A study released today by R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company (RRD) reveals that 91% of marketers with print marketing programs are embracing strategic integration of print and digital channels in 2024. Of those, 51% describe their print and digital marketing channels as “closely integrated and tightly coordinated.” The Print Impact Report, the company’s latest annual printing industry report, compares how 300+ marketing decision makers are planning, executing, and adjusting their strategies as well as integrating technologies into print marketing campaigns. The Print Impact Report found marketers are embracing technology to support their print campaigns, with 31% of marketers planning to use AI to support their print marketing efforts and 32% already using the technology. The study also found that 39% of marketers have adopted web-to-print technology, citing the following main advantages: reduced costs through on-demand printing (50%), personalization and customization of the message (37%), improved efficiencies and streamlined workflow (36%) and enhanced brand consistency (31%).

Two Midwest summer mainstays joined forces on a new product bringing together two flavors long associated with each other. Wisconsin brand beer Leninenkugel’s and sausage company Johnsonville partnered on the Summer Shandy Beer Brat, a grilling sausage infused with the flavor of Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy (a shandy is a style of beer mixed with lemonade). The beer brats will be available for sale through late July at participating retailers across 19 states in the Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and Southeast. Johnsonville is also making it available for sale to consumers outside these regions through its website, while supplies last. It’s a partnership with an air of inevitability, bringing together two brands often served alongside each other.

Bipartisan lawmakers on Sunday unveiled a discussion draft of a sweeping privacy bill that could restrict companies' ability to serve targeted ads to consumers. The proposed American Privacy Rights Act of 2024, introduced by Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) and House Energy And Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Washington), would require companies to allow consumers to opt out of targeted advertising based on non-sensitive data that is linkable to individuals or devices. The measure would also prohibit companies from transferring consumers' “sensitive” data for targeted advertising without their explicit consent.

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company (RRD) announced that RRD GO Creative℠ was listed as a Major Contender on Everest Group’s Marketing Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2024 for the second consecutive year. RRD GO Creative advanced its position within the group of Major Contenders based on continued investments in technology and an increased scale and scope of solutions, including the use of data for better targeting and optimizing campaigns. The Everest Group PEAK Matrix Assessment aims to assist providers, enterprises, and technology vendors in understanding the current state of the marketing service provider landscape. “This recognition by Everest Group validates RRD GO Creative’s best-in-class services and solutions, which assist our clients in telling compelling stories, leveraging data, and fine-tuning strategies to increase their return on investment,” said Kiran Shankar, President, RRD GO Creative.

At Adobe Summit – the world’s largest Digital Experience Conference – Adobe announced major product innovations that will empower brands to optimize their entire content supply chain with generative AI. For most organizations, their content supply chain – the end-to-end business process that every company needs to deliver the content required for marketing campaigns and personalized customer experiences – is a web of disconnected workflows, teams and systems that often break down. At the same time, the demand for content that is personalized and engaging is exploding. Adobe has an integrated set of best-in-class products to help companies automate and optimize their content supply chain. With Adobe GenStudio, Adobe will be releasing a new generative AI-first offering that lets marketing teams quickly plan, create, manage, activate and measure on-brand content.

In February, there was significant growth in online activity, with sessions up by 12% year-over-year (YOY), indicating increased traffic to the platform. Additionally, orders surged by 19% YOY, reflecting a substantial rise in purchases made through the website or service. Moreover, demand saw a remarkable increase of 23% YOY, indicating heightened interest and consumer engagement with the products or services offered. With February coinciding with the start of tax season in many regions, the surge in online activity towards the end of February may also be attributed to consumers seeking everyday purchases, paying off debt, home improvement and vacations. This presents an opportunity for targeted marketing efforts tailored towards addressing tax-related needs and offering relevant solutions. Leveraging this seasonal trend, businesses can further capitalize on the increased demand and drive engagement through strategic promotions and messaging.

LocaliQ, Gannett Co., Inc.’s Digital Marketing Solutions business, successfully achieved Service Organization Controls (SOC) 2 Type II audit and certification, which validates LocaliQ’s robust controls, effective risk management and adherence to industry best practices. LocaliQ is an all-in-one marketing platform used by local businesses across the country to attract, convert and retain customers. The certification provides a greater level of trust for both current and prospective business partners and customers after an extensive review which evaluated LocaliQ’s control design, implementation and operating effectiveness. Designed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the SOC 2 Type II auditing procedure examines a company’s commitment to data privacy and information security standards through five key criteria: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy. Obtaining SOC 2 Type II certification demonstrates rigorous safeguards protecting clients’ sensitive information and reassures stakeholders that client data is in capable hands.

Dilly dilly. I’m lovin’ it. Get a Mac. Why is it so easy to rattle off the brands that introduced us to these catchphrases? Because Bud Light, McDonald’s and Apple are among the best at telling stories, catching us off guard and even making us laugh. They understand the power of a campaign and how disruptive a “big idea” can be. And how powerful it can be—helping us consider their products for the first time, or again in a whole new way. But for a campaign to reach—and disrupt—the most people, it must be executed across all touchpoints (in digital and in print).

Direct mail can be a very powerful marketing tool for your customers. How do you communicate that to them? Obviously, direct mail is not the be all and end all for marketing. However, it is an important channel to utilize in conjunction with other marketing channels. Direct mail can even give a lift in online engagement. Let’s look at how they should use direct mail to shine. 10 Best ways to use direct mail: 1. Counter a competitive offer: 2. Generate Traffic: 3. Customer acquisition or referrals: 4. Generate sales leads: 5. Building brand awareness: 6. Customer loyalty: 7. Announcements: 8. Cross sell or upsell: 9. Combining mailings with other companies: 10. Augmenting other media efforts. 85% of marketers say direct mail delivers the best conversion and response rate of all their marketing channels.

Advertisers still rely on third-party cookies for programmatic, with retail becoming the largest programmatic buyer on the programmatic. Although Google plans to eliminate third-party cookies by the end of 2024 and fully implement the Privacy Sandbox, its targeting cookie alternative, the industry is far from prepared. Despite several setbacks, the industry continues to move forward. The larger programmatic spenders have shifted more investments to cookie alternative traffic to test and analyze performance before third-party cookies disappear.

Are you a faceless brand? Are you talking to your customer in an authentic, meaningful way? Studies in neuroscience have proven that 95% of all buying decisions are driven by emotion, not logic. We’re all drawn to products or brands for much deeper, primal reasons. Hear from J.Schmid President and CCO, Brent Niemuth, on what those primal reasons are and what you and your brand can do to appeal to deeper emotional instincts.

Even as U.S. consumer price inflation has begun moderating, advertisers and planners and buyers are seeing their costs move in the opposite direction -- especially for TV and "print" media -- according to just-released first quarter media price inflation estimates form ECI Media Management. While TV ad costs continue to be under water and moving in a deflationary direction, the erosion of TV ad pricing power has improved from -5.1% in 2023 to -3.1% this year, according to ECI's tracking. Despite improvements in TV, newspaper and magazine prices, the overall cost of U.S. media has declined from a 1.5% inflation rate in 2023 to a 1.4% rate in 2024, with the main drivers being digital and out-of-home media, though radio has been inching up too.

Two thousand twenty four has gotten off on an upward start, with U.S. ad spending rising 4.3% over January 2023, according to just-updated data from Guideline's U.S. Ad Market Tracker. Sequentially, January was the 10th consecutive month to post a gain, signaling an end to the U.S. ad recession beginning with the second quarter of 2023. The momentum continues to come from smaller ad categories, which in aggregate, rose 5.3% over January 2023, which compares with an aggregate gain of 3.7% for the top 10 ad categories.

Your customer’s direct mail is not effective if their recipients don’t read it. The first thing that direct mail needs to do is get noticed. This can be a real challenge. Direct mail is a very effective tool when done correctly. Do you help your customers stand out? The golden rule is list, design, and offer, generally in that order. However, if you stop to think about it, there is a reason for the golden rule. You need to help your customers send mail to the people who want it. Here are 5 ideas to get your direct mail campaign noticed: 1. Variable data messaging: Target the message to the individual or to grouped personas. 2. Use color envelopes: Color is inviting and not used often enough. 3. Use stamps: Many direct mail pieces use indicia’s for postage. 4. Use larger pieces: They can use up to a 6 x 10.5 self-mailer or a 6.125 x 11.5 postcard and still pay the lower letter size postage rate. 5. Add fun taglines: Get recipients excited about what they are going to find in the envelope.

The Institute for Advertising Ethics (IAE) is expanding its role with a new program focused on the ethical use of environmental claims in advertising. The initiative, which expands on seminal discussions and webinars the IAE has hosted on potential ad industry liabilities related to greenwashing, is part of a new institute charter for greenwash prevention. The move expands on a variety of ethical education, training and certification programs related to advertising ethics, including the use of data, consumer targeting and messaging, and comes as the ad industry has been confronting liabilities for harmful marketing in other categories, including the opioid crisis.

Entering the New Year, consumers are adjusting to heightened prices, growing personal debt, and prevailing economic unpredictability, coming to terms with these conditions as the new standard. Nevertheless, this adaptation should not be misconstrued as indicating that consumers find themselves in an unchanged financial state compared to earlier times. Facing these hurdles, consumers have demonstrated remarkable fortitude, enthusiastically seeking out and taking advantage of New Year promotions. This consumer behavior has culminated in an unprecedented surge in sales for many businesses when comparing year-over-year figures.

Traditional search-engine volume and traffic to publisher sites is estimated to fall 25% in two years, with search marketing losing share to generative artificial intelligence (GAI) chatbots from Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI as well as other virtual agents, according to research published Monday. Alan Antin, vice president and analyst at Gartner, believes GAI tools will become the "substitute answer engines, replacing user queries that previously may have been executed in traditional search engines," forcing companies to rethink marketing channels and strategies. Organic and paid search remain vital channels for technology marketers seeking to reach awareness and demand-generation goals, according to data released in November 2023, but search and content generation is about to undergo massive changes.

CPG behemoth P&G saw its stock value increased today on the strength of its earnings report for the quarter ending with December, 2023, which included a 4% increase in organic sales. The company made it clear it considers its marketing investments an important ingredient in its growth. In an investors relations call, P&G Chairman, President and CEO Jon Moeller described the company’s strategy as being focused on “superior innovations that are driven by deep consumer insights.” He cited products such as Charmin Smooth Tear Ultra Soft and the Gillette Labs razor as examples of such innovation.

It’s difficult for marketers to adapt to most changes, especially those who have concerns about losing the ability to measure and track advertising campaigns. Attribution and measurement will look very different. “It’s been a good run for the cookie,” said Patrick Gut, vice president of U.S. at Adlook, an enterprise demand-side platform (DSP) focused on brand growth. “But when thinking through privacy concerns and legislation, it’s not about finding a transition away from browser tracking cookies, but finding a new way for digital marketing to operate.” The roots of Adlook, which launched in the U.S. about 1.5 years ago built on GDPR standards, originate from RTB House Group, a Polish advertising-technology company that specializes in targeted advertising.

You’ve probably seen Hydro Flask everywhere, on college campuses, hiking trails, and even around the campfire or climbing a mountain face. They’ve become a household name, which is impressive in a crowded competitive landscape with big-name brands and budget knock-offs. Hydro Flask, a digital-native brand, was ready to capitalize on its market position and expand into the catalog realm. They wanted to impact the holiday season and show people they’re more than just water bottles. They wanted something that could build on the success of their digital channels to reach their customers in a more powerful and tangible way. So they reached out to CohereOne and J.Schmid for help launching a catalog. Taking the leap to first-time cataloger is as dramatic as any adventure with a Hydro Flask bottle in your pack. It’s an exciting trek to build on their proven designs and draw in their customers in a new way. This catalog launch targeted holiday shoppers in Q4, allowing them to show off their full product line and connect with their loyal customers, showing them gifting opportunities and introducing them to new product lines. Read the Case study at: https://jschmid.com/portfolio/hydro-flask/

Google has officially begun to phase out third-party cookies by implementing a default browser feature called Tracking Protection. When activated, it will cut off a website’s access to third-party cookies. The browser feature began rolling out randomly to 1% of Chrome users globally today, marking the year’s first notable step toward privacy for consumers and third-party cookie deprecation for the industry. Marketers will adapt. “While it’s an adjustment for everyone, it’s actually a valuable move,” said Anthony Yell, Razorfish chief creative officer. “It might take some adjustment to communicate as effectively in a world with cookies, a world without cookies is a wonderful thing.”

The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday proposed new restrictions on companies' ability to use behavioral advertising techniques to serve ads to children under 13. The proposal effectively would require operators of websites and apps to obtain opt-in consent from parents at least twice before serving behaviorally targeted ads to children. First, the companies would have to obtain parents' consent to collect children's personal data, including data stored in cookies or other pseudonymous identifiers; then, companies would have to separately obtain parents' consent before sharing that data for behavioral targeting purposes.

In what appears to be a first-of-its-kind boast, Cox Media Group claimed in marketing materials that it can use microphones in smartphones and other web connected devices to listen in on people's conversations, and then target ads to people based on those conversations. “It's True. Your Devices Are Listening to You,” the Cox Media Group (CMG) Local Solutions division wrote on a website (now archived) touting “active listening” technology. “With Active Listening, CMG can now use voice data to target your advertising to the EXACT people you are looking for.”

Just as U.S. consumer price inflation appears to be flattening out following a period of protracted increases, media price inflation paid by advertisers has moved in the opposite direction, according to a new quarterly update from ECI Media Management. The U.S. data estimates ad-supported media prices in the U.S. dropped sharply throughout 2023 -- from +6.6% in the first quarter to -5.1% in the second quarter. The analysis attributes U.S. ad-price deflation mainly to the impact of the Hollywood strikes, which have been settled, but won't impact the ad marketplace until the first quarter of 2024.

A study released today by R.R. Donnelley Sons & Company (RRD) revealed that marketers' preference for channels with proven return on investment more than doubled over the past year (38% compared to 15%). The Modern Marketers Report found that economic uncertainty, increasing privacy concerns, and consumer fatigue toward marketers’ digital strategies are driving the resurgence of “tried and true” marketing channels. In addition, managing vendors was reported as a more common top organizational challenge this year than it was in 2022 (23% compared to 7%). The Modern Marketers Report, the company’s fourth annual marketing industry report, compares 1,000+ US consumers’ purchasing behaviors and preferences and attitudes toward brands’ marketing tactics with how 500+ U.S.-based marketing professionals are planning, executing, and adjusting their strategies. “During the holiday shopping season, consumers are thinking twice before they open their wallets or provide their personal information to receive deals,” said Al duPont, Chief Commercial Officer at RRD. “Results from our latest report show that marketers pairing their most reliable channels with positioning that blends convenience and savings stand the best chance for fostering customer loyalty in an increasingly competitive market.”

IPG Mediabrands Magna unit this evening released the latest in a series of quarterly updates on the U.S. ad spending outlook, increasing its 2023 estimate up two-tenths of a point, and its 2024 projection up four-tenths of a point. Magna's 2023 estimate still is down dramatically from its first estimate published in June 2022, but has been climbing steady since it bottomed out at +2.5% in June 2023. Magna's 2024 estimate has climbed steadily since benchmarking it at +7.3% in June 2023.

The latest analysis of the effects of invalid traffic/IVT estimates that the problem will result in $72.37 billion in wasted ad spend in 2024 — up 33% from an estimated $54.63 billion wasted in 2022. The report, from marketing efficiency platform Lunio, was based on an analysis of 2.6 billion paid ad clicks and 104 billion impressions from more than 60,000 ad accounts across Lunio’s clients — all resulting from paid media campaigns — conducted between May 2022 and May 2023. The analysis found 8.5% of all paid traffic, and one in every 11.7 paid-traffic website visits, to be invalid.

