The CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) Council released the results of a study conducted among 250 of their members. More than half of these senior marketers think that their agencies are not up to speed with providing and integrating digital marketing services into the mix. Only 9% thought traditional agencies were doing a good job of embracing digital.

“There’s an underlying level of frustration among senior corporate marketers worldwide when it comes to agency contributions to business value creation, strategic thinking, and digital marketing development,” said Donovan Neale-May, executive director of the CMO Council, in a statement. “Our members report quite a bit of switching of digital marketing resources, as well as a view that big, global agencies don’t have a truly integrated offering and capacity to execute in an effective, localized way in emerging markets.”

The survey attributes this lack in the agencies to five causes:

• Lack of an agreed-upon set of analytics and metrics that defines success and failure;
• Limited knowledge and comprehension of the client’s business;
• Lack of value-added strategic thinking;
• Pricing and budgeting issues;
• Integration of marketing plans and services

Marketsmith has observed this frustration among our clients. In this omni-channel world, no marketer can afford to ignore any medium for customer touchpoints. For that reason, we focus on strategic assessment which helps our clients create and execute integrated multichannel marketing initiatives that build off each other, increasing Brand interaction with the customer and building loyalty. Our programs are all tied to metrics which measure their success and allow for fine tuning to increase performance. We have proprietary analyses and reporting formats which allow our clients to gain insight into their customers’ omni-channel paths to purchase. We work closely with both Brands and agencies to improve outcomes.

As the CMO study noted, “marketing expenditures are under incredible pressure in today’s business environment.” It is critical that marketing programs deliver quantifiable returns on their spend. Call us to see how we can grow your bottom line.

Source: 1

Carina Pologruto
VP, Client Services
Marketsmith, Inc.

Posted by: Marketsmith

Tags: digital marketing Category: Blog. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Monica C. Smith and Amy Allan Smith attended the release party last night at the NYSE for Who Cares Wins, a new book by David Jones, CEO of Havas and One Young World. ABC’s Bob Woodruff interviewed Jones, allowing him to expand on his theme of the importance of businesses caring about more than the bottom line.

In complete agreement with his thesis, I was so inspired that I started reading the book as soon as I got home. It is a must read, underlining the awesome point that corporations, brands and businesses must align the goals of doing well and doing good. It is critically important to me that we not only make sure that Marketsmith achieves its goal to support our own actions of doing good thru One More Smith, but also that we ensure our strategic discussions with the over 40 businesses we will touch in a year include the idea of how doing good can fit into their strategies.

Thanks to the presenters of the event, the North American Directors of Havas, Euro RSCG Worldwide, Arnold and the Havas Media Companies, for including us on the guest list

Monica C. Smith and Amy Allan Smith

Monica and Abed Abusaleh, EVP of Euro RSCG Edge

David Jones speaks about his Who Cares Wins philosophy – YouTube
Who Cares Wins: Why good business is better business – Amazon

Monica C. Smith
CEO and President
Marketsmith, Inc.

Posted by: Marketsmith

Tags: business model Category: Blog. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Mickey Racine Beradelli does it again with a Branded piece that puts an intelligent twist on the mantra actions speak louder than words. Their holiday gift guide allows the products to do all the talking. The twenty seven products that grace this direct mail piece leave you speechless. The iconic brand logo displayed on every item makes each a must have for Tory Burch admirers. From key fobs to iPhone cases, necklaces to pajama sets, this gift guide handpicks what you should be wrapping.

Monica C. Smith
CEO and President
Marketsmith, Inc.

Posted by: Marketsmith

Tags: Best December 2011 Catalogs, direct mail marketing, Holiday 2011 Category: Blog. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

The TJ Maxx holiday direct mail piece reminds consumer’s why they have been in existence for over 35 years. The simple but effective message of gifts for everyone at a great price resonates strong with today’s economy. The product sampling is just enough to make you want to go to the store and see more. TJ Maxx succeeds in capturing the spirit of gift giving without making you afraid to see your January credit card statement.

Monica C. Smith
CEO and President
Marketsmith, Inc.

