|
|
| EVENTS |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Marketsmith Partners with Women's Wear for Daily Multichannel Branding Event |
|
| The WWD Branding Leadership Forum: Mastering the Multi-Channel World is a one-day event featuring keynote presentations from some of the smartest retailers and brands in new and established distribution channels. It will be held Thursday September 18, 2008 at the Condé Nast Theatre, New York City. |
|
| Return to Top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| How Many Co-Op Databases Should You Use? |
|
More and more there seems to be a key question that is top of mind for many multi-channel and retail direct marketers — “How many co-op databases should I be in?” This is especially true of marketers who are currently using many, if not all, of the co-op databases as a primary source of prospect names.
Join Abacus, a division of Epsilon, the industry's leader in cooperative data, and Marketsmith, Inc., a best-in-class marketing leader of direct marketing strategic services, widely recognized as the most innovative circulation, database, and analytics consulting company in the U.S., for a valuable webinar where you will hear the key considerations and approaches to leveraging co-op database(s) to meet your marketing needs more effectively. |
|
| In this session, you will learn the following: |
|
 | Key trends driving this question |
| Impact of multiple co-ops on your marketing strategy |
| Tips and strategies for evaluating co-op performance and value added |
| How to conduct an evaluation process |
|
|
| More information on our speakers. |
|
| Return to Top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ACMA Conference - Postal Rates and Advocacy |
|
| Advocating for postal rate changes through the American Catalog Mailers Association, the only organization whose entire focus is serving the needs of catalog mailers, in particular working with the USPS and postal regulators to identify ways to ease the burden of increased postal rates and preserve access to the mail. The ACMA is sponsoring a forum in Washington June 26-27. |
|
| The National Catalog Advocacy and Strategy Forum will address: |
|
| “Do Not Mail” |
| ACMA’s Efforts on “How Preference Requests are Handled by Catalogers” |
| The Regulatory and Legislative Environment that controls the USPS |
| Future of the US Postal Service and Catalogs in the Mail |
| What's Coming Next in Postal Affairs |
| ACMA’s work to advocate for catalogers. |
|
|
| ACMA has assembled the “Who’s Who” of postal policy decision makers, including the Postmaster General and the Chairman of the Postal Regulatory Commission, to discuss our future in the mail. It is critical that our industry have a strong showing. Every cataloger has it in his/her direct self interest to get to know those who control our access to, cost in, and future for the mail. The ACMA Washington Forum is an excellent way to do this. |
|
| Come, participate, and build a relationship with those who matter. More information and registration is available at www.catalogmailersforum.org. Attending allows your organization to affect and understand the future of the offline channel. |
|
| Return to Top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Monica C. Smith “A View from the Top” at the DMI Co-op |
|
| On May 1, 2008, Monica C. Smith participated in a roundtable discussion entitled “A View from the Top” at the Direct Media’s annual Co-op. She led off the conversation by stressing the importance of loving your brand and surrounding yourself with people who love what they do and who love your brand too! Employees who have fun are much more productive than those who just “show up for work.” She went on to talk about what it takes to persuade a customer to make a purchase; to realize that a customer has many different options these days and you need to communicate with her/him based on the customer’s preferences. It is important to track performance and make sure decisions are grounded in rigorous analysis of the numbers. Remember that price will almost always be a key factor is directly proportionate to rising or falling response rates. |
|
| She was joined at the table by Ed Mallin, President of infoUSA Services, and Darrell Edwards, Vice President of Marketing at Cosmetique. |
|
| Larry May, Chief Executive Officer of Direct Media Inc. sent a thank you for participating and noted that “We received such positive feedback on our speakers and overall content, we thought everyone might appreciate a quick summary of each session and presentation.” Click here for complete rundown. |
|
| Return to Top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Ms. Smith Goes to Washington |
|