“Direct marketing has evolved from a linear process to a delicate science of understanding how each channel plays a unique role in the customer journey,” says Stefanie Cortes, Director of Strategic Analysis, Direct Marketing, RRD. “As marketers continue to feel the pressure to deliver and prove ROI, it’s critical we provide our clients with verifiable methodologies that match messaging and touchpoint strategies to the individual preferences of their target audiences." With the direct mail channel being core to the DMG offering, this specialized group has developed a simplified three-phase approach — identify, create, deploy — that fuses audience insights and creative expertise with intentional delivery strategies to meet the needs of performance-minded marketers: *Identify, understand and prioritize the right audience *Create messaging and design that drives awareness and response *Deploy coordinated direct marketing campaigns via scheduled, automated or complete journeys

If you’re unsure about the answer to this question, I strongly advise you to pause for a moment and check. In light of the persistent rise in inflationary expenses, many brands are cutting back on their acquisition efforts without closely monitoring the potential shrinkage of their customer file. To illustrate this point, consider the case of one brand’s decision in 2022, which reduced its acquisition circulation by 34%, resulting in a 24% reduction in the 0-12M customer file. This reduction in the customer file meant they had fewer individuals to target with print materials throughout the year. Consequently, this contraction led to an estimated loss of $1,500,000 in top-line demand for 2023. There are many ways to dial in your acquisition efforts without aggravating your budget, but below are my top 5 strategies to consider as you plan 2024: read more at: https://cohereone.com/is-your-0-12-month-customer-file-shrinking/?utm_medium=email&_hsmi=280440906&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--2RMCk0KRLkt8nQfXB5LCibiZOfPApH28buNWyQ4TmEgBnqOxHmPz76aYYMnO60Vqexl-n9Gv33ljTKJ9fvU8POCXtPpJmsno09JIHt5RBjxnUtkE&utm_content=280440906&utm_source=hs_email

The U.S. ad market rose just 0.1% in September vs. the same month a year ago, but it nonetheless marked the third consecutive monthly gain, following a protracted period of sequential declines. While not necessarily great news amid growing concerns that the macro economy remains uncertain, including speculation over another U.S. and possibly global recession, it's not terrible news either. And while this September was down 2.0% from September 2021, that year was the best September ever since Guideline began tracking the U.S. advertising marketplace.

Join Brent Niemuth, President, as he jet-sets across Europe's cultural highlights in a journey through the French Riviera, Italy, the Swiss Alps, and Spain. At each destination, Brent draws from local landmarks to reveal a unique facet of branding. From Madrid Spain, Brent encourages us to not only think about the past, but also the future. As a brand it’s important to know your history but it’s equally important to spend time talking about where your brand is going. Watch Video at: https://jschmid.com/branding-abroad-madrid-spain/

Reviewing email programs for the holiday season is crucial to ensure that your email marketing campaigns are optimized for this busy and competitive time of year. The holiday season presents a unique opportunity to engage with your audience, drive sales, and strengthen customer relationships. To make the most of this season, brands should ensure their email marketing efforts are well-prepared, strategic, and effective. Read more from our sister company, CohereOne, to learn the key areas to focus on during your holiday email program review. https://cohereone.com/is-your-email-program-ready-for-a-competitive-holiday-season/

Join Brent Niemuth, President, as he jet-sets across Europe's cultural highlights in a journey through the French Riviera, Italy, the Swiss Alps, and Spain. At each destination, Brent draws from the local landmarks to reveal a unique facet of branding. From Cinque Terre, Italy, Brent asks us, "What makes brands 'sticky'?" and outlines how brand assets can make or break your brand perception, using examples of iconic Italian brands. Watch video at: https://jschmid.com/branding-abroad-italy/

Last week, we discussed improving email programs to ensure retailers are ready for the busy holiday season. Today, let's dive deeper and explore strategies for maximizing eCommerce conversions during this critical time of year. To achieve goals, retailers must be strategic, customer-centric, and proactive. Below are some key strategies to consider as we aim to maximize holiday eCommerce conversions: 1. Incorporate shipping deadlines on the homepage and essential product pages. 2. Emphasize scarcity and urgency. 3. Maximize internal site search. 4. Testing and optimizing website speed is crucial, especially during high-traffic periods. There is more to this article at: https://cohereone.com/maximizing-holiday-ecommerce-conversions/?utm_medium=email&_hsmi=278597570&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8s0V14TFsoW4bcfc7U2uB4fPcwxQPi7cDd6Prt3rI8oafZwwguolaVQ60O0C1zTInsqUhjYJGsKVd-RxFchTiPANisvwC816r4THwwwXIGMEv7e2k&utm_content=278597570&utm_source=hs_email

Google has built an ad-measurement tool that connects with marketers’ first-party data and is designed to work without browser cookies and other data tools that measure performance based on old methods. Google Ads Data Manager -- the measurement tool announced Wednesday -- will become available in Google Ads early next year. The product roadmap includes rolling it into other Google platforms as the company continues to streamline the management and use of first-party data. Advertisers will learn about connecting data sources and ensuring consumer data privacy as the advertising industry heads into the new year, and Google deprecates third-party cookies for 1% of Chrome users globally in the first quarter of 2024.

Digital media is significantly expanding the opportunities for printed direct mail campaigns. NAPCO Research has launched a comprehensive report, Direct Mail and Digital Media: A Winning Omnichannel Marketing Combination, which explores the key drivers behind the increased effectiveness of direct mail, the methods through which digital media enhances its performance, and the fresh opportunities accessible to those in the direct mail printing industry. Evolution on many fronts has heightened the value of direct mail and strengthened opportunities for direct mail printers. Over 89% of direct mail users participating in a NAPCO Research survey currently integrate or plan to integrate digital media and direct mail. A top factor driving direct mail demand is the ability to boost its performance with digital media to create omnichannel campaigns.

Reviewing email programs for the holiday season is crucial to ensure that your email marketing campaigns are optimized for this busy and competitive time of year. The holiday season presents a unique opportunity to engage with your audience, drive sales, and strengthen customer relationships. To make the most of this season, brands should ensure their email marketing efforts are well-prepared, strategic, and effective. Here are some key areas to focus on during your holiday email program review: 1. Ensure that your automated feeds are actually on and working. 2. Abandon cart emails have one of the highest engagement and conversation rates. 3. Is your ESP capturing all abandoned cart / browse emails? 4. Incorporate a first-time buyer nurture series. Click Read More below for additional insight.

Customer loyalty is much more nuanced than points-based rewards programs! Explore five research-backed strategies with real-world examples from brands like Patagonia, Lego, Native and more. You'll walk away with a score of new ideas that you should embrace to drive true loyalty and connection. Lauren Ackerman, VP Client Strategy at J.Schmid will share insights related to customer loyalty and translate them to marketing tactics that will: • Use emotion to move your audience • Build a strong community with social media and in-person events • Refine the customer journey around the points of the purchase – online and offline, from triggered emails to the box experience • Turn error into opportunity by above-and-beyond handling of returns and mistakes • Prove you “know” them with customer journey messaging, personalization, versioning in direct mail and beyond. Register at: https://www.ana.net/membersconference/show/id/MOC-OCT23E6

Join Brent Niemuth, President, as he jet-sets across Europe's cultural highlights in a journey through the French Riviera, Italy, the Swiss Alps, and Spain. At each destination, Brent draws from the local landmarks to reveal a unique facet of branding. This time, Brent draws inspiration from the top of the Alps in Lausanne, Switzerland. Welcome to a series where culture meets branding insights, delivering quick and practical insights that redefine your understanding of brand identity and success. Watch video at: https://jschmid.com/branding-abroad-the-swiss-alps/

Join Brent Niemuth, President, as he jet-sets across Europe's cultural highlights in a journey through the French Riviera, Italy, the Swiss Alps, and Spain. At each destination, Brent draws from the local landmarks to reveal a unique facet of branding. This time, Brent draws inspiration from the iconic brands omnipresent in the French Riviera, like Hermes and Louis Vuitton, to draw parallels between brand perception and price. Watch Video at: https://jschmid.com/branding-abroad-the-french-riviera/

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) – committed to protecting the world’s forests through sustainable forestry – is calling brands and consumers around the world to amplify the voice of forests. From September 23-29, the Forest Week campaign will empower individuals and businesses to help safeguard the world’s forests, and those that depend on them, by making positive shopping choices. This year’s theme, Trust the Tree, will highlight the key role forests play in fighting the climate and biodiversity crises. Forests sustain us, and sustainably sourced forest products can help ensure resilient, thriving forests for all, forever. Renowned global brands and retailers will partner with FSC, posting daily content across leading social platforms for the seven days of the campaign.

Understand the TWO Critical Factors that Influence Consumer Perception • Recognize that our brains are hardwired to make instant judgments based on deep human emotions • Learn how to establish loyalty based on how your brand is perceived • See examples of successful marketing efforts that have taken a more human approach. Don't miss it – This is sure to be an inspiring keynote! Register Now at: https://web.cvent.com/event/482ecfdd-3ebf-48a1-aeae-568b7d6929c0/regProcessStep1

Major ad organizations and other business groups are pressing to derail a bill that would enable residents to easily remove their information from every data broker registered with the state. In a recent letter to state lawmakers, the organizations argue that the Delete Act (SB 362) would hinder a wide variety of programs and services, including anti-fraud initiatives, loyalty programs and public interest research. “If passed, SB 362 would negatively impact Californians,” 19 groups including the Association of National Advertisers, American Association of Advertising Agencies, California Retailers Association, Interactive Advertising Bureau, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and NetChoice. “Without data, companies would not be able to deliver critically important products and services consumers benefit from today, sometimes without even being aware of how this data supports their safety and enjoyment of everyday life.”

Any seasoned direct marketer the importance of understanding the numbers side of the business. You have to know both the left-brain (analytic) and right-brain (creative) rules for maximum success. My philosophy is “know the rules before you break them.” People often ask me for the most important direct marketing metrics. As we have evolved to a wider use of selling channels (Websites, e-mail campaigns, search engines, in-store selling), do the tried-and-true tenets of catalog marketing still hold up? see more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/5-crucial-omnichannel-metrics/

An alarming new study on click fraud should sober up both publishers and advertisers. Large percentages of clicks qualified as invalid traffic (IVT) in June 2023, according to Q2 2023 Global Click Fraud Benchmarks, a study by Pixalate. For starters, there was a 17% invalid click rate for all open programmatic advertising across desktop web, mobile web, and mobile in-app in June. In addition, there was a 21% invalid click rate for desktop web open programmatic advertising, a 16% invalid click rate for mobile web open programmatic ads and 13% invalid click rate for mobile app open programmatic ads. However, the 729x90 Leaderboard ad size drove an invalid click rate of 26% on mobile apps, twice that of the total mobile app invalid click average (13%). Moreover, 20% of all invalid clicks on mobile apps are now generated by click farms, the study says.

Invalid traffic (IVT) in open programmatic advertising averaged 17% globally across the desktop web, mobile web and mobile apps in this year’s second quarter, according to the latest report from fraud prevention/analytics firm Pixalate. The desktop web had the highest average IVT rate, at 21%, followed by the mobile web at 16% and mobile apps at 13%. Overall, 57% of invalid clicks were generated by click farms and datacenter IVT. On mobile apps, 20% of all invalid clicks were generated by click farms.

JICMAIL’s diary-based data captured from a panel of one thousand households every month reveals that in Q2 2023: *Mail continued to prove its value as a commercially effective marketing channel for advertisers with 9% growth year on year in the proportion of mail items prompting commercial actions among consumers, up to a level of 30.5%. *Mail proved its effectiveness at all stages of the customer journey: from driving brand discovery through brand discussions (up to 16% of mail in Q2 2023 from 14% in Q2 2022); to customer engagement through website visits (8% of mail); through to purchase fulfillment (up to 5% from 4% last year). *Given the continued challenges that the UK high-street faces in the cost-of-living crisis, it was noteworthy that mail recorded a 30% increase in effectiveness at driving consumer footfall in store.

The major ad organizations are urging California lawmakers to reject a bill aimed at enabling residents to easily remove their information from every data broker registered with the state. The California Consumer Privacy Act already allows people to request removal of their information from data brokers, but on a company-by-company basis. The new Delete Act (SB 362), introduced earlier this year by Senator Josh Becker, would require all data brokers in the state to honor an opt-out request made through a single mechanism. “Without data, companies would not be able to deliver critically important products and services consumers benefit from today, sometimes without even being aware of how this data supports their safety and enjoyment of everyday life,” the groups write.

Omnichannel Marketing Part 9: A Powerful Human Narrative - Garmin’s Women of Adventure campaign has been a bastion of the company’s sports, fitness and outdoor recreation division since it launched over 5 years ago. Recognizing the growing trend of predominantly male customers in their outdoor segment, Garmin launched an initiative focused on engaging the female community, proving that Garmin GPS and wearable tech can support and enhance their outdoor experiences. They started telling stories. Sharing photographs. Documenting adventures. All while inviting the fearless, persistent, and resilient women who live out their passions daily to engage with them across their platforms. By working with everyone from professional athletes to outdoor hobbyists, Garmin has created a space for women to engage with other women, whether they run, ride, sail, or anything in between. It’s a hook built on invitation, inclusivity, and a shared place to explore wide open spaces… together.

Advertising has long been a vector for nefarious actors ranging from organized crime to a variety of other bad actors, but the proliferation of digital media and especially the programmatic advertising marketplace has given rise to increasing opportunities for purveyors of "malvertising" -- digital ads served to unsuspecting users that spread malware, compromise computer systems and harm consumers, publishers and platforms. And while the magnitude has been difficult to benchmark, much less track, weakening advertising marketplace conditions are projected to accelerate the proliferation of malvertising, according to the first of what is planned to be an ongoing series of "threat assessment" reports published for the ad industry by the Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG).

Why are marketing campaigns so effective? What is the secret behind the good ones that people remember and talk about (REI’s “Opt Outside”)? Quite simply, a BIG IDEA. The best marketing and advertising over the decades have always been driven by a singular great idea (“Got Milk?”). A core idea that ties everything together. An idea that resonates with the audience and makes them think about your product or service in a different way. Remove that big idea and all you’re doing is selling products, just like the other brands. Blah. But when you build your marketing efforts around a campaign, and use that “big idea” consistently across all touchpoints, it’s more likely to get noticed, more likely to be remembered, and more likely to engage people on a human level. In other words, campaigns work.

Want to make a huge difference in response across all your channels? In this fast-paced digital era, capturing and retaining customer attention requires a thoughtful and strategic approach. But sometimes, we create complicated marketing programs without a true understanding of the consumer or what we ultimately want them to do. The formula for great marketing is quite simple. We must DISRUPT their busy lives, we must DELIGHT with content that emotionally resonates and most importantly, we must DRIVE them to do something. Disrupt: Breaking Through the Noise - In today’s oversaturated marketplace, capturing customer attention is an ongoing challenge. Delight: Creating Content that Emotionally Connects - What is it you are truly selling? It’s not about the product and it’s not always about the discount. Drive: Creating Immediate Action - While disruption and delight are essential, your goal in the omnichannel world is to drive customers to act.

