newspapers (http://www.wan-press.org)
> ASTECH News
• Tom Ratkovich, president/CEO of ASTECH InterMedia, has been appointed president of the North America Division of the International Newspaper Marketing Association (http://www.inma.org). James Gold, vice president/marketing for the New York Times Regional Media Group, has been elected vice president of the N.A. Division.
• Webcast: Single Copy Analysis. Greg Bright, director of IT data management for the Arizona Republic, will lead a Webcast outlining the use of database marketing technology in maximizing single copy sales initiatives. The one-hour event will take place on Tuesday, October 24 at 11am Mountain Time. The webcast is FREE to MAAX users. Others may participate for a fee of $99 on a space-available basis. To register, please send an email to ter@astech-intermedia.com.
• Retention Marketing Seminar. ASTECH’s senior education consultant, Tim Bailey, will lead this two-day session on October 24-25. For more details on the curriculum and fees, please click HERE.
• MAAX Users Group Meeting. The Spring 2007 event has been scheduled for March 5-6 at the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Budget now! There is no fee for MAAX clients and travel to LV is typically cheap if planned early. The ASTECH conference rate at the Palms is $135. The last MUG was attended by nearly 80 people. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear how your peers are leveraging MAAX to maximize revenue and readership.
This update is brought to you by ASTECH InterMedia, the leading provider of data-driven, revenue-focused marketing automation solutions to the publishing industry. If you like what you read here, we invite you to learn more about our company at www.astech-intermedia.com!
ASTECH InterMedia
999 18th Street, #2240
Denver, Colorado 80202
303.296.9966 | fax 303.296.9969
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