Rational Marketing

Category: Advertising

  • Paper Mail?

    Most of the information available to businesses and marketers is currently promoting “digital” communication. What about paper?

    Paper can be touched and felt.

    Print is persuasive. On paper, you can communicate at greater length (due to less eyestrain) and more depth – attention spans are longer for print.

    Paper materials prompt action.  There are examples that printed pieces drive sales through other channels, including web sales.

    Paper gets read when the recipient is in the mood, unlike emails, tweets, texts, or other updates which are usually read immediately or deleted.

    To get through, to stand out, to get read rather than skimmed, to trigger orders, printed postal mail is still a great way to use marketing resources.

  • 2010 Consumer Trends

    Trendwatching.com published a list of key trends that they see for consumers in 2010. You may be interested as you think forward. We are  sharing a summary email that they sent out in November.

    1. BUSINESS AS UNUSUAL The societal changes that will dominate 2010 were set in motion way before we temporarily stared into the abyss.

    2. URBANY Urban culture is the culture. Extreme urbanization, in 2010, 2011, 2012 and far beyond will lead to more sophisticated and demanding consumers around the world.

    3. REAL-TIME REVIEWS Whatever it is you’re selling or launching in 2010, it will be reviewed ‘en masse’, live, 24/7.

    4. (F)LUXURY Closely tied to what constitutes status, which itself is becoming more fragmented, luxury will be whatever consumers want it to be over the next 12 months.

    5. MASS MINGLING Online lifestyles are fueling ‘real world’ meet-ups like there’s no tomorrow, shattering all predictions about a desk-bound, virtual, isolated future.

    6. ECO-EASY To really reach some meaningful sustainability goals in 2010, corporations and governments will have to forcefully make it ‘easy’ for consumers to be more green, by restricting the alternatives.

    7. TRACKING & ALERTING Tracking and alerting are the new search, and 2010 will see countless new INFOLUST (consumers lusting after relevant information) services that will help consumers expand their web of control.

    8. EMBEDDED GENEROSITY This year, generosity as a trend will adapt to the zeitgeist, leading to more pragmatic and collaborative donation services for consumers.

    9. PROFILE MYNING (as in data and profile mining by its rightful owners, i.e. consumers) With hundreds of millions of consumers now nurturing some sort of online profile, 2010 will be a good year to help them make the most of it (financially), from intention-based models to digital afterlife services.

    10. MATURIALISM 2010 will be even more opinionated, risque, outspoken, if not ‘raw’ than 2009; you can thank the anything-goes online world for that.

    Some of these trends apply to you. How can we help you craft your marketing message to respond to what is happening now?

    The trend for Mass Mingling also applies to marketing. Even though people are getting more and more information electronically, they are still responding to traditional communication channels. Mail can help cut through some of the electronic information competition and truly complement a multichannel communication strategy.

  • Who Should Be Your Spokesperson?

    In a prescient post by Harvard Business Publishing on November 19th of last year. They shared information gathered by an Adweek Media/ Harris Poll that found that among US adults 37% say business leaders, 21% say athletes, 18% say TV or movie stars, 14% say musicians, and 10% say former political figures, make the most persuasive ad pitchmen (or pitchwomen).

    Maybe you, as a leader of your company, would make a great spokesperson?

    Call us 602-272-2100 to talk to us about some ideas to implement this in your next direct mail piece.