Marketers and PR people are in a wary mood, judging by a new study from CommsCo PR. Of those polled, 55% are more stressed than they were this time last year, and 63% now say they are expected to do more with less. But they are pushing ahead — 58% are increasing their budgets, versus 26% who are reducing them. Another 16% are keeping their budgets the same. Meanwhile, 45% believe AI will drive more investment in marketing, while 34% believe it will lead to reductions. In addition, 65% say AI will drive a wave of productivity. Only 13% are nervous about AI.

Crafting memorable creative that will compel and delight an audience is likely the most challenging task in the campaign process. Without a creative, brand-right theme, the campaign won’t get traction and meet objectives. That said, coordinating and executing the big idea is just as important. If the campaign isn’t organized and executed well the investment will be wasted. Here are the five essential steps for getting a marketing campaign off the ground: 1. Get the channel leaders on board 2. Budgeting 3. Metrics 4. Coordinated launch 5. Assign a wrangler

Harry Quadracci founded the company 52 years ago this month. Harry’s son, Joel, is now CEO. He took over in 2006, as print continued its slow decline and before the great recession upended the global economy. “I did everything my father told me not to do, which was go public and buy broken down printing companies,” Quadracci told Adweek during Cannes Lions last month. It was Quadracci’s first time at the Festival of Creativity where the intersection of creative, brand, platform and production merge. It’s also the intersection Quad aims to transect with a rebrand resulting from a 15-year transformational journey. “For us, it was we better become the consolidator, or the consolidating is going to be done to us,” Quadracci said. While its roots are indelibly in print, Quad now calls itself a marketing experience company that aims to rid companies of wasteful processes.

Despite the fact that the retail landscape continues to undergo massive waves of post-COVID evolution, there are many things that still haven’t changed — like the fact that consumers continue to go to physical stores to shop and that the physical portion of retailers' businesses still command the largest share of their revenues by a very large margin. Despite this, many retailers still only focus on the e-commerce sales impacts of their digital marketing, and ignore the in-store sales impacts because it's “difficult to measure.” This myopic focus is costing them — a lot. Web analytics tools or the measurements provided by the large platforms like Google and Meta have always relied on clicks to tell the story of campaign value. However, with major privacy changes in the market made by Apple and coming soon from Google, any measurement approach that relies on tracking individual consumers has been dying a death of a thousand cuts. Even measuring digital ads’ impact on e-commerce is getting a lot harder.

Two Sides has written to the German retail group REWE about making misleading statements concerning the environmental impact of print communications. Two Sides, the global organisation dedicated to promotion of the sustainability of print, paper and paper packaging, has written to REWE following the German retail group’s published decision to cease production of its weekly promotional paper flyers from 1st July 2023. In a press release published in July 2022, REWE stated that: “This will have a huge impact on the environment, climate, and the sustainable use of resources, saving more than 73,000 tonnes of paper, 70,000 tonnes of CO2, 1.1 million tonnes of water, and 380 million kWh of energy per year.” Two Sides believes that these statements are sensational and misleading in terms of their environmental claims and the statistics used.

The U.S. Ad Market Tracker rose 2.5% in May -- the first expansion in 11 months. The expansion compares with the year-ago period that was only up modestly and is the best May since Standard Media Index began tracking it. The growth is the first material sign that the U.S. ad marketplace is pulling out of a recession that began in July 2022, based on the SMI data, which is derived from a pool of actual ad spending processed by the major agency holding companies and independent media services agencies.

If you want your business to survive in the coming months, focus is the name of the game. Consider conducting an omnichannel audit, an in-depth review of your business that will allow for the creation of a blueprint you can act on with focus rather than fear. A focused audit does not have to cost you anything more than time, mental energy and a collaborative attitude. Just remember that success is not immediate, and you must critique each of the silos within your business. Most companies begin by auditing their selling channels. Instead, you should go back to the basics. What are the ingredients of a successful direct marketing program? Veteran marketers would say it covers three categories: 1) marketing strategy 2) the offer and 3) creative, and we would agree! However, there’s an initial, critical component missing. As it’s the key foundation to any marketing effort, we must start with brand FIRST, prior to discussing and auditing those classic three.

Omnichannel success is all about breaking down barriers between channels and building cooperation. Every company that strives for omnichannel success is trying to change from being company-centric or channel-centric to being customer-centric. In a channel-centric company, one channel typically dominates the others. In this business model, the company is more important than the customer; everything revolves around improving sales and making more money for the company. Retailers think first and foremost of their stores; other channels are an afterthought. Pure-play catalog or ecommerce companies concentrate only on their method of selling. A customer-centric business is totally oriented toward the customer. Customers decide when, where, and how they wish to shop with the company. From the customer’s perspective: *The customers control the relationship. *Customer service is seamless across all channels. *Customers see a single face/identity/voice/brand from the company, regardless of channel. *Customers have the feeling that the company cares about them and works for their loyalty. *Most if not all merchandise is available from all selling channels.

Quad/Graphics, Inc., a global marketing experience (MX) company, is rolling out “Built on Quad.” This new campaign showcases Quad’s latest brand identity and marks the company’s first large-scale marketing and advertising effort in its 52-year history. Quad’s new brand campaign will run through digital, OOH, print, events, experiential, direct mail, sponsorship and sales assets. It will also be showcased at the 2023 Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, including the Nice Côte d'Azur Airport. Quad provides end-to-end marketing solutions that removes friction wherever it occurs in the marketing journey for more than 2,900 clients, including Sirius XM, Amazon, the Albertsons Companies, and other major brands. The “Built on Quad” campaign focuses on the company’s strength as a one-stop partner for the modern marketer, and it also pays homage to its roots as one of the largest and most successful commercial printers in North America. The company produces over 765 billion pages and mails more than 8 billion direct mail pieces per year making Quad one of the USPS’ largest clients.

Chances are, you’re currently trying to reach your audience in a variety of ways. Maybe digital ads, search, social media, catalog, direct mail and your retail environment. What if you could tie all those efforts together with a single creative concept—a “Big Idea” that unifies all of those touchpoints? And what if that consistent message was delivered in such a unique and bold way that you now stood out from the competition? People now notice you. They remember you. And now they will consider you. THAT’S the power of a campaign. Learn more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/the-impact-of-omnichannel-integration/

Generative AI has been quickly absorbed by the marketing industry. According to a report from Botco.AI, after a short introduction period, 73% of marketers are now using AI tools. Of those still holding out, 31% expect to use it within a year, and 46% expect to within two years. Two-thirds of respondents who currently use AI say they do so for brainstorming sessions, first drafts and outlines. Forty-nine percent say they use AI to produce final content. The Botco report was based a survey of 1,000 B2B and B2C marketing professionals in March. Three-quarters of them were from companies with more than 100 employees.

Join us for our new series: Omnichannel Marketing. Mountains of data, endless options of ways to reach customers. No wonder marketers are overwhelmed. We work so hard to get their attention, but what happens once you have it? What are you going to say? In those precious few seconds, when you finally have their attention, what will your message be? That’s what we do at J.Schmid. We tell brand stories. We'd love a chance to help you tell yours. Watch Video at https://www.jschmid.com/blog/storytelling-and-songwriting/

Dotdash Meredith (DDM) has launched an ad targeting tool that it says provides intent-based targeting without cookies. The new product, D/Cipher, connects advertisers and consumers in key moments of intent across DDM’s 40+ brands, on all devices and platforms, the company claims. In addition, D/Cipher provides access to Apple (iOS) audiences. This group, which comprises more than 50% of U.S. digital users, has been unreachable by advertising cookies for the past two years.

Think paper isn't sustainable? Think again! We are super proud to be owned by a brand who believes in sustainability. MIDLAND has partnered with the World Land Trust, and their exciting Carbon Balanced Paper program. Ultimately this program helps protect endangered forests and threatened habitats. Learn more here. Thankfully, recycling has become almost a given in the corporate world and the majority of homes. But it's time to move into the new frontier, looking beyond recycling to tap more heavily into the other two, often overlooked R’s in the sustainability trio: reduce and reuse. These initiatives can reduce pollution and waste on the production side, while simultaneously giving consumers easier access to greener choices for their households, something that 88% of consumers reportedly want. As every business takes a different shape depending on operations and industry, finding ways to reduce and re-use at the corporate level is a complex and highly individual challenge. But some companies have found creative ways to limit their carbon footprint and give products a second life, forging the way for other companies to follow suit. So what can we learn from them? read more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/the-overlooked-rs-reduce-and-reuse/

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company (RRD), a leading global provider of marketing, packaging, print, and supply chain solutions, earned recognition in Ad Age’s 79th Agency Report as one of the world’s biggest agencies. The 2023 report represents the fifth consecutive year RRD Marketing Solutions is featured in the agency report. Produced by Ad Age DataCenter, the industry’s most authoritative source of competitive intel, the Ad Age Agency Report includes listings of advertising, marketing services, and media agencies based on 2022 revenue.

The new research, which was carried out by environmental experts WSP, and commissioned by Marketreach, has produced a full carbon Life Cycle Assessment of mail. This is the first time Marketreach has looked in-depth at every element, from forest source to end-of-life, via the processing, design, production and delivery stages. It has found that, by taking every opportunity to regenerate, reinvent, reduce, reuse and recycle, mail can contribute to a circular economy, and be part of an effective marketing mix. *New industry-first study by WSP and Marketreach assesses full carbon lifecycle of mail and its contribution to a circular economy *Interactive online tool from Marketreach empowers commercial mail users to determine the carbon impact of different formats across the supply chain *Bold and disruptive creative campaign, including direct mail and out-of-home (OOH) launches today and throughout the planning and delivery teams have been considerate of the environment.

ChatGPT just arrived a few months ago, but the implications of generative AI can seem confounding to the average marketer. Here are a few ways marketers have found to use generative so far in 2023: Image generation: Tools such as Rosebud.ai and Midjourney can generate multiple versions of the same ad to try on various audiences. Notably, Heinz used OpenAI’s Dall-E 2 to create images of ketchup and it did so in a memorable fashion, in which all the images looked like Heinz bottles. Personalization: Using the traditional methods, creating personalized campaigns is often too much work, but generative AI has the promise of making personalization much easier.

As part of its ongoing efforts to help mitigate greenwashing on Madison Avenue, the Institute for Advertising Ethics (IAE) is exploring the creation of a new industry entity that would help develop common standard and guidelines the ad industry can use to self-regulate the practice. The entity, dubbed “Common Consortium for Greenwashing Prevention” (CCGP) was disclosed in a letter sent to the Federal Trade Commission this morning, in response to the commission’s request for public comments to update the agency’s own “Green Guides” for the use of environmental marketing claims, which followed several congressional hearings last last year on the practice of greenwashing campaigns developed by major ad agencies and PR firms for fossil fuel marketers.

Montana lawmakers on Friday passed a privacy bill that gives state residents new rights to wield control over data about them, including the right to reject some forms of targeted advertising. Senate Bill 384 now heads to Governor Greg Gianforte for signature. Lawmakers in seven other states have passed comprehensive privacy laws -- California, Connecticut, Colorado, Utah, Virginia, Iowa and Indiana. If enacted, the Montana bill will give residents the right to opt out of the use of data linkable to them -- including pseudonymous data, such as information stored on cookies -- for behaviorally targeted ads.

About 10 years ago, REI made me so stinking mad that I swore I’d never grace their check-out again. A brand-advocate no more, I huffed my outraged “customer-no-service” story to everyone that cared to listen. Their offense? They made me pay for return shipping on a few items that didn’t fit. And worse, because I didn’t get my way, I decided the phone rep was rude and dismissive. Yes, I’m guilty of perpetuating the “all-about-me” attitude pervasive in the consumer world. WORD OF CAUTION: YES, one bad experience can ruin a customer relationship forever. And the reason can be as petty as feeling dismissed. But then, darn it, suddenly I couldn’t avoid them – they were everywhere. Read more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/rei-me/

Retailers have always been at the forefront of consumer needs. They know their markets and have adapted to meet them. From blade signs to the metaverse, retail has transformed itself over and over. But like many things, trends can be cyclical. And what used to work, then didn’t work, can ultimately work better than before. How? Nostalgia is one explanation, but, more often, we find that while people evolve, they don’t ultimately change — at least not completely. People still want to connect with others. They need to engage, have experiences, explore, learn, be entertained and establish their position/identity within society. What we're seeing is that post-pandemic/quarantine psychology has elevated a renewed interest in physical engagements over digital. Thus, opening the once locked door to print marketing, direct mail and catalogs.

They’re like a frustrating older sibling. They get all the attention, and they get away with pretty much everything. They’re incredibly well-liked, and it seems like everyone aspires to be them. And regardless of how you feel about them, Patagonia is one of the most impressive brands out there. Why? Because they do so many things that other brands don’t. Maybe you’re thinking, “Well, our brand doesn’t sell outdoor adventure apparel, so we don’t really care what Patagonia’s doing.” But if that’s your philosophy, I challenge you to think of it this way: When their polarizing campaigns, beautifully designed catalogs and killer social media efforts drive consumers to drop $800 on a parka, guess who Patagonia is taking attention (and dollars) away from? You. see more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/why-youre-not-patagonia-2/

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company enabled Wizards of the Coast (Wizards) to supply key retailers with customized, launch-specific marketing materials. The partnership increased new product launch visibility and won the award for “Most Innovative Supplier of the Year” at the 2022 Toy and Game International Excellence (TAGIE) Awards. Wizards is a family of studios specializing in building role-playing, trading card, and digital games for all genres of players. With a focus on community, they partner with more than 6,000 local game store retailers through the Wizards Play Network (WPN) to bring products like Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons to players around the world.

As inboxes become more cluttered, mailboxes have become prime real estate. In fact, the latest data from the United States Postal Service shows that 73% of all households read their mail daily. Brands can cut through the noise and create memorable and tactile brand experiences by using and investing in technologies that take into account how customers interact with and use mail. Through their 2023 Monthly Mailing Promotions, the USPS is encouraging marketers, printers, and mailers to leverage advances in print and finishing technology to improve how consumers interact and engage with mail to drive customer engagement and response rates. Promotions range from using dynamic color and new print techniques to integrating mobile technology. Participants in these monthly promotions are eligible for significant discounts of up to 5%. This can add up to significant savings for big brands. One promotion to note is the 2023 Tactile, Sensory, Interactive Promotion which enhances how customers interact and engage with mail through multi-sensory experiences from visual effects, sound, scent, touch, and even taste!