| Monica C. Smith joined ACMA Executive Director Hamilton Davison in Washington on Monday March 10 to speak with Postmaster General John Potter about the effects of the 2007 postal rate increases on catalog mailers. “We were so pleased to be participating in this session,” Monica stated. “It is time that the catalogers had a voice in the Nations’ Capital that told their story, the story of entrepreneurs who have worked hard to build their businesses, provide jobs, and deliver customer satisfaction, who have often been overlooked in the past. |
|
| "The reality is this postal rate percent came out of left field, to think roll backs would come overnight or that they are even possible would be a futile effort, but what is possible is for the Post Office to view catalogs as a contract for a calendar of events, applying relief based on frequency and volume, and not on a transaction by transaction basis. The bottom line is the catalog industry needs relief now or the Post Office will see the average reduction in circulation by 15% continue year over year, and not just this year. The number of entrepreneurial companies will decrease by double digits because the perfect storm of increases in paper, postage, and freight was delivered months before the dawn of an extraordinarily weak economy. Our plan is to do our best to represent those companies that can not afford an NSA or postal attorney." |
|
| Read The Post Office and You by Monica C. Smith |
|
| Return to Top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Susan Pizzano to Speak at ACCM |
|
| Susan Pizzano, Executive Vice President, will be leading a session at ACCM 2008-The Annual Conference for Catalog and Multichannel Merchants on Matchbacks: Going to the Source? Accurate Multichannel Matchbacks for Bottom Line Results. |
|
| Customers are bombarded with multichannel messages and then buy through one or more channels. How do we know what drove the sale? The catalog? The email? Paid/organic search? The next door neighbor? The answer has very real
implications for future contact strategy, marketing costs, and contribution to the bottom line. This session will help you determine the key factors in allocating sales/orders through matchbacks. |
|
| Susan will be joined on the podium by Gary Boisvert, General Manager of Sturbridge Yankee Workshop, who will discuss how SYW currently performs matchbacks. The conference takes place May 19-22, 2008 at the Gaylord Palms Resort, Orlando, Florida. The Matchback presentation will be Tuesday, May 20 at 3:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. |
|
| Return to Top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Monica C. Smith to Participate in Executive Round Table at DMI Coop |
|
| Monica C. Smith, President and CEO of Marketsmith, has been invited to participate in The View from the Top, a discussion among top executives at the Direct Media Inc. Client Conference and Coop on May 1, 2008. She will participate in a discussion on the current business climate, its challenges and opportunities for companies and the industry as a whole, including such issues as the economic downturn, potential for increased regulation, and environmental issues. Joining her at the table will be Ed Mallin, President of infoUSA Services, Charlie Silver, Vice President of Marketing for Bloomingdale’s, and Darrell Edwards from Cosmetique. For more information please go to www.direcctmedia.com. |
|
| Return to Top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Monica C. Smith to Speak at MBS Users Forum 2008 |
|
| The theme of this year's MBS Users Forum is Defining the Future. Monica C. Smith President and CEO of Marketsmith, Inc. will address understanding the role and value of the catalog on cross channel sales. While it is obvious that the catalog drives sales to other channels, mailers are struggling to measure its impact accurately on each purchase channel. As the cost of putting a catalog in the mail continue to increase, there is increased scrutiny of its effectiveness. Monica will provide insight and business rules for assessing the value of a catalog in a multichannel environment. |
|
| Other topics to be covered at the forum include: |
|
| Understanding the contribution of catalog promotions in a converging marketplace |
| Measuring long-term value on a customer-by-customer basis |
| The future of the database marketing industry |
|
|
| Join MBS and your colleagues at this event designed to provide you with insight into today's marketplace, new skills to better measure your multichannel results, and renewed inspiration for tackling your marketing challenges. |
|
| The forum will be held May 14-15, 2008 at The Inn at East Wind, Wading River, New York. Go to www.mbsinsight.com for more information. |
|
| Return to Top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Monica C. Smith Named Alumna of Achievement |
|
| Monica C. Smith, President and CEO of Marketsmith, Inc. and graduate of Marylawn of the Oranges Academy, has received the Alumna of Achievement award from her alma mater. This past summer she set up a summer intern program to provide young women from her high school the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the direct marketing industry. Marketsmith employed three young women who learned about social networking and its impact on brands through several projects they completed for Marketsmith. |