Posted by: Marketsmith

Tags: Best December 2011 Catalogs, direct mail marketing, Holiday 2011 Category: Blog. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Internet retailer Shutterfly uses tradition to triumph this holiday season with a very sophisticated direct mail piece. The well paced and easy to shop holiday gift guide drives you to the website at the bottom of every page. The site homepage picks up where the mailer left off. Shutterfly offers classic gifts with modern personalization options. The pages are full of tips and ideas to make your present a cherished keepsake long after the holidays have passed.

Monica C. Smith
CEO and President
Marketsmith, Inc.

Posted by: Marketsmith

Tags: Best December 2011 Catalogs, direct mail marketing, Holiday 2011 Category: Blog. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

In Direct Mail new movers are excellent prospects for a variety of goods and services as they will spend more in the first three months following their move than their non-mover counterparts do over a five-year period. One such list provider estimates that 41 million Americans move to a new home every year.

There are multiple vendors who provide new movers lists; they offer great selectivity in terms of geography, demographics, mail responsiveness, and a whole set of additional variables.

One of our Team members recently received a 9” x 11¾” envelope from Pottery Barn with a “Welcome to the Neighborhood” message on the front as well as a “10% Off Your Next Purchase” offer. The piece was nicely executed with a welcome letter from Pottery Barn’s president and the most recent catalog. This promotional offer as well as the product line itself makes great sense for a new mover who is inclined to decorate her new home. Unfortunately, this particular envelope with the Pottery Barn catalog was not sent to a new mover. The person who received it has been living in her home for over five years.

The success of any mailing is highly dependent on its execution, making sure the correct target audience receives a relevant mailing. In this case, there was a mismatch. We can only conclude that either the new mover list or the mail tape was inaccurate. These sorts of errors point to the need for careful vetting of the list supplier and great attention to detail in creating the merge instructions to ensure a flawless execution.

For Pottery Barn, a mailing that had the potential of being very profitable may now come in below its benchmarks for new mover mailings, and it will not be clear why.

Michael Waksbaum
Vice President Analytics
Marketsmith Inc

Posted by: Michael Waksbaum

Tags: direct mail marketing Category: Blog. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Clinique Online – Warm Holiday Wishes

This email was the first “Holiday Card” type email that we received in our inbox and even after the busy holiday week, its still at the top of our list. It includes warm holiday wishes and free shipping when you click through to their website.

Gump’s – It’s Free Shipping Day

Gump’s has been on our radar for a while now, but they always seemed to just miss the mark with their creative. Their Free Shipping Day email is right on target though. They have their signature bold box, but have sacrificed some real-estate to include item images which works to create a great balance in the email while making use of space that is generally wasted.

CB2 – Yes, There’s Still Time for Free Standard Shipping + Best Gifts of 2011

CB2 goes in a bold direction with this email that includes the great idea of top product picks from the CB2 staff. The product montage approach has been done before, and it generally feels cluttered and confusing. But in their email CB2′s use of color makes each product stand out, and the sometimes skewed product titles and prices are just disorganized enough to make the formatting unique

Posted by: Marketsmith

Tags: email marketing, marketsmith favorites Category: Blog. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Last week, a client approached Marketsmith with a model evaluation project that needed to be thorough, while still being done quickly and efficiently. In just three days, a team at Marketsmith conducted a business model assessment on a niche marketplace, and delivered a comprehensive presentation and evaluation of success by model type. The client found Marketsmith’s actionable report and quick turnaround “above and beyond”, calling the team at Marketsmith “rockstars”.

Posted by: Marketsmith

Tags: marketplace assessment Category: Blog, News, What's New. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

In November ten Senators introduced a new Internet sales tax bill called the “Marketplace Fairness Act” which gives states broad authority to require that online merchants collect and remit state sales taxes in order to level the playing field for online and offline retailers.
Starting February 1, 2012, Amazon will offer to handle the sales tax collection process for its third-party merchants in exchange for 2.9% of the tax collected.