Are you a faceless brand? Are you talking to your costumer in an authentic, meaningful way? Studies in neuroscience have proven that 95% of all buying decisions are driven by emotion, not logic. We're all drawn to products or brands for much deeper, primal reasons. Hear from J.Schmid President and CCO, Brent Niemuth, on what those primal reasons are and what you and your brand can do to appeal to deeper emotional instincts. Watch video at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/the-power-of-emotion/

We spend a good deal of our marketing efforts incenting customers to be loyal to us; to be our brand advocates. But doesn’t loyalty go both ways? Don’t we, in turn, need to demonstrate our commitment to our customers? It’s a two-way street, after all—a dialogue. One way to display your commitment—or loyalty—to your customers is to show them you know them: who they are, where they are, what they buy, and what they want. We all experience this kind of dialogue daily online: ads served up to us reflect our searches from 5 minutes ago; recommender engines tell us what else we’d like based on what is in our baskets. These days, it’s expected. Ubiquitous, almost. But what about in print? I’d posit that sending a targeted, relevant print mail piece audience conveys a more authentic investment to your customer. The real impact comes from using data and understanding your customers’ behavior. Variable data printing allows us to create powerful, relevant direct mail that speaks to individuals on a truly 1:1 basis. Personalization allows us to move beyond mass mailings and “spray-and-pray” direct mail. Instead, we can create messages and offers based on customers’ demographics, preferences, and histories… and show them we know them. Let’s revisit a few ways to consider showing your customers you know them in print. I’ve written about them before: they are the Three Ps. read more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/show-them-you-know-them/

Are you headed to the NEMOA conference in Everett, MA April 4 - 6th? We'd love to see you and catch up. Join J.Schmid President & CCO Brent Niemuth as he hosts a hands-on interactive workshop on Creative and Content: Develop a look, feel and content that is clearly aligned with your brand and resonates with customers. But that's not all! J.Schmid EVP of Client Services, Michele Drohan will be leading an interactive Catalog Critique session where you'll learn the building blocks of an effective catalog, then work with peers to review and critique a catalog. If you're not registered, it's not too late! We'd love to see you there and we have a special discount to share with you. Use code BRD15 for 15% off your registration. Register now at: https://nemoaevent.org/?utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=NEMOA&utm_campaign=website

In today's digital world, the importance of humanity marketing cannot be overstated. With so much competition for attention online, businesses must stand out by showing their human side. Join J.Schmid President & Chief Creative Officer, Brent Niemuth as he shares valuable insights on implementing the humanity marketing strategy for business success with Infidigit's Country Director - Americas, Shelly Singh. watch the video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvVKkFPF3lA

So many businesses don’t do nearly enough to greet a customer warmly, and give them a brand hug at the all-important point of purchase. Every business should carefully examine how all of your customers are being exposed to your brand. “Consumers state that the post-purchase journey is the most emotional part of their customer experience, with 63% invested in the shipping, delivery and fulfillment process.” Read More at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/new-customer-journey/

Integrating a strategic technology-driven extension is more than just a trend in direct marketing. It can be a game-changer. Applications such as Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality, Virtual Reality, Voice Assistant, Near Field Communication, or Video enable your mail to captivate your audience for a longer period, making for a more memorable brand experience that can expand the campaign’s reach. Most important, it can drive greater response. Augmented Reality (AR) adds digital elements to a live view often by using the camera on a smartphone. AR is more than QR codes. AR both heightens engagement with a mail piece and links it directly to the online channel to extend the sales process. Now, the USPS has made this even more enticing with the Emerging Technology and Mobile Shopping postal discount incentive which runs between May 1st — November 30th. This promotion provides a 3-4% discount depending on the complexity of the technology.

Along with “storytelling” and “authenticity” the word “community” gets tossed around a lot these days by brands and marketers alike. While all three of these terms, and the sentiments they carry, are often used as empty platitudes or attractive phrases to sprinkle in an ‘About Us’ page, in their best uses they come from a place of sincerity and real consumer ramifications. In a 2021 study from ebbo, ‘community’ was the second highest factor that contributed to customer loyalty after product quality. But what does community mean for a brand? How can it be grown and nurtured? What does it look like? To answer these questions I want to take a look at three different brands each instilling community with their consumers in vastly different ways. Some take place in online chat rooms, others in secret shopping opportunities, and some through in-person engagement. No matter how they approach it, each of these brands takes what people love about their products and their mission and create a space for that to flourish. read more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/creating-community/

Join J.Schmid President & CCO Brent Niemuth as he hosts a hands-on creative workshop at the Spring NEMOA conference April 4, 2023. If you're not already familiar with NEMOA, here's what you need to know: • It's the only summit for true omnichannel marketers, helping brands harness the power of print in the marketing mix. • The thought-provoking discussions and enriching sessions are 100% guaranteed to drive actionable insights. • This is the last week to get the very best prices on hotel rooms. • And one more thing...we can offer you a 15% discount with code BRD15! That's right, it's a perk we get as a board member. So if you're interested in going, register now! Register at: https://web.cvent.com/event/9a4bcadf-2109-4eb0-8ea6-305c5c036d05/regProcessStep1?_ga=2.221219032.1124295288.1677590315-614130158.1677590315

Are you ready to skillfully apply the principles of human behavior to your direct mail marketing messages to gain a competitive advantage? Since people default to hardwired behaviors without giving them a thought, we can use that to drive them to the response we want. We will use those behaviors to trigger them to buy our product or service leading to better direct mail results. In part one of this series, we will focus on the decision-making process and how we can use it to convert more sales with direct mail.

One of our clients challenged us this week to find a way to call out a product they had improved. The perception (and the truth) was that this particular product—in this particular niche industry—was indeed subpar for a while. And our client fixed it. Really, really well. What brand doesn’t slip now and then? From large, global corporations accused of being environmentally negligent, to the small online retailer that suffers an inventory issue, most businesses, at one time or another, experience the Unhappy Customer Moment. The good news? There is such an abundance of feedback channels and data now to provide immediate and rich information on how our customers are experiencing our products and our brands. The even better news? This information provides us with an extraordinary opportunity for change. To respond. To fix the problem. read more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/unhappy-customers-and-unexpected-opportunities/

Did you know that messing up can be good for your brand in the long run? Find out more with Lauren Ackerman, VP of Client Strategy at J.Schmid as she walks through the five key moments that drive customer loyalty. watch video at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/5-key-moments-that-drive-customer-loyalty/

Months after rolling out a carbon calculator to estimate and influence the carbon impact of digital media buys, GroupM this morning unveiled a new version capable of measuring the carbon footprint of its client's media buys across various media -- both digital and analog. The new "Channel-Level Carbon Calculator" was developed in partnership with carbon impact researcher Scope3, and GroupM currently is working with it to engineer a new media-planning API (applications protocol interface) that any agency or advertiser will be able to integrate into their media-processing tech stack to seamlessly ingest Scope3's data in order to adjust their media mix or specific suppliers that do a better job of complying with their goals of reducing carbon emissions in their advertising and media buys. While GroupM will have a "first-to-market" access to the API for a period of time, the WPP unit said the plan is for it to be "open source" for the entire industry to use.

As marketers, we work really hard to make buyers aware of us, and even harder to make them buy from us. Now, we're faced with the ongoing challenge of how to keep them coming back. The real question is: How do we make them loyal? How do we turn them into brand advocates? Want to create brand loyalty? Think of marketing, branding, and customer experience differently. Watch video at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/the-holy-grail-brand-loyalty/

Marketers are always looking for ways to influence how consumers perceive their brands to build more than simply transactional relationships. They know that effective brand positioning helps separate them from the competition and not just capture but keep a larger share of both consumers’ minds and wallets, driving long-term customer loyalty. Here are six of the most common brand positioning strategies that companies use. Depending on the product category, some will be more effective than others and all come with some potential drawbacks. Get the details at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/customer-loyalty-2-brand-positioning/

A new Gartner, Inc. survey1 found that 87% of business leaders expect to increase organization investment in sustainability over the next two years. As packaging professionals, we can help customers reach their sustainability goals while continuing to meet day-to-day business needs. As companies prioritize sustainability, its importance grows across organization departments – all of which have different day-to-day business needs to consider. Understanding customers’ unique motivations and needs will help guide impactful conversations. What are their goals? How do they measure success? What keeps them up at night?

A study released today by R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company (RRD) found that amid concerns of an economic recession or downturn, organizations see a strategic opportunity to gain market share through increased marketing spend, according to 73% of marketers surveyed. Despite widespread talk about budget cuts, more than half of respondents (54%) expect their organization’s overall marketing budget to increase this year. Findings from RRD’s Optichannel Opportunity Report, which surveyed 300 in-house marketing decision makers, show many marketers are primed to invest the extra budget in print channels, as social media turmoil complicates the digital landscape. More than two-thirds of respondents agree recent large-scale changes to social platforms have influenced their digital marketing strategy. Of this group, 71% have reallocated budget from digital to direct mail, brochures, signage and other print channels.

Disrupt. Delight. Drive. Three words that, together, form a mandate for our catalogs. From crowded mailboxes our books need to stand out and garner attention; pay off that attention with content that creates desire, and – ultimately – compel our customers to click, call or visit. It’s a tall order. And that first piece, Disrupt, is the 1st priority. If it doesn’t happen, the other two won’t. We could mail an 11” x 17” oversized book. That will get noticed. So would a ‘scratch and sniff’ cover? But most of us don’t have budget to add a bunch of bells and whistles just to make us louder than the other guys. I’m particularly mindful of this as I wade through the current flood of women’s clothing catalogs in my own mailbox, most of them conveying the long-suffering mashup: covers graced with women pouring each other glasses of Rosé, or bikes with flower-filled baskets. Make no mistake: this is not a judgement, but a shared burden.

Did you know that the sense of smell is linked to the systems in the brain that evoke emotions and memory more directly than any other sensory system combined? What does this mean for marketers? It means that we can use smell to influence emotion and purchase intent. This therefore increases purchasing. In 2023, the USPS is offering a 5% postage discount if you integrate scent into your mail piece so you can not only drive additional sales, but you can also save money on postage. The purpose of this USPS promotion is to encourage sensory engagement with physical mail pieces. This is my favorite promotion that the USPS is running because you can only provide a tactile experience with direct mail. No other marketing channel can do this! Interesting Scent Facts: 75% of the emotions we generate on a daily basis are affected by smell. 81% of consumers would choose a product they can smell and touch over one they can only see. 65% of consumers can remember a memory associated with scent after a period of one year. 90% of respondents indicate the scented advertisement stood out from the clutter

Phoenix Innovate (PI), a leading marketing communications firm headquartered in Troy, Mich., has acquired Carmel, Ind.-based UN Communications Group, Inc. The leadership and staff at UN will remain on and are thrilled to integrate the strengths of both companies with a focus toward creating a new standard for effective marketing solutions. “Our ability to serve our clients' brand awareness and marketing supply chain needs got a big boost today,” said Denise Purvis, President of UN. “The addition of strategic marketing, application development and data analytics expertise Phoenix Innovate provides will help our clients achieve a new level of integration, automation and increased ROI. The combination of our talented team members will continue to create game-changing marketing solutions for our clients.”

As part of a growing ad-industry recognition that ad fraud isn’t just the illegal theft of marketers’ working media dollars, but also unethically funds nefarious parts of the media ecosystem, the Institute for Advertising Ethics (IAE) is updating its professional certification program to include a new module focusing explicitly on fraud. The module, which was developed in partnership with the Alliance for Audited Media (AAM), is mainly educational and is designed to inform advertisers, agencies and others in the supply chain about the “serious ethical issues surrounding” ad fraud in their media-buying decisions.

After several years dominated by pandemics and remote work, it should come as no surprise to anyone that digital fatigue is starting to set in. Microsoft released a study earlier this year reporting that Teams — the digital meeting platform many businesses have turned to as a replacement for in-person meetings — has seen an increase of 252% in weekly meeting times since February 2020. Digital marketing is just getting lost in the crowd right now, with consumers pulling away from connecting with brands on yet another platform that requires the use of a screen. This is a great time to put direct mail back on the minds of customers struggling to stay relevant in this day and age, and the numbers support it. According to the Direct Mail Advertising Global Market Report 2022, the average response rate of the direct mail is around 2.7% to 4.4%, while the email has around 0.6%.

Consent will be a critical issue for publishers next year, according to Richard Reeves, managing director of the Association of Online Publishers (AOP). Specifically, Reeves means informed programmatic ad consent, as opposed to, say, email opt-in. Publishers are seeking tech solutions that “do not rely on personally identifiable information,” Reeves said in an interview with the UK’s PressGazette. In the marketing world, that requires anonymized data solutions and reliance on first- and zero-party data.

I know I do. Well, now here’s your chance to watch me fail spectacularly. Join me, Matt Fey, Vice President and Creative Director at J.Schmid for an ANA (Association of National Advertisers) webinar where I take you through my past glories, revel in my successes, and wallow in my crippling, crippling failures. Hope to see you on Wednesday, November 30th, at 10:40am CST to watch me fail spectacularly. Thank you. Register at: https://www.ana.net/membersconference/show/id/MOC-SEP22E3

The ad industry and advocacy groups on Monday weighed in with the Federal Trade Commission on potential new privacy rules, with the ad industry voicing opposition to possible regulations, but consumer advocates contending that new rules are needed. “Advertising is the lifeblood of the American economy,” the Association of National Advertisers said in comments filed with the agency Monday. “The FTC should not presuppose that any kind of data-informed advertising is harmful without the administrative record necessary to support such a bold assertion.” The umbrella industry organization Privacy for America added that the FTC “should not cast itself as a quasi-legislature capable of regulating any activity it sees fit without a grounding in its congressionally granted authority.” “The more prudent path would be for the Commission to refrain from seeking broadly to regulate the entire U.S. data-supported economy while Congress is actively considering a comprehensive, preemptive standard,” writes Privacy for America, whose members include the American Association of Advertising Agencies, Association of National Advertisers, Digital Advertising Alliance, Interactive Advertising Bureau and Network Advertising Initiative.

In another sign of the toll that macroeconomic disruption has been taking on the ad economy, more than a third of advertisers (35%) say they have reduced their 2022 advertising budgets due to increasing inflation and/or disruptions in their supply chain. While most of the executives who have cut their ad budgets said they have reduced them by less than 20%, the median was 15% among all of them. The good news is the percentage saying they have reduced their 2022 ad budgets due to the economic factors is down from 40% who said so in a similar survey conducted by Advertiser Perceptions in July and August.

It occurred to me the other day while I was noodling email subject lines (trying to eke out another 1 or 2% increase in open rate) that even if I was successful, it would only lead to a fraction of a percent of click-through improvement. We tend to call email marketing “consumer direct,” but really, it’s “inbox direct.” This is no joke: I have 42,933 unopened emails in my Gmail inbox. Promotional emails have become invisible. As marketers, we try to get our emails noticed by using emojis in subject lines, or we drive curiosity with verbiage like, “You won’t believe this!” (urgency); “Only hours left!” (exclusivity); “For our best customers” (value); “FREE!!” … and the list goes on and on, like a barker on the midway. Sometimes we get results from barking, but results are more likely due to timing rather than “clever” subject lines. So, how do we drive consideration (and business) beyond natural demand? read more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/100-open-rate-guaranteed/

The Institute for Advertising Ethics will hold the second of two webinars focusing on the ad industry's role in greenwashing on December 8 at 10 A.M. The upcoming webinar -- which focuses on tools and frameworks for preventing greenwashing -- follows one held October 19, which featured industry experts providing a benchmark for understanding how pervasive and how problematic greenwashing actually is for the advertising industry.

Join Us For An ANA Exclusive Webinar Featuring J.Schmid's Matt Fey Wednesday, November 30, 2022 at 10:00am Central. The thrill of victory. The agony of defeat. Any direct mail creative endeavor has the potential to go from “All hail!” to “Epic fail!” Join Matthew Fey, vice president and creative director at J.Schmid & Assoc. Inc., for an honest, amusing, and sometimes painful examination of why some creative efforts yield spectacular successes and why others, well, not so much. From high-fiving wins to head-scratching losses, examine a series of catalog and direct mail case studies from a variety of brands – including apparel, food, retail and more on the consumer side, with a few business-to-business examples thrown in for good measure. What went in to the creative decisions? How were they successful? And when they weren’t, where did they go wrong? Glean valuable lessons from both success and failure to get the most out of your direct mail creative. register at: https://www.ana.net/membersconference/show/id/MOC-SEP22E3

Join Us For An ANA Exclusive Webinar - Thursday, November 17, 2022 at 10:00am Central. Think data is only about numbers? Think again. Data insights have proven that making a true human connection based on emotions is far more effective than relying on data and logic alone. In fact, if you’re only relying on data to make marketing decisions, your brand is likely getting left behind. Consumers say that 80% of the brands they buy from don’t matter to them. See how data and analytics is proving that a more HUMAN approach is far more effective.