|
| The award letter reads: The Marylawn community is privileged to be able to express our gratitude for your outstanding achievements. It is a wonderful way for us to honor people who have made a difference in the lives of others. Our selection committee chose you because you reflect the values which we are trying to instill in our young women. You truly are an inspiration to all women, especially here in New Jersey. |
|
| The award dinner will be April 24, 2008. |
|
| Return to Top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Challenges and Solutions in the Digital Age |
|
| The catalog industry is facing multiple changes as new technology becomes obsolete and is replaced by newer technology; customers explore interactive shopping and information gathering venues; costs of doing business are increasing; catalogers are consolidating to take advantage of economies of scale or falling by the wayside. Monica C. Smith, CEO and President of Marketsmith presented a webinar with experts from SendTec and Oriental Trading Company entitled "Challenges and Solutions for Catalogers in the Digital Age." The session offered insight and solutions for taking advantage of new technologies and understanding how customers shopping behaviors are changing. Business models and practices are shifting. Bringing together the multifaceted perspective of mailers and online and offline experts, this webinar promises to deliver hands on, executable solutions for your business, suggestions for meeting the challenges head on and winning. Some of the topics covered included: |
|
| How to allocate revenue and expenses from orders received online, by phone and other methods |
| The importance of brand and non-brand keywords in your search campaign |
| Using online and offline alternatives to find new customers |
| Full-circle tracking to comprehend how customers move from offline to online channels |
|
|
| For a copy of the presentation please send a request to drosenbaum@marketsmithinc.com. |
|
| Return to Top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Monica Featured Industry Expert at Executive Forum |
|
| Monica C. Smith, President and CEO of Marketsmith, was one of the resident experts at the F. Curtis Barry & Company 2008 Executive Forum in late February. She guided discussion on hot topics such as: How to build a growth strategy. What marketing metrics are most important to determine success? How do you determine if you have the right team? Discussion was lively among participants who took advantage of the opportunity to share concerns and strategies with their peers and gain hands-on, actionable knowledge from industry experts. |
|
| The annual event, drew executives from top multichannel companies who came together to network and share ideas in an open forum setting. For more information on the Summit, please contact Curt Barry or go to http://cps8.britemoon.com/ccps/ui/images/435/content_load/2008-02-20/index.htm. |
|
| Return to Top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Susan Pizzano Addresses Postal Increases at NEMOA Seminar |
|
| Facing cost increases of 7%-25%, that is $14,000-$50,000 per million mailings, catalogers are reeling from last year’s postal increases. In a session entitled “Best Practices” for Catalogers to Offset the Postal Rate Increase, Susan Pizzano, Marketsmith Executive Vice President, joined CMS VP Business Development Mike Talbott’s panel of mailers, list brokers, service bureaus, and printers to present concrete solutions for lowering costs and applying best practices to help mitigate the impact of the increases, Friday March 14 at the NEMOA Spring Conference. By mailing smarter through targeted contact strategies, circulation processes, print/production shifts, and mailing practices, catalogers can help to offset the effects of the increase in costs. Encouraging mailers to explore all options and evaluate potential outcomes, the panelists are promoting renewed adherence to best practices to avoid eroding the bottom line and potentially improving performance. “The Postal Service has dealt a heavy blow to catalogers this past year. And we are anticipating future increases as well. Marketsmith helps mailers take a sharp pencil to their practices using directed analysis to form contact strategies which will build on company strengths and alleviate the increased postal burden,” stated Ms. Pizzano. “We are committed to helping clients implement best practices which will grow revenues and circulation in the face of greater costs and hostile postal policies.” To receive a copy of the presentation, please email Susan Pizzano at spizzano@marketsmithinc.com or Mike Talbott at MTalbott@CMSDirect.com. |
|
| Return to Top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