Assuming that current trends continue, by the year 2015, Amazon could be generating $70 billion in revenue through its platform, accounting for 25% of total internet sales of $279 billion. Assuming that 75% of that revenue will be third party generated revenue that is eligible for tax to be collected on it and the tax rate is 7.5%, we’re looking at Amazon earning an additional $114 million that year in tax collection fees. Allowing for some costs to the collection process, we’re still talking about $100 million in profit.

For the hundreds of thousands of small retailers that use Amazon to sell their product, they already must pay a referral fee of between 6% and 25% of the sales price, a variable closing fee per item plus a $0.99 fixed closing fee per item. Can’t all these fees include payment for the tax collection service?

In many cases these third-party sellers are already competing with Amazon when they sell the same product as Amazon does at the same or higher price, and the smaller companies usually must charge for shipping, while Amazon does not charge shipping on items of $25 or more bought directly from Amazon’s inventory.

Having fought sales taxes for online retailers for years, Amazon has done an aboutface as it figured out how to generate another new revenue stream at the expense of smaller retailers, this time online merchants. It seems to make sense to level the playing field with brick and mortar stores, but I worry about the smaller online sellers, who no longer will have the tax advantage (which I don’t think they should have ever had) but now they will be burdened with an almost 3% penalty on the tax they need to collect from the consumer.

Michael Waksbaum
Vice President Analytics
Marketsmith Inc

Posted by: Michael Waksbaum

Tags: Internet retail tax, internet tax law Category: Blog. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Dale and Thomas Popcorn – Deal of the Day for Monday, December 5th

Dale and Thomas Popcorn is celebrating the season by sending out one of these delightful emails every day. They have a great creative and pair it with great savings and deals each day. The winter theme is subtle but makes an impact, and each item has its own special, sweet, deal.

Laura Mercier – LIMITED EDITION: Eye Book | 12 Days of Flawless

Laura Mercier Kicked off a 12 Days of Flawless sale recently and their email campaign has been near flawless as well. They keep the creative fresh with a new item and different colored bow each day, and they also mix up the savings with new free gifts some days, and free shipping or sales other days.

Zappos – The Holiday Hit List + Free Shipping

Zappos is a good example of what to do for online apparel retailers. They have had free shipping and free returns for as far back as I can remember, and they constantly remind their customer that everything is no hassle. This email pairs that great customer service with excellent gift ideas on their holiday hit-list.

Posted by: Marketsmith

Tags: email marketing, marketsmith favorites Category: Blog. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Merchants know ‘tis the season to be filled with wishes and dreams – consumers are wishing for things and merchants are dreaming of profits. November catalogs are key for both.

Our mailbox has been so full this past month – with examples of retailers who got it right with covers that drew in recipients and sparked the phone call, store visit or web sale. And sadly, there were those books that did not motivate any response.

Here are our favorites:

Other catalogs did not deliver on their promise:

Neiman Marcus

While aspirational brands from Neiman Marcus as well as carefully designed creative covers engage the reader in “The Christmas Book” and “Comfort & Joys”, its “Full of Ideas” catalog misses the mark with a cover concept that does not reflect the brand or the product offers in the book.

Harry & David

Harry & David wants to deliver joy but the cover image is not very appetizing or engaging.

MLB Store

The graphic on MLB presents a confusing image.

We at Marketsmith believe that catalogs are still a very important element of a solid multichannel strategy. November is the time to hit hard with your messages and offerings. December catalogs also need to reinforce this message and ramp up the urgency.

See you in December!

Monica C. Smith
CEO and President
Marketsmith, Inc.

Posted by: Marketsmith

Tags: catalog marketing, Holiday 2011, multichannel marketing Category: Blog. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

The Huffington Post featured an article today alerting consumers to be aware that some of the products promoted on News and Morning Talk Shows are actually paid endorsements. And often in other cases, the promotions are a result of a public relations campaign. These endorsements can be seen everywhere from a local news station to a talk show that regularly has segments about inspiration, self help, recipes, home innovation, gadgets, gift ideas, etc. The bottom line is, whether it is a paid product endorsement, or the brand has hired a Public Relations firm, somewhere, somehow, someone is getting paid. It has been that way for years, and has been general industry knowledge. But for some reason it still surprises the general public.