In a digital-facing world, any brand would be smart to think twice before adding print into the mix. And yet, several times a month we get inquiries from wholesale companies or online brands interested in testing mail for the first time. What would compel them to consider print? They reach out because they understand that, if executed correctly, print can add significant dollars to their bottom line, driving customers and prospects to their website or store. There are many reasons why print still works. To find out why this intrusive, tactile, personalized tactic works check out our blog at https://www.jschmid.com/blog/ready-to-mail-3-ways-to-be-sure/

At a time when the ad industry is coming under fire from regulators, advocacy groups and grassroots organizations for helping fossil fuel companies greenwash their reputations and/or obstruct climate action, a majority of consumers believe it should be held liable for that role. That's the finding of a survey of U.S. adults conducted Monday by Pollfish for MediaPost. The survey, which was fielded in response to recent Congressional hearings on the subject, as well as an Institute for Advertising Ethics (IAE) informational webinar to help the ad industry benchmark potential threats related to its role promoting fossil fuel brands, found Americans are more concerned about the ad industry's role in obstructing climate change than simply greenwashing fossil fuel company reputations.

The U.S. advertising marketplace fell 4.6% in September vs. the same month a year ago, marking the fourth consecutive monthly decline, and suggesting the beginning of a new U.S. ad recession. While the June-September 2022 declines compare with healthy gains for the same months a year ago, the 2021 boom was also the beginning of downward trend (see chart above). The new monthly data comes as major agency holding company forecast units have been reaffirming double-digit growth expectations for calendar year 2022 and mid-single-digit gains for 2023, at least at this point.

In a world in which digital marketing continues to grow, a new brand is still mailing a catalog for the first time every month. That’s not the strange part, however. What is strange is WHO is mailing these catalogs: e-commerce retailers. Amazon, Wayfair, One King’s Lane and Everlane are just a few examples of formerly online-only brands that took the leap into the catalog sphere. Ironically, one such catalog I received in the mail is called “OnlineShoes.com”! Furthermore, brands which have traditionally sold through brick-and-mortar stores are increasingly adding catalogs to drive traffic to both their website and stores. In many cases, these brands have discovered that by adding a catalog to the marketing mix, customer value increases fourfold! According to the Direct Marketing Association, close to 90 million Americans currently purchase from a catalog. Interestingly, nearly 60 percent of them are women. So why do catalogs still work in a digital world? Check out our recent blog to learn more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/designed-for-growth-the-catalogs-resurgence/

Come next year things are going to go from bad to worse. Senior marketers know it and are already making contingency plans. Read: rationalizing ad dollars. Less than a third (29%) of the world’s largest advertisers plan to slash ad dollars next year, according to a study of 43 multinational companies from the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) and Ebiquity. Three quarters of the sample “agree strongly” or “agree” that 2023 budgets are under heavy scrutiny. Marketers are already being required to justify their investments. For many of them, 2023 will feel a lot like a recession. It’s not all doom and gloom. Some of those marketers surveyed (28%) claim they will invest more next year, per the study.

As a former CEO of two advertising agencies, Bob Hoffman knows a thing or two about the advertising world. The US-based former adman has ruffled many feathers in his demolishing of many of the myths about online advertising, and he remains a thorn in the side of the industry. Hoffman’s blog, ‘The Ad Contrarian’, is in my view, required reading for anyone who cares about the future of the advertising industry, while his many books on the topic make for uncomfortable but necessary reading.

Over the last several years, we’ve seen catalogs come and go. And we’ve seen many retailers jump into the game, spend a LOT of money (we’re talking tens of millions of dollars) and then abandon the model after a couple of seasons. This literally breaks my heart and makes me want to scream! Why does this happen? Here is my very quick opinion. These brands have a combination of the following: 1. A flawed merchandise concept that is not unique, delivered with out-of-date benefits or sent to an audience the brand knows nothing about. 2. Bad math that doesn’t take into account mail efficiencies, an understanding of their own database, mailing to bad names at the wrong time or how the catalog model fits into a cross-channel world. 3. A lack of understanding of how to create a landscape of words and imagery that truly sell off the page and drive activity to either a website or store. learn more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/5-reasons-catalogs-work/

At a time when greenwashing is emerging as an important issue on Madison Avenue, the Institute for Advertising Ethics (IAE) is planning two industry events to discuss, educate and develop guidelines to help advertisers, agencies, PR and lobbying firms to build awareness and prevent it. The events follow a week of Congressional hearings about the practices of big and independent agencies and PR firms paid by fossil-fuel companies to distort what they are actually doing to about the climate crisis, as well as the release of a Congressional report citing examples by divisions of big agency holding companies, including Interpublic’s UM unit’s work for ExxonMobil. This also follows Interpublic’s decision to revise its policy of accepting new business from fossil fuel companies that don’t meet its own climate and ethical standards.

Why do you think so many digitally native brands are suddenly discovering print? Print is still the best ‘proactive’ method of getting your message in front of people. Studies show it’s far more memorable than a digital message read on a screen – people remember things far better when they’ve held it in their hands – there’s something special about it. But you don’t have to choose between digital or print – when used together, they drive people to your website, to your retail store, and help drive better response. Watch the video at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/catalog-is-a-digital-champion/

A study released by R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company reveals marketer perceptions of macro trends impacting today’s consumers, which in turn influences the approach to reach them. The Macro Marketing Reportshowed primary concerns include shifting of buying power to new generations (89%), ESG-related concerns (84%), a changing political climate (80%), and workforce changes (78%). The company’s third annual marketing industry report found that while marketers are embracing new channels, such as the metaverse, they are also looking for innovative ways to leverage more traditional approaches. Marketers are turning to direct mail to engage with today’s digitally fatigued consumers, with nearly three-quarters (73%) reporting direct mail has either kept the same level of importance or increased in the last year.

When we create a new brand, or refresh an existing one, we’re tapping into brand clarity, conveying that key, driving purpose. When we’re creating marketing assets on behalf of a client, the brand has to be in the forefront of our minds. With each touchpoint, each interaction, we know that when we’re reinforcing what you stand for we’re going to connect in a much deeper way. So it’s no wonder that branding, and our clients’ brands, are a huge part of what we think about, talk about and write about. We’ve rounded up this collection of our favorite musings on branding that gives some insight into the thinking, passion and creativity that goes into everything that we do. Enjoy. go to: https://www.jschmid.com/branding-best-practices/

Last month, a federal appellate panel revived claims that ad-tech company NaviStone violated a Pennsylvania wiretap law by allegedly tracking users who visited online retail sites. Since then, at least 10 new lawsuits with similar allegations have been filed against other web companies -- including online pet store Chewy.com, travel service Expedia, and real estate company Zillow.com -- NaviStone's lawyers said in papers filed Friday with the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals. In a letter filed Friday with the appellate court, NaviStone's lawyers write that the new cases “illustrate that the panel’s decision effectively renders any company with a website accessible in Pennsylvania” subject to a lawsuit alleging violations of the state's wiretap law. NaviStone is calling attention to the new cases to bolster its request that the 3rd Circuit reconsider its recent ruling.

The White House on Thursday called for a host of new technology laws -- including ones that would restrict data collection and targeted advertising. “There should be clear limits on the ability to collect, use, transfer, and maintain our personal data, including limits on targeted advertising,” the administration stated Thursday at a meeting regarding tech platforms. “We especially need strong protections for particularly sensitive data such as geolocation and health information, including information related to reproductive health.” The Biden-Harris administration also said it was seeking an overhaul of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which currently protects tech companies from a broad range of lawsuits over material posted by users.

Reinvigorating a decades-old plush toy brand. In a mass-produced world where words like quality, creativity and authenticity are little more than unsubstantiated marketing-speak, Mary Meyer is the real deal. A family-owned company with a storied 85-year history of making soft and cuddly stuffed toys for gift-givers who know and appreciate quality and want to give something truly memorable that will be loved by that special someone. But the look of this storied brand needed an update to bring it forward in time, and make it more appealing to new parents and gift-giving grandparents. It was time for a refresh. That’s where J.Schmid came in. Read the Case Study at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/portfolio/mary-meyer/

What don’t people realize about branding? How has branding changed over the years? And what makes a BrandQuest with Brent Niemuth so special? Hear the answers firsthand as J.Schmid President and CCO, Brent Niemuth answers burning questions about branding from VP Account Strategy, Lauren Ackerman. see more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/brand-lounge-3-branding-isnt-one-time/

That's right! Sign up for NEMOA's Fall Summit in Boston Harbor, MA and save 15% by using our code: BRD15. You'll join J.Schmid President & CCO Brent Niemuth as he delivers a keynote session on Messaging That Matters: Creating Powerful Content Across Channels. But that's not all! In addition to the Keynote Address, Brent will lead a hands-on workshop with Cindy Marshall, Founder & CEO of SHINE Strategy and Jason Baer, VP Sales & Marketing of Vermont Teddy Bear. This interactive session will explore the latest trends in Print Marketing. It's perfect for marketers who want to do a deep-dive into Strategic Planning, Merchandising, Creative & Messaging, Formats, and Circulation. Space is limited so register now! If you're not already familiar with NEMOA, here's what you need to know: • It's the only summit for true omnichannel marketers, helping brands harness the power of print in the marketing mix. • The thought-provoking discussions and enriching sessions are 100% guaranteed to drive actionable insights. Register at: https://nemoaevent.org/?utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=NEMOA&utm_campaign=website

It all started with the love of an island. After decades of running a successful diving business on St. John in the US Virgin Islands, the business owners could feel that there was just more that they could offer. They saw an opportunity to tap into the island lifestyle and offer more: leisure wear, swim, and diving gear, even home décor; to build a lifestyle around the island life. But with limited existing product, and no existing tangible brand beyond the diving business to speak of, where does one start? That’s where J.Schmid came in. We started with research to understand the unique connection that people have to the island; then we used that learning to craft a brand story, and bring it to life in words and pictures. Read the case study at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/portfolio/low-key-branding-case-study/

What’s that sound you hear? It’s marketers gritting their teeth as they’re being asked to give up their precious advertising dollars to help insulate their brands from the looming recession. Or you may have heard the marketers or agencies say “Let’s only focus on hardworking media,” which typically means lower-funnel, digital-only, highly targeted, easily measurable, promotional campaigns designed to boost short-term sales and eliminate “waste.” They’re all part of the marketer’s recession playbook. But should they be? In reality, we should all consider a different path forward: Now is an opportune timeto shore up brand awareness and loyalty by increasing media investments with brand-building, mass-reaching, highly creative advertising campaigns.

The U.S. advertising marketplace contracted 12.7% in July versus the same month a year ago, marking its first double-digit rate of decline since July 2020, according to a MediaPost analysis of data from Standard Media Index's U.S. Ad Market Tracker. Compared with July 2020, which was the tail-end of the COVID-19 ad recession, the U.S. ad market was up 29.7%. Smaller ad categories continue to be sustaining ad spending better than the largest ones. While the top 10 ad categories declined 14% in year-over-year ad spending in July, all other categories contracted only 11%.

Over the last few years, the concept of ‘brand voice’ has been construed to mean how your favorite potato chip company feels about the latest socio-political development. There are two main problems with this perspective. First, consumers are smarter than that. They recognize the inherently self-serving nature of that kind of commentary. Secondly, it narrows the scope of what brand voice actually means. Brand voice isn’t just about the copy on your website or in your emails, and it surely isn’t just a tagline – it is all forms of communication between your brand and consumers. From the literal copy to your packaging, voice is a manifestation of a brands mission, vision, values and story. It is something literal, yet ethereal, it should survive CMO changes, product alterations, and re-branding exercises. This isn’t to say it should stay the exact same, over the years it should evolve and grow but always remain a recognizable, human part of your brand and how you communicate. Let’s take a look at how three different brands are using their unique and authentic voices across a variety of mediums and touch points at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/brand-voice-its-more-than-a-tagline/

The costs of digital advertising are skyrocketing. By some metrics, prices on major platforms such as Meta, Google, and TikTok grew by anywhere from 61–184% year-over-year in 2021. At the same time, returns are plummeting; recent changes in privacy policies, such as those by Apple, have made it more difficult to target ads to consumers, who are increasingly likely to tune out the advertising that they see anyways. All of these trends are making digital advertising increasingly unprofitable and ineffective, forcing companies to rethink their marketing strategy and spending. Increasingly, companies that are rethinking their strategies are turning to an analog method: physical paper catalogs. And it’s not just traditional retailers that are increasing their catalog investments either. Even online disrupters such as Amazon, Bonobos, and Wayfair have entered the catalog game. But does this mean that every retailer should consider a direct mail strategy? If not, when does it work best?

Yes, the rumors are true—the United States might actually get a federal privacy law. Introduced in June, the American Data Privacy Protection Act (ADPPA) actually has bipartisan support, though there are a few kinks to work out. But one section of the bill, which is now eligible for a floor vote in the House, could fundamentally change how consumer privacy is protected and enforced in the US: the proposed creation of a Bureau of Privacy, which would be a part of the Federal Trade Commission, broadening the scope and definition of how the regulator could enforce the law. “It would dramatically elevate the profile of privacy in this country and the agency internationally,” Daniel Kaufman, a partner at BakerHostetler who previously held several roles at the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said during a LinkedIn Live hosted by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). “It’s almost limitless in terms of what the FTC can do.”

Email teams may be on the spot--along with everyone else--if ecommerce campaigns lead to fraudulent transactions that hit the bottom line. The LexisNexis Fraud Multiplier estimates that for every $1 lost to fraudulent transactions, U.S. merchants lose an average of $3.75—a 19.8% increase since 2019. Canadian firms lost $3.19, an 11% rise from the $2.87 seen in early 2020. And those apparently are firms with some protections in place.

The good news is that U.S. ad executives project their second-half ad spending will be up an average of 7% vs. what they originally planned, according to a survey released this morning by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). The bad news is that the same sample of ad execs reported their full-year ad spending will be down 31% from what was projected in a similar survey conducted by the bureau in the fall of 2021.

In Episode #20 of the Millennials in Print Podcast, Alex Krupski and Jake Hoffman from Arandell chat with Brent Niemuth, President and Chief Creative Officer at J.Schmid. Tune in as they chat about the evolution of print, Humanity Marketing, and why the catalog is still a highly effective tool in today's marketing mix. Watch Video at: https://www.jschmid.com/millennials-in-print-with-brent-niemuth/

Google said in a statement that it will once again delay the replacement of third-party cookies -- a practice long used by advertisers to target advertisements to consumers. Anthony Chavez, vice president of Privacy Sandbox, said in a blog post that advertisers need more time to transition to Google’s cookie replacement. “The most consistent feedback we’ve received is the need for more time to evaluate and test the new Privacy Sandbox technologies before deprecating third-party cookies in Chrome,” Chavez wrote. “This feedback aligns with our commitment to the CMA to ensure that the Privacy Sandbox provides effective, privacy-preserving technologies and the industry has sufficient time to adopt these new solutions.” The idea is to expand testing for the Privacy Sandbox APIs before Google disables third-party cookies in Chrome.

DISRUPT. All successful catalogs do three things well: disrupt, delight and drive. And if they’re missing that critical first step, they won’t gain the customer’s consideration, rendering all the agonized-over catalog pages inside irrelevant and the brand facing dwindling sales. From covers to the resurgence in QR codes, join us for a deep dive into the tactics and techniques that create disruptive catalogs. See more at: https://www.jschmid.com/disruptive-catalog-series/

Lawmakers in the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday voted 53-2 to advance a sweeping bipartisan privacy bill that would outlaw a common form of online behavioral ad targeting. The version of the American Data Privacy and Protection Act approved Wednesday would prohibit companies from collecting or processing data about web users' online activity across sites and over time for ad purposes. That ban would effectively prevent companies from serving ads to web users based on their browsing activity. Major ad industry organizations including Privacy for America, the Association of National Advertisers and the Interactive Advertising Bureau opposed the bill, argued in a Tuesday letter to lawmakers that the provisions regarding cross-site tracking “would stifle that data-driven economy by prohibiting the collection and use of basic demographic and online activity data for efficient, responsible advertising.”

Customer acquisition costs are rising and hurting profitability for brands, according to a new study by SimplicityDX. Merchants are now losing $29 for every new customer, compared with $9 in 2013 — a 222% increase. Moreover, the study points to estimates that acquisition costs have risen by 60% in the past five years. And marketers have been affected by such complications as these: *The introduction of iOS 14.5 *The demise of third-party cookies *Increased consumer privacy legislation such as CCPA and GDPR

The newest version of a sweeping bipartisan privacy bill, unveiled Tuesday morning, would effectively prohibit companies from serving ads to people based on their web browsing activity. The latest iteration of the American Data Privacy and Protection Act prohibits companies from collecting or processing “sensitive” data -- including information about people's online browsing behavior -- for ad purposes. Specifically, the measure's definition of sensitive data includes “information identifying an individual’s online activities over time and across third party websites or online services.”

For the generations that grew up on Blue’s Clues, mail time is pretty few and far between these days. As a Gen Z/millennial “cusper,” Emily Loof, development and marketing manager at education nonprofit Colorado Youth for a Change (CYC), said she’s pushed for an increased use of direct mail in her current and past roles. Since last year, she said CYC has “about doubled” its direct-mail marketing budget. In addition to seeing increased donations, Loof said she’s also received feedback that indicates younger people may be itching for more things in their mailbox. One person “tagged our organization on Facebook and said, ‘This is so cool. Like, I never get letters from people that I donate to,’” she told us. Given growing data-privacy concerns, clutter in online advertising, and demand for brand authenticity, some marketers we spoke to said the best way to reach younger consumers could be through some good ol’ fashioned snail mail.

If you’ve been following J.Schmid’s blog posts recently, you’ve already enjoyed reading about the many ways to make your catalog stand out, from show-stopping covers to using devices that invite interaction. But what about rethinking the very construct of your catalog? What about developing a mix-it-up strategy? We know the traditional catalog format serves many purposes: it provides the real estate to express your brand and convey the breadth of your product selection. But the other truth is that you can also stand out in the mailbox, capture attention, and achieve multiple objectives by changing up your format every now and then. Here are five ways to think outside the catalog “box,” as it were. See more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/disruptive-catalogs-five-ways-to-mix-it-up/

While there’s no denying that print is on the rise, many still think of printed collateral as a static medium. Although there may be some truth to this sentiment when looking at a wide swath of catalogs, it’s by no means an unbreakable rule. Whether to pinpoint a certain demographic, create more opportunities to disrupt in the mail, or to invest in a piece that consumers will want to not only engage with, but that will help to further your brands tangibility and relevance – changing the design of your next book to include moments of direct interaction with customers is a must. The best, and perhaps most daunting, part of creating interactive catalogs and mailers is that the sky really is the limit. Some examples you’ll see are as easy as changing a design layout, others involve new exciting formats, and still more come from thinking completely outside the box and reimagining what a piece of printed advertising can be and do. No idea is too big or too small, so let’s start exploring! much more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/disruptive-catalogs-part-5/

The thrill of victory. The agony of defeat. Any direct mail creative endeavor has the potential to go from “All hail!” to “Epic fail!” Join Matthew Fey, vice president and creative director at J.Schmid & Assoc. Inc., for an honest, amusing, and sometimes painful examination of why some creative efforts yield spectacular successes and why others, well, not so much. From high-fiving wins to head-scratching losses, examine a series of catalog and direct mail case studies from a variety of brands – including apparel, food, retail and more on the consumer side, with a few business-to-business examples thrown in for good measure. What went in to the creative decisions? How were they successful? And when they weren’t, where did they go wrong? Glean valuable lessons from both success and failure to get the most out of your direct mail creative. Join Us For An ANA Exclusive Webinar ... All Hail or Epic Fail? Featuring J.Schmid's Matt Fey, Wednesday, July 13, 2022 at 12:00pm Central. Register at: https://www.ana.net/webinars/show/id/COMWW-220713

Just about all digital marketing channels are less effective than they were a year ago, largely because of privacy regulations, judging by the State of B2C Conversational Marketing, a study released Thursday by Spectrm. Of the B2C marketers polled, 90.75% have seen channels decline, including these: Email marketing — 10.2%; Influencer marketing — 11.5%; SMS marketing — 10.2%; Social media marketing — 16.7%; Retargeting — 8.0%; Search advertising — 8.2%; Display advertising — 10.0%; SEO — 8.0%; Affiliate marketing — 7.7%; Skip: we’ve not seen any channels decline — 9.2%. One problem is privacy — 59% of marketers say that the issue and the regulations have caused channels to become less effective. And 41% said collecting zero-party data is more important than ever to them, while 29% disagree.

Dilly dilly. I’m lovin’ it. Get a Mac. Why is it so easy to rattle off the brands that introduced us to these catchphrases? Because Bud Light, McDonald’s and Apple are among the best at telling stories, catching us off guard and even making us laugh. They understand the power of a campaign and how disruptive a “big idea” can be. And how powerful it can be—helping us consider their products for the first time, or again in a whole new way. But for a campaign to reach—and disrupt—the most people, it must be executed across all touchpoints (in digital and in print). Which means your latest campaign absolutely belongs in your catalog. And not just on the opening spread. A catalog gives your brand multiple opportunities to separate itself with a big idea, and I’ll take you through three examples to prove it. See all 3 at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/disruptive-catalogs-part-4/

Disrupt. Delight. Drive. Three words that, together, form a mandate for our catalogs. From crowded mailboxes our books need to stand out and garner attention; pay off that attention with content that creates desire, and – ultimately – compel our customers to click, call or visit. It’s a tall order. And that first piece, Disrupt, is the 1st priority. If it doesn’t happen, the other two won’t. We could mail an 11” x 17” oversized book. That will get noticed. So would a ‘scratch and sniff’ cover? But most of us don’t have budget to add a bunch of bells and whistles just to make us louder than the other guys. I’m particularly mindful of this as I wade through the current flood of women’s clothing catalogs in my own mailbox, most of them conveying the long-suffering Spring + Early Summer + Mother’s Day mashup: covers graced with women pouring each other glasses of Rosé, or bikes with flower-filled baskets. Make no mistake: this is not a judgement, but a shared burden. What can we do—any of us—to stand out in a sea of perpetual sameness, when all we have to work with is the traditional, two-dimensional real estate of a catalog cover? Learn more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/stand-out-in-a-sea-of-sameness/

Join Us For An ANA Exclusive Webinar Featuring J.Schmid's Lauren Ackerman & PMD Beauty's Alyssa Smith Friday, June 17, 2022 at 12:15pm Eastern. Learn how skincare brand PMD Beauty uses storytelling to forge an emotional connection with their mostly-millennial audience through direct mail, while integrating technology to lend impact to their unique selling proposition. We'll discuss the strategic and tactical decisions that drove creative strategy, merchandising strategy, and mail strategy, including what decisions were driven by data, and what decisions were made based on experience and instinct. And of course, how to keep those new customers coming back, with #brilliantconfidence! In this session, you'll learn: • Storytelling techniques • Data-driven decisions • Creative strategy • Engagement techniques • Encouraging repurchase after the sale. Register at: https://www.ana.net/membersconference/show/id/MOC-JUN22E5

How do we take a brand that sells home furnishings and give them a more compelling reason to be considered? First, we created a new brand positioning and tagline “Celebrate Every Season” which gave the brand a reason for being and became their rallying cry. We used powerful images and emotive copy to connect with the audience, inviting them to imagine a delightful scenario, evocative of the season. Finally, we created conceptual design to show how the campaign would play out across every touchpoint, ensuring the message is consistently strong, regardless of channel. We then repeated this process for each season throughout the year. Read the Case Study at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/portfolio/grandin-road-fall-campaign/

Not enough paper for your catalog? Direct mail to the rescue! If catalogs are a main part of your marketing mix, then you know how valuable they are for driving sales and maintaining customer loyalty. But, with today’s supply chain challenges, you may be having trouble finding paper and press time for your full mail plan. The challenge with a catalog is that only a few printers do it well and it uses a fair amount of paper. With current capacity issues at printers and limited paper supply, it’s hard to get a catalog (or all of your catalogs) in the mail. So, what to do? Don’t stop mailing! According to the ANA 2021 Response Rate Report, direct mail drives the highest ROI for all media. Physical mail drives engagement so consider other forms of direct mail in place of the catalog. Learn more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/print-even-when-paper-supplies-are-low/

When it comes to building a successful brand, understanding what you believe in and defining your core values are essential. But many brands stop there and forget that the most important part is to LIVE those values every day. Your actions are what speak the loudest, not simply stating what you believe. Just like humans, your brand will be judged by its behavior. see video at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/mind-your-behavior/

Catalogs aren’t what they used to be – they’re better than ever (or at least the great ones are). Gone are the days of bloated spreads crammed with product after product, trying to fit an entire inventory between the front and back covers. Space has opened up, boundaries are being pushed, and perhaps most importantly - stories are being told. The changes have been driven by one key factor: consumer expectation. Between overflowing inboxes, targeted algorithms, and a mailbox full of ads that no one quite remembers signing up for a successful catalog today has to disrupt, delight, and drive. Stand out in the mail, tell an interesting story that’s beautifully arranged, and drive consumers to make online purchases. At the core of every campaign and behind every functionally aesthetic layout, is one essential ingredient – copywriting. learn more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/disruptive-catalogs-part-3/

How do you meet your customer where they are? Longtime client Bryan Seeley, Marketing Director at BSW, sits down to chat with VP Account Strategist Lauren Ackerman about the varied strategies and tactics they've used to engage their passionate-yet-nerdy audience of broadcast engineers. watch the video at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/brand-lounge-episode-2-engaging-a-unique-customer-base/

Catalogs have changed. For the better. They’re no longer intended to be your entire store in the mail. They’re not just a transactional tool anymore. They’re more than that. Consumers expect them to be more than that. Today, catalogs should do three things: disrupt, delight and drive people to action. This new blog series we’re calling “Disruptive Catalogs” focuses on the first of these three points. We’ll feature a series of articles that explain how your catalog can be disruptive in the mail, and in the hands of your customers. I’ll begin the conversation with some thoughts on how to properly and effectively showcase your brand on the pages of your catalog. Because as we know, everything starts and ends there—with your unique story. The thing that makes you special. https://www.jschmid.com/blog/disruptive-catalogs-part-1/

PROVEN FACT! Your catalog cover is the number one creative opportunity to test and increase response. Why? It’s a “first impression” and your best opportunity to inspire action. First impressions are formed in a matter of seconds and if you greet your customers (or even worse, your prospects) with “bleh” your hard work is trashed. Literally. It’s milquetoast. Merriam-Webster defines “milquetoast” as “a timid, meek, or unassertive person,” the implication being that a “milquetoast” person (or brand) is afraid to take a risk with fear of backlash. And that my friends, is the problem with most catalogs today. Brands aren’t taking risks and therefore, are not standing out in the mail. Ready to take a risk? Read on to learn three guaranteed ways to make sure your catalog covers are making an impact. https://www.jschmid.com/blog/disruptive-catalogs-part-2/

The revision of four normative documents regulating the requirements for development and maintenance of Forest Stewardship Standards (FSS) is starting soon. We are looking for technical working group members to support the process; apply today! Applications are open until 24 May 2022. In March 2022, during the 91st BoD meeting, the FSC Board of Directors approved a full revision of the documents, based on the review report, and recommended the revision to be done through a technical working group. The four normative documents contain requirements for development and maintenance of Forest Stewardship Standards. The revision process endeavors to update these requirements to make them outcome oriented and user friendly.

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company (RRD), a leading global provider of marketing and business communications, earned recognition in Ad Age’s 78th Agency Report as one of the top 10 largest advertising and marketing services agencies in the U.S. The 2022 report represents the fourth consecutive year RRD Marketing Solutions is featured on the list. Produced by Ad Age DataCenter, the industry’s most authoritative source of competitive intel, the Ad Age Agency Report includes rankings of advertising, marketing services, and media agencies based on 2021 revenue.

The Container Store and multiple other retailers have revamped customer marketing strategies, with many adding shopping consumer priorities and loyalty programs, but the major hook now being thrown into the pond is a focus on emotions. Brands want to connect with consumers emotionally. Conducted online with third-party research firm YouGov, the study published by parcelLab, an operations experience management platform, shows certain shopping experiences trigger a stronger emotional response. About 1,185 U.S. adults who have shopped online participated in the survey, which was conducted from January 13-14, 2022.

Just like brands, marketing evolves over the years. Fonts come in and out of style, headline treatments change, colorways in product and design evolve – but the best examples of both pay homage to where they came from, and aren’t afraid to return to it now and again. I recently stumbled across a catalog from 1986 that sent me down fast fashion memory lane, to revisit khaki-toned safari jackets and clothing stitched for adventure. Whether it’s in a mall, a stand-alone store, or online, the Banana Republic we know today looks a bit different than it did in the 1980’s, but the vestiges of the explorer style it started with still remain. Let’s revisit this catalog to see some surprising differences, unexpected similarities, and an illustration (quite literally) of how Banana Republic used to tell its story. We’ll examine the practical elements of their book and their brand, looking back at where they’ve been, and ahead, to what they can apply in the future. see much more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/catalog-critique-throwback-edition-banana-republic/

Direct mail and digital ads are the ultimate power team. While compelling on their own, together they make a larger impact on the consumer, but this is increasingly difficult to achieve in the wake of the phasing out of third-party cookies. For years, direct marketers have run cross-channel marketing programs that use third-party cookies to track user behavior across websites – we all see those ads that seem to follow us around online. In response to European and CA privacy regulations, third-party cookies have largely already been phased out by most browsers (now only relevant 40% of the time), such as Apple’s Safari and Google’s Chrome, which will fully phase out cookies in 2023. So, if cookies are going away and direct marketers want to reach consumers at the same time across channels to lift and improve response, what do they do?

Campaigns, Innovations, Performance, Marketing Integrations & Advocacy: Join J.Schmid President, Brent Niemuth, as he shares a client case study of a highly creative and effective direct mail campaign that showcases the magic of print, during the upcoming BRAND United webinar on March 28th. Sign up at: https://lndnm.napco.com/20220328_BRU_WBNR_ELITE_6263_LP.html?partnerref=004

Bauer Media has today announced the expansion of Bauer Illuminate for the automotive market, allowing auto advertisers to accurately target audiences at different stages of their car buying journey, using unique and invaluable first-party data gathered from Bauer’s network of high quality, brand safe automotive digital platforms. This first-party information aids brands to send targeted messages to relevant automotive cohorts at key stages of the car buying journey, increasing efficiency and engagement. This includes audiences looking at general car buying advice at an early stage (‘Awareness’ phase), to those further down the funnel and looking at certain body style or fuel type (‘Engagement’ phase), to consumers who are in deep research stage and typically eight weeks away from purchase (‘Intent’ phase). Early trials have shown that when targeting users during the ‘Engagement’ stage using Illuminate, dwell time increased by 50% and the number of users that engage with car adverts by 13%. The introduction of the service follows the launch of Bauer Autoventure in 2020, which married Bauer’s Automotive titles such as Parkers, Car, Fleet News, Automotive Management, Classic Car and Practical Classics with its market-leading audio business, providing automotive brands creative advertising solutions. With the expansion of Bauer Illuminate, auto brands will now be able to benefit from both Bauer’s creativity and insight to create campaigns with impact – especially as the industry rapidly moves to a cookieless world.