There are some instances where products do land on shows without sending it as a gift or paying for coverage, which is like winning the lottery for whatever brand is featured. The reality is that those of us on the inside know product placement is a critical component to success of any campaign, but there is an absolute thin line to the “creep factor.” A poor fit for a product will stick out like a sore thumb and rub viewers the wrong way. If you believe in the product, it is just a matter of finding the right venues, and the right segment. For example, just a couple weeks back we did a great segment on The Talk for one of my favorite products, the Navigator Lift Away, and we were really pleased with the outcome.

Monica C. Smith
Chief Marketsmith
Marketsmith, Inc.

Source: Huffington Post

Posted by: Monica C Smith

Tags: marketing strategy Category: Blog. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Black Friday started in the late 70′s and has grown to become one of the most notable shopping days of the year. Then, with the boom of online retail stores in the mid-to-late 00′s, Cyber Monday began to gain traction. Now, Free Shipping Day is on its way to becoming the next high profile, post-Thanksgiving shopping day. Free Shipping Day (December 16th) is in its 4th year and seems to be a very well organized event. The official website is the go-to source to see who is participating in Free Shipping Day. This year there are 1,606 online stores, small businesses and national brands alike, participating so far.

Free Shipping Day has a large following and is gaining Black Friday-esque exposure, which makes it definitely seem like an event to take advantage of. Merchants who have participated in the past have reported a notable boost in sales for that day and keep participating year after year. With many online retailers already looking to plan free shipping days around the holiday, participation in this event a no-brainer.

Susan Pizzano
Executive Vice President
Marketsmith, Inc.

Sources: 1 2 3

Posted by: Marketsmith

Tags: Holiday 2011, online retail Category: Blog. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Monica has penned a chapter of the upcoming book, Jersey Women Mean Business: Big Bold Business Advice from Top New Jersey Women Business Owners. Monica’s chapter is on the topic of consumer marketing, and includes invaluable advice on how to maximize return on marketing spend. The book wont be out until March 2012, but you can catch a overview of the chapter from Monica herself in the video below where she describes what you can expect from her chapter.

Jersey Women Mean Business! Big Bold Business Advice from 100 New Jersey Women Business Owners: Practical Pointers, Solutions, and Strategies for Business Success will be available in March 2012 from Woodpecker Press, LLC.

Posted by: Marketsmith Category: Blog. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Pottery Barn – Introducing Gift of the Day! A great gift at a great price during the month of December

Pottery Barn goes for an, easy to digest, one day, one item sale after a busy week of Black Friday and Cyber Monday emailing. The item choice is great for the season, and the non-stock, product image really kicks the creative up a level.

Uncommon Goods – Our Favorite Things

This email from Uncommon Goods was very much in the holiday spirit. The Holiday poem highlighting some of their favorite items was a real nice touch and a perfect way to introduce some unique items to their customers.

Nordstrom – Free Shipping & Free Returns: Its Our Standard, Every Day

I’m not sure if this was supposed to be a jab at all the limited free shipping deals that came out of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but it’s a great email regardless. While it doesn’t promote a sale or an item directly, it does a good job at building the Nordstrom brand and making sure that their customers know they are shopping somewhere special.

Posted by: Marketsmith

Tags: marketsmith favorites Category: Blog. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

The numbers for this Black Friday weekend into Cyber Monday were the best yet, setting records with Black Friday sales up 30% and Cyber Monday Sales up 33% over last year. Technology played a huge role on both sides of these record numbers, with mobile devices driving sales, and electronics being the most popular selling items. Mobile devices drove 14.3% of Black Friday sales, and recorded high traffic during shopping hours due to shoppers using mobile devices to find and compare deals.

Since Cyber Monday’s inception a mere 5 years ago, it has always been accompanied by stories of websites not handling the traffic, but this year there were few such reported incidents reported. This increase of performance can be attributed to many online retailers now knowing what to expect, and how to prepare for the increased load that the weekend brings. Retailers also better harnessed other technology this year, with online catalogs, mobile applications, and targeted email blasts to round out the experience.