Measurement is one of the industry's biggest challenges. The IAB State of Data 2022 report released Tuesday reveals that many executives are less prepared for the deprecation of third-party cookies than first believed, and there is a great deal of work to be done to mitigate the risks to revenue, brand visibility, and customer relationship management. The IAB called on the industry to form universal measurement standards during the company's annual leadership study, citing Meta's $10 billion revenue hit based on changes in privacy standards. The data concludes that advertisers “are on the brink of losing their ability to measure advertising campaigns.” As the industry’s sense of preparedness grows, implementations have made little progress.

How is your brand committed to sustainability? How are you communicating that to your audience? More and more, consumers are making their voices heard. They care about the environment, and they want the brands they support to share that concern. As marketers, we have a responsibility not only to this audience, but to the planet itself. A commitment to sustainability – to limiting carbon footprint, to using recycled materials – is a vital part of a brand’s communication strategy. And as you approach marketing your sustainability efforts, remember these four vital pillars: Authenticity; Engagement; Humanity; Transparency. read more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/marketing-sustainability/

Question #1: WHAT ARE DIGITAL COOKIES? Digital cookies are text files with small pieces of data used to identify your computer when you visit a website. This data is labeled with an ID unique to you and your computer. Cookies let websites remember you, your website logins, shopping carts and preferences. They can also be used to serve you ads after you leave the website. Question #2: WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH COOKIES? Online privacy has been a widely debated topic in recent years. Overall, consumers want increased privacy and control over how their data is used. In response to these privacy demands, Google announced it would stop supporting the use of third-party cookies by 2023. Safari and Firefox have already blocked third-party cookies. Question #3: WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR MARKETERS? In short, marketers will need to find new sources of data or new targeting methods.

HH Global are delighted to have been presented with the inaugural Lead Generation Award at the Performance Marketing World Awards 2021 last week. This award celebrates our incredible collaborative campaign with Anglian Home Improvements, to generate relevant leads using contextual ad targeting. The UK Performance Marketing World Awards have been recently established to showcase best-in-business examples of performance marketing practices, which have been successful in growing new audiences and markets. We were therefore thrilled to have been shortlisted alongside 60 other impressive companies in this rapidly-growing industry for such a prestigious award.

Print marketing offers a blend of many offline marketing touchpoints in the customer journey that multiplies marketing performance when incorporated into a comprehensive optichannel strategy. This course will cover: *New technologies and data-powered print marketing techniques *Top design concepts to consider *The importance of brand consistency across channels *Research: The power of offline marketing in optichannel campaigns. During the Track 1 presentations, you'll hear from leading experts including: *Brent Niemuth, President & Partner, J. Schmid *Tim M. Curtis, President and CEO, CohereOne *Ray Van Iterson, USPS *Sabine Lenz, Founder, PaperSpecs *Lisa Cross, Principal Analyst, NAPCO Research *Chuck Schonert, Director of Research and Development, Idealliance. sign up at: https://lndnm.napco.com/20211213_BUU_WBNR_ELITE_6082_LP.html

The scarcity is real, and for most retailers – the occasional backorder went from a low-grade and fairly infrequent problem to major outages, much of the time, and backorders of 3-4 months are increasingly common. Customer reactions range from anger and frustration to panic that they won’t get what they need. Believe it or not, it’s possible to make the best of a bad situation. A brand’s response to trying situations: returns, backorders, and out-of-stocks, can make or break your customers’ perception. So what moves make sense? First, your customer has an immediate need. So when possible, sell what’s available today (SWAT). Something that can fill that is far superior to a perfect solution that’s available in 4-6 months. You need a reliable inventory system, and a knowledgeable staff that’s empowered and capable to direct customers to the right solution that’s available on hand, or smart website algorithms that can suggest an appropriate alternate product. But what if offering an alternative product is not possible? Then it becomes about managing expectations, communicating early and often, and empathizing with the customers’ likely frustrations. More at: https://www.brandunited.com/article/supply-chain-woes-communicating-customers/

Brands preparing for the end of the third-party cookie see one possible solution in email, judging by “Life after the third-party cookie,” a study by Lytics, done in conjunction with Sapio. Of the companies polled, 51% plan to spend more on email, and many see first-party data as critical to this effort. In general, 92% say first-party data is more important than ever. The most popular ways of using first-party data are to: *Create personalized content on websites — 56% *Predict customer behavior — 54% *Create more personalized emails — 48%. Almost half believe the end of third-party cookies will have a great impact on their marketing ROI. This includes 55% of financial-services marketers; 46% of beauty brands, 54% of media companies and 57%. of advertisers with budgets between $10 and $20 million.

Two House Democrats have reintroduced a sweeping privacy bill that would impose broad restrictions on companies' ability to use online data for ad targeting. The 143-page Online Privacy Act, introduced by California Reps. Anna Eshoo and Zoe Lofgren, would require that companies obtain consumers' explicit consent before collecting or drawing on their “personal information” in order to serve them with targeted ads, or to personalize content. The bill authors define personal information broadly enough to cover the type of data typically used for ad targeting. The definition includes de-identified data, as well as data that is reasonably linkable to a device or individual. One of the bill's many provisions would give consumers the right to access, edit and delete data about themselves.

Ever passed a window that made you whip a u-ie, just to take a peek inside? Maybe you’ve snagged a bag of BOGO tortilla chips, ever-so thoughtfully placed in a display next to your usual salsa? Chances are, it’s happened more than once. From alluring window displays to the tiniest of shelf talkers, few elements deliver more impact for a brick-and-mortar locale than in-store signage. In a consumer study conducted by Brigham Young University, products with signs outsold products without signs by 18%. Think of it this way: Signage presents an opportunity to influence consumer behavior at the very moment it matters most – at the time of purchase. And with retail traffic up 44% since the beginning of 2021 (Forbes), it’s prime time to consider how you’re communicating with customers in store. What would Starbucks be without the iconic green mermaid? What would McDonalds be without the infamous, golden arch? These businesses are prime examples of how signage can work with key brand assets to build recognizable spaces, displays and products. Even when the logo appears on a sign without the business name, we still know precisely which brand it refers to. Incorporating custom signage that serves as an extension of your brand (through consistent use of color, fonts, and imagery) builds brand awareness. The more recognizable your brand is, the more it stands out amongst competitors, and the higher the likelihood it stays top of mind at purchase time.

Dear Industry Member: If you tuned into the postal-focused session on Oct. 7th during our 14th Annual National Forum, you heard former Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-KS) discussing his involvement in the new Keep US Posted campaign, which was cofounded by the ACMA, the Greeting Card Association and other industry groups. Today, I'm writing you to encourage you to also become involved with this vital effort. The goal of this campaign is to protect the long-term interests of vital market dominant mail interests, including catalogs, first-class letters, cards, periodicals - all mail that's protected by the postal monopoly. When the USPS announced its Delivering For America plan this past March, it made pretty clear that the core of its future would be in parcels rather than market dominant mail. Keep Us Posted was subsequently formed to ensure our mail has a future. Our Goals & Ask: This is not a fundraiser. If your future is to continue to be in the mail via catalogs or types of mail, we're just seeking the following: • For starters, please look over the Keep US Posted website then click this link and enter your information to add your organization to the list of campaign supporters. • Follow Keep US Posted on Facebook and Twitter, and share/retweet our content. Additionally, text the word “mail” to 52886 and tap the link to join as a consumer supporter. Share the Keep US Posted logo (click here) when you do this. • Share the site and Keep US Posted messaging on your LinkedIn feed with this suggested text: “I am proud to support Keep US Posted (www.keepUSposted.org). This new campaign is dedicated to amplifying our voices as we speak out against delays, postage hikes and other threats to businesses, consumers and the entire mail system. Collectively, we can make a difference. Join us. #keepUSposted." • For the near term, the campaign is pre-funded. What we need from you now is to agree to have your company name listed as a supporter and lend your voice, not your money. Simply click here to join. A member of the Keep US Posted leadership team will be in touch with further information. • Be willing to be our point of contact to engage in activities when called on and participate whenever possible. These include social media engagement, encouraging your suppliers and other colleagues to get involved and join in campaign grassroots outreach to Congress.

Melanie De Caprio, VP of Marketing at SG360°, discusses the key findings of a recent study confirming how B2C marketers value personalized direct mail as part of their marketing mix, and why consumers — especially digital natives — enjoy receiving relevant direct mail pieces. View short video at: https://www.piworld.com/xchange/digital-printing/study-confirms-marketers-consumers-preference-relevant-direct-mail/#ne=d7f0e6e16b0d037f71fc050491da5623&utm_source=today-on-piworld&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=2021-10-07

When WPP's GroupM unveiled a new data ethics tool earlier this year, it raised questions about what others were doing to create tools, guidelines and policies governing the ethical use of consumer data. To find out, MediaPost teamed with Advertiser Perceptions to field a survey of advertisers and ad agency executives. The study, conducted in early September, found that less than half currently have or are planning to develop such policies -- even though the potential for liabilities continues to grow. More than half said they have no plans (23%) or are not sure if they will (32%).

A study released today by R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company reveals that traditional marketing channels, including word of mouth, direct mail, and in-store signage, are largely untapped by marketers. The study, based on surveys of both marketing professionals and consumers, uncovers significant differences between marketer assumptions and what consumers say actually influences their brand awareness and purchase decisions. The survey results underscore four key themes that all point to the power of traditional marketing methods and how social and digital marketing continue to evolve: Theme 1: It’s time to redefine (and re-engage) word of mouth - Word of mouth traditionally refers to consumers sharing product and brand recommendations with one another verbally. Today, this has evolved to include interactions between acquaintances on social media. Theme 2: Gen Y is most excited to receive direct mail - More than half (51%) of consumers were more excited to receive direct mail in the past year than they were in the year prior, with the highest levels among Gen Y (65%), Gen Z (57%), and Gen X (53%). Theme 3: Dear retailers, are you ready to return to normal? The good news for the retail sector is that 62% of consumers are eager to return to their pre-pandemic shopping habits. More than a third (35%) of consumers admit that the changes they made to their shopping habits due to the pandemic will only last less than 6 months. Theme 4: Pinterest and TikTok on the rise while influencers wane - While consumers indicated their preference for some forms of traditional marketing channels, their engagement with brands online and via social media continues to evolve, posing additional complexities for marketers looking to connect with their audiences.

With growing calls for consumer privacy on the web, Google parent company Alphabet Inc. and Apple Inc. plan or already have made major changes to customer tracking. Apple now requires user opt-in for apps to track users, and Google is getting rid of third-party cookies on its market-leading Chrome browser. While these changes hearten privacy advocates, they’re likely to disrupt online retailers’ longstanding marketing practices. Without accurate consumer tracking, merchants are worried that a portion of their ads will be less effective at driving sales. In response, merchants plan to shift their marketing dollars to other channels that are more predictable at driving revenue. Online cookies are small pieces of text websites placed on a site visitor’s browser to track preferences, such as language, to know what consumers are interested in, and facilitate other functions. More companies started using cookies in late 1995 after Microsoft Corp. integrated them into its Internet Explorer browser. There are many different types of cookies, but third-party cookies are controversial because advertisers, marketers and data-analytics firms place them on consumers’ devices to know where a consumer’s been on the web, leading to more targeted ads.

The data privacy and cybersecurity risks of email correspondence are finally getting the attention they deserve. There’s a growing awareness that “phishing” – the digital exploit of sending emails that look and feel like real communications from known senders, but instead contain or link to a variety of harms – is the menace behind an estimated 90% of cybersecurity compromises. Now, consumers are learning that 70% of emails they receive are tracking them in some way, thanks to groundbreaking analysis from Princeton computer scientist Steven Englehardt, PhD, and his research team. This is a very big deal for the millions of consumers who want the option to receive paper notices from their service providers. And it should ring alarm bells at companies that are removing paper choice, charging fees or switching customers to electronic delivery without express consent. The mere act of opening an email often unknowingly shares the recipient’s email address, triggering unwanted interactions with numerous third parties, which in turn enables additional tracking across the web that can potentially link the email to online activities without consent. Third party data brokers are sophisticated in creating extensive behavioral profiles across devices and even offline channels, all linked to consumers’ email addresses. And to make matters worse, popular free email services such as Google’s Gmail scan messages to collect data on things like purchases, travel details, even what bills are coming due.

There’s no lack of evidence suggesting direct mail delivers results. Take its average response rate: A respectable 5-9%, towering over that of email at less than 1%. Yet despite the smorgasbord of statistics underpinning its advantages, only about 50% of businesses report using direct mail in their marketing strategy, compared to over 80% utilizing email. Spoiler, it comes down to cost. The physical production and shipment of a printed mail piece typically comes with a larger price tag than that of digital mail. However, a strong mail campaign doesn’t have to be the budget-consuming super beast it’s cracked up to be. Knowing how to navigate USPS tools, and take advantage of postage efficiencies can cut costs significantly, and ultimately, increase your ROI. Here we’ve outlined some of the smartest ways to boost your return on investment and make your direct mail campaigns work harder without chewing through your budget.

Last month, my colleague, Michelle Houston (EVP, Client Services, CohereOne), offered her insights on how direct-to-consumer retail brands are weathering an onslaught of storms originating in 2020 that continue to disrupt day-to-day operations. This month, I will focus on one specific disruption: Apple’s recent privacy changes. If you haven’t closely followed this story, here’s a quick refresher. Earlier this year, Apple updated its operating software to pack more punch from a privacy standpoint. In short, iPhone and iPad users can more deliberately select whether or not the applications (“apps”) on their devices (social media platforms and games, in particular) can share their data for marketing purposes. Apple device users now routinely encounter pop-ups within the apps prompting an answer as to whether the user wants to allow the app to “track your activity across other companies’ apps and websites.”