As Cyber Monday matures and Black Friday sales keep rising, we will see an emphasis on the backing technologies and on the consumer technologies like mobile devices. Harnessing these technologies well in the future will be the key to many more successful Black Fridays and Cyber Mondays.

Sources: 1 2

Posted by: Marketsmith

Tags: Black Friday 2011, Cyber Monday 2011 Category: Blog. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Sunglass Warehouse – We miss you. Take 30% off your ENTIRE order…our biggest discount ever

Letting your customers know about an upcoming deal is a good idea. Letting your customers know about your biggest deal ever is a great idea. Letting your customers who haven’t shopped with you in a while know about your biggest deal ever…now that’s an awesome idea! Sunglass Warehouse pairs this excellent promotion with a well executed creative to really stand out in our inbox.

Orvis – FREE Shipping, plus save big when you give a fly-rod outfit.

From the subject line that leads off with a free shipping announcement to the no-code-needed, no-minimum-purchase-needed free shipping, Orvis really seems to know how to speak to their customer-base.

Crate&Barrel – Exclusive Black Friday sneak peek. Save up to 30% off.

This Crate & Barrel email really popped and stood above the rest of the Black Friday emails last week. The promotion is great, and the email creative is true to their brand image with bold lettering and great product images.

Posted by: Marketsmith

Tags: marketsmith favorites Category: Blog. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

In the competition between L.L.Bean and Lands’ End for shoppers attention, the November book from Lands’ End is a clear stand out. Photography, creative, brand messaging, and editorial style win hands down. Starting with the cover, which grabs the shopper through copy and a captivating family shot, Lands’ End crushes the sleepy and old school presentation of LL. Bean. The L.L.Bean book, with its thin pages and muted colors, just does not draw the shopper in like the Lands’ End catalog does. Additionally, the order form does not seem to fall correctly in the L.L. Bean catalog.

Lands’ End made me want to shop, spend and celebrate the season. Great job Chris Kolbe on setting the brand apart from your closest competitors.

Monica C. Smith
Chief Marketsmith
Marketsmith, Inc.

Posted by: Marketsmith

Tags: catalog marketing, Holiday 2011 Category: Blog. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Thanksgiving weekend retail sales reached record high numbers, over $50 billion in total this year. Surprisingly, the overall sales spike appears to have been driven by male buyers (go us!), particularly in the consumer electronics market. National Retail Federation reports that 47% of male shoppers purchased an electronic good of some kind, driving $484.24 in average sales per male shopper this past weekend. Comparatively, $317.19 in sales per female shopper was experienced with 58% of these women buying clothing and accessories. Retailers are undoubtedly ecstatic about the near $400 average sale per customer this past weekend. The stock market responded appropriately this morning, rising by an average 3% in the US and an average 5% in the EU (as of the time of this writing the market is not yet closed).

Source: 1 Graph

Dmitri Pestrikov
Manager Analytics
Marketsmith, Inc.

Posted by: Dmitri Pestrikov

Tags: Black Friday 2011 Category: Blog. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

This Black Friday, whether customers are waiting outside in the brisk morning cold for a store to open, or waiting in front of the warm glow of a computer screen for a sale to go live, you can be sure of one thing. Sales will be at the front of mind, and at a close second will be brands. There are those out there that live for the sale and will buy whatever is on sale, but others are brand loyal, and will hold off on buying until the sale hits the right brand.

This holiday shopping season leaves customers with so many different choices, but retailers and brand marketers have a choice as well: push the sale, or the brand? As a brand, it’s a good idea to focus on product building rather than sales. Customers will be able to buy a product in various retail environments, and will buy, as long as there is that key brand recognition. On the other hand pushing sales should be left to the merchants who are competing for their share of consumer spending this holiday season. A good retail store should enforce its brand as a store, as well as the unique sales they offer. The combination of good prices and store brand recognition will drive a customer to one store over another for a given product

Retailers should focus on promoting sales along with their own brand while individual brands should work on building up a positive, pervasive brand image that stays with consumers

Source: 1

Wendy Holland
Director of Client Services and Online Platform Development
Marketsmith, Inc.

Posted by: Wendy Holland

Tags: Black Friday 2011, Holiday 2011 Category: Blog. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.