In the direct-to-consumer landscape, brands should employ an optichannel strategy to stand out, but it’s important to ensure that once a brand has a consumer’s attention, they make it worth their time. In this session, J.Schmid President Brent Niemuth will discuss: • What brands that lead the way have in common • Three important characteristics that set successful direct-to-consumer brands apart • A look at some case studies of brands driving action through optichannel strategies. Register Now at: https://lndnm.napco.com/20210913_BRU_WBNR_ELITE_5990_LP.html?partnerref=JSCHMID

2021 is a perfect storm providing four challenges: *Paper: inventory is limited, prices continue to rise; *Postage: Mismanagement at the USPS continues to drive annual increases; *PPC Inflation: privacy and competition are driving cost upward; *Pandemic: while consumer confidence is still high, fears of inflation loom large. However, even the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse can’t kill print as the channel is currently booming – driving top-of-funnel opportunities, retargeting efforts, and creating more powerful and cost-effective prospecting audiences. Instead of waiting for customers or prospects to come to your site, print creates push campaigns that are highly profitable and cost-effective. Print marketing is still entirely relevant, even in this digital era, and smart marketers take advantage of this form of communication and the power it has with the human brain. Yes, the way we consume and share news and information has changed dramatically in the last 10 years alone. And, yes, digital marketing has in the recent past taken the limelight from traditional print media. read more at: https://cohereone.com/beware-the-four-horseman-of-the-apocalypse/

Yes, the forthcoming August 29, 2021 USPS rate increase is painful. But the USPS threw direct marketers a bone. Did you miss it? The USPS August rate case includes a size adjustment for first-class postcards. Marketers are no longer bound by the content restrictive size of 4.25” x 6” for First-Class Postcards. First-Class Postcards are now allowable up to 6” x 9”! August 29 pricing for this mail class ranges from $0.306/pc to $0.326/pc. Formerly 6” x 9” Postcards were required to mail at letter rates, either First-Class or Marketing Class depending on content. The new adjustment will give marketers a larger canvas to work with while also allowing them to benefit from the speedier in home delivery of First-Class Mail. more at: https://specialtyprintcomm.com/blog/ask-randy-good-news-usps/

At J.Schmid, we know catalogs. But we also know that in order to stay at the forefront of change and innovation you need to be a student of your craft. We’ve learned what works, what doesn’t, and where unexpected opportunities may lie. This blog series will showcase our expertise, as we take an in-depth review of well known (and lesser known) brand catalogs, uncovering triumphs and explaining mistakes, because even the best catalog can always be better. I’ve chosen a catalog from a brand that I was unfamiliar with. This was the first time I’ve seen the ROKA catalog, so it gave me a chance to view it through a fresh, unbiased lens (pun intended). These guys sell glasses. But not just any glasses. They design and make performance eyewear for athletes. Interesting concept. I’ll point out three things ROKA is doing well in their catalog, and three things they might improve upon. Hopefully these observations will help you identify strengths or weaknesses in your own book. read more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/catalog-critiques-making-bad-good-and-good-better/

The ad industry is urging California Attorney General Rob Bonta to withdraw a recent mandate that companies honor the “Global Privacy Control” -- a universal opt-out tool developed by privacy advocates. That mandate, which was announced earlier this month in a frequently-asked-questions response, “will cause confusion for consumers and businesses, rather than effectuating genuine user choices,” the Association of National Advertisers, Interactive Advertising Bureau, American Association of Advertising Agencies and other groups say in a letter sent Wednesday to Bonta. California's privacy law gives consumers the right to learn what personal information has been collected about them by companies, have that information deleted, and opt out of the sale of that data to third parties.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has signed into law a privacy bill that will require companies to honor people's requests to opt out of targeted advertising -- including requests that consumers make through browser settings or other global mechanisms. With the move, Colorado is joining California, Virginia and Maine in requiring companies to allow state residents to wield more control over ad personalization. Colorado's "Protect Personal Data Privacy" (SB 21-190), signed Wednesday and slated to take effect in July of 2023, obligates companies to allow state residents opt out of the processing of their personal data for ad targeting. Personal data includes information that's “linked or reasonably linkable” to identified or identifiable individuals -- which covers a great deal of data used for personalized ads.

CohereOne, the premier direct-to-consumer marketing agency and strategic consultancy, is pleased to announce the addition of Rob Santangelo as Senior Vice President of New Business Development. Santangelo joins CohereOne after six years at Belardi Wong in New York, where he successfully spearheaded the business development infrastructure for the marketing strategy and creative services firm. As both the youngest director and vice president in company history, Santangelo closed business with over 200 top brands during his tenure and generated at least $1 million in new business revenue each year. “CohereOne has been enjoying tremendous growth,” said Tim Curtis, President / CEO of CohereOne. “The addition of Rob supercharges our effort to serve the burgeoning direct-to-consumer industry. His insights and his understanding of how digital native brands launch and expand their use of the direct mail channel speaks for itself.” Santangelo began his career at 1-800-Flowers.com, and rapidly advanced in the organization from Associate Category Manager and Category Manager of Ecommerce Merchandising to Manager of Fulfillment Partnership Sales. Under his direction, the company’s Fruit Bouquets product line increased its fulfillment footprint from 13% to 78%.

Sears perfected the direct-to-consumer (DTC) model, long before DTC was widely known. Macy’s continued it with its legendary Christmas catalogs, as did many others, but the Sears catalog was the Gold Standard. While the catalog fell out of favor over the past 15 years or so, it is making a comeback. According to eMarketer, DTC revenues grew about 24% in 2020, and the marketing push by brands is driving much of that. DTC is the promotion and sale of products to consumers directly by the brands or manufacturers, effectively eliminating the in-store experience. While brands often do have physical retail stores, they are increasingly marketing their products directly to consumers. One of the ways they are doing that in 2021 is through catalogs mailed directly to homes. “We are seeing a huge resurgence in direct mail,” Polly Wong, president of Belardi Wong, a direct mail company for top brands such as Parachute, Levi’s, Untuckit, Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma and more. much more at source: https://www.freightwaves.com/news/brands-turn-the-page-back-to-catalogs-as-powerful-dtc-marketing-tool

Disrupt. Delight. Drive. Three words that, together, form a mandate for our catalogs. From crowded mailboxes our books need to stand out and garner attention; pay off that attention with content that creates desire, and – ultimately – compel our customers to click, call or visit. It’s a tall order. And that first piece, Disrupt, is the 1st priority. If it doesn’t happen, the other two won’t. We could mail an 11” x 17” oversized book. That will get noticed. So would a ‘scratch and sniff’ cover? But most of us don’t have budget to add a bunch of bells and whistles just to make us louder than the other guys. I’m particularly mindful of this as I wade through the current flood of women’s clothing catalogs in my own mailbox, most of them conveying the long-suffering Spring + Early Summer + Mother’s Day mashup: covers graced with women pouring each other glasses of Rosé, or bikes with flower-filled baskets. Make no mistake: this is not a judgement, but a shared burden. What can we do—any of us—to stand out in a sea of perpetual sameness, when all we have to work with is the traditional, two-dimensional real estate of a catalog cover? For the rest of the story, go to: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/stand-out-in-a-sea-of-sameness/

Adobe announced the next generation of its Real-time Customer Data Platform (CDP), the only enterprise application architected from the ground up for first-party data-driven customer acquisition and engagement. Adobe Real-time CDP helps brands activate known and unknown customer data to manage the entire customer profile and journey seamlessly in one system, without the need for third-party cookies. The relationship between consumers and brands is rapidly evolving. Consumers today are more attentive to the data they share, which has resulted in a patchwork of privacy regulations globally. At the same time, expectations for personalized brand experiences remain at an all-time high, while third-party cookies, which marketers have historically relied on to track unknown visitors, will no longer be supported in browsers. This means brands will have to contend with reduced insight about unknown visitors to their digital properties while still trying to provide a compelling customer experience.

Creative and analytics teams are drastically different disciplines, driven by different personalities and workflows, which means that merging them takes purposeful planning. The timeline is the first big challenge. The creative team looks ahead, creating new campaigns to be launched in the future while analytics teams review the past, examining what happened and translating that into recommendations that apply to the creative team’s work. Additionally, the speed at which the creative team moves is another difficulty, making the task of stepping into the communication flow feel like stepping into a four-lane highway. But, it’s worthwhile! Data-driven creative performs better due to increased relevance and enhanced understanding of customer behavior. see more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/left-brain-creative/

What if I told you it’s possible to increase response by 5% or more? Sometimes returning to the proven foundations of effective catalog design can make that happen. Yes, the role of the catalog has changed over the last 10 years – dramatically. But what hasn’t changed is the basic human physics of how we process information. Let’s revisit the tried, true and tested techniques that every creative team should know. We guarantee that when you sharpen your creative skills, you’re better positioned for breakthrough results. much more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/knowledge-based-creative-the-physics-of-creative/

Google this week began testing its controversial cookie-less tracking and targeting system, which relies on placing Chrome users into audience segments based on their web-browsing history, and then transmitting data about those segments directly to publishers. The company has enrolled “a small percentage” of users in the United States and other countries in tests of its new, so-called "Federated Learning of Cohorts." The only way for people to opt out of the tests is by disabling third-party cookies in the Chrome settings -- though Google plans to offer an opt-out control in April.

Direct mail is experiencing a long overdue resurgence for retailers, hastened by the pandemic. Increasingly crowded ads on social media and Google, full email inboxes, SMS dings all day long ... while the much-maligned mailbox remained emptier as credit card offers dwindled and in-store postcard coupons were recycled. It’s not surprising that many e-commerce brands decided to communicate in a new “old” way and test direct mail. We had the pleasure of assisting several launches in 2020 — some planned before the lockdowns, others as a new COVID strategy. Two of the biggest surprises for folks new to mail are: 1. the amount of time it takes to properly put together an effective mailing; and 2. how expensive mailing can be. One of our print partners and I assisted a pure-play that mailed within three weeks of our first discussion … this is NOT typical and we don’t recommend it. Haste makes waste.

Agencies and clients agree that research-driven customer insights play an important role in the development of effective marketing and creative campaigns. At the same time, I’ll bet relatively few think of research as a creative process or discipline. The fact is, all research is (or should be) creative. The best researchers approach their work with an open and creative mindset that skillfully uncovers the information to successfully drive creative development. The constraints of time and budget—facts of life in the business world—should never be an excuse for missing out on insights that support business growth and lead to game-changing creative campaigns. much more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/all-research-is-creative/

There’s a lot to look forward to in 2021. With wide-spread vaccination on the horizon, relative relief from the global pandemic is close at hand. But even with a new layer of safety added to the retail shopping experience, one factor remains irrevocably changed — the consumer. The numbers back this. More than 65% of consumers intend to continue new buying behaviors acquired due to the pandemic during the post-vaccine era, according to one recent study. Another survey reveals that 56% of consumers plan to use BOPIS (buy-online-pickup-in-store) after the pandemic ends. While retailers ready themselves to meet the post-pandemic consumer online and in-store, one thing is clear. Retail success in the post-pandemic era isn’t so much about where you serve your customers as it is about how you create authentic, personalized omnichannel experiences that transcend the limits of your digital and physical touchpoints and create lasting brand loyalty.

I know. “Copywriting” and “formulas” sound like they don’t even belong in the same sentence, let alone the same concept. As someone who used to enjoy English class and all but cry their way through chemistry, I fully support words and numbers playing in separate sandboxes. But in marketing and advertising, there are in fact copy formulas you can use to disrupt and drive consumers to buy what you sell. The best formulas are easily remembered, quickly mastered, and can be used by novice and experienced writers alike. Knowing them can help you create copy that’s twice as effective, in about half the time. Formulas can also offer a boost when writer’s block sets in or help validate your work when you need a final gut check. Oh, and the reason they’re called formulas? Because they work! FORMULA #1: AIDA = Attention, Interest, Desire, Action; FORMULA #2: THE FOUR Cs = Clear, Concise, Compelling, Credible; FORMULA #3: FAB = Features, Advantages, Benefits.

From building trust with your customers to providing that feeling of excitement when opening the mailbox, here is a list of our top 10 advantages and benefits of direct mail marketing. Marketing is complex and marketing is evolving: Display, Social, Mobile, SMS, MMS, Personalized TV. However, some of the best results tied to improving brand awareness, customer retention and overall sales come from tried and true strategies such as direct mail. Here is a list of our top 10 advantages and benefits of direct mail marketing. Mail Remains Physical; People Enjoy Receiving Mail; Direct Mail Benefits from being Cost Effective; Personalized Data-Driven Marketing Benefits; Direct Marketing is a Multichannel Experience; Build Effective Brand Trust with Direct Mail; Direct Mail is Easy; Simplicity of Execution in Direct Mail Marketing; More Chances to be Creative

Catalogs are a tried-and-true instrument in a marketer’s toolbox delivering an in-depth product experience right to any home or office door. With the rise of the digital age, many thought that e-commerce would supplant catalogs, but the opposite has been true. Catalogs continue to hold their own as a marketing channel operating steadily alongside its digital brethren. Catalogs originated as a method to communicate product availability and highlight new goods. Now a company’s website functions in the same capacity and in real-time. Catalogs of today have evolved to serve as a means of inspiration, allowing consumers to visualize products in real-life situations with thoughtful detail and narratives. They also allow brands more room to tell their story and gain consumer trust. This can occur because, unlike the more frenzied pace of online shopping, catalog readers spend between 15 minutes to 30 minutes turning the pages and catalogs are retained for several weeks as a reminder to place an order, shop online, or visit a store. The staying power of catalogs owes itself in part to online shopping, as the two have formed a symbiotic relationship. A printed catalog allows companies to bridge the physical and digital marketing space that can still be targeted and measured.

The choices you make about your products' eCommerce packaging have implications that travel far beyond their customers' journey. The moment of unboxing is often the first physical interaction an eCommerce brand has with a new customer – and that moment has the potential to make a significant and lasting impact. It's crucial for brands navigating today's competitive online climate to win over new shoppers and convert them into repeat customers. That's why the people responsible for making decisions about product packaging must educate themselves about these materials. Paper is the Sustainable Choice - Compared to other materials, paper creates a minimal impact on the planet. Consumers Prefer Paper - Modern online shoppers are increasingly conscious of – and interested in – how businesses operate on a sustainability level, bringing packaging to the forefront of the many factors considered when deciding what brands to shop with. Creativity Elicits Enthusiasm - Contrary to plastic void fill options (commonly bubble wrap or air pillows), colorful and printed tissue paper-based interior packaging alternatives create endless possibilities to tell a brand's story while creating a unique and memorable unboxing experience. Adaptive, Efficient, and Innovative - Fortunately, an array of paper-based packaging options that serve an aesthetic purpose also offer protective advantages, adding operational efficiency to the fulfillment process – like Seaman Paper's robust portfolio of multipurpose paper-based products.

Many catalog mailers are seeing large increases in revenue and growth in their new-to-file buyers because of the surge in pandemic-driven online purchases. However, with the growth in the number of buyers comes lots of uncertainty. Are these new buyers different than buyers pre-pandemic? The business issue with the significant influx of pandemic buyers is whether they will convert into loyal customers and respond profitably to future catalog mailings. Response rates for pandemic buyers can be quickly tested to know if they are the same or different from the existing base of buyers. The new-to-file buyers can be broken out with precision. Segmenting should be straightforward.

The U.S. Postal Service reported fourth-quarter 2020 revenue and service volume Tuesday, reflecting the end of a year of turbulence -- both pandemic and political -- including its impact on marketing. While the report did not offer explanations for the shifts, the bottom line was a pronounced decline in media-related revenues -- both marketing mail and periodicals -- although commerce-related shipping services soared. The decline in marketing mail -- 5.6% in revenue and -3.9% in volume -- is significant, given that the fourth quarter of 2020 included what would normally be an exception period of political direct-mail marketing, in what otherwise was a banner year for political media and marketing spending.

The way people interact with brands is not as orderly or linear as a customer journey map seems to indicate – or a sales funnel, for that matter. I’m not implying that understanding, mapping and optimizing the customer journey, and your path to conversion isn’t mandatory – it is. But I am suggesting that it’s worth looking further in an attempt to understand the way actual, living, breathing, thinking humans experience your brand. As a human, I can attest that my journey from awareness to purchase and later repurchase is never linear or orderly. If we drill down to a closer view, we can talk about the cluster of interactions that are driven by something the customer did. Place an order? There’s a cluster of activity there. Visit the website? There’s a cluster of interactions there. Sign up for email? Ad cluster. more at source: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/look-inside-the-customer-journey/

Retail print catalogs have often struggled at the expense of digital or online catalogs. As with so many aspects of our lives, the pandemic is causing change and lockdowns are proving that print is still very much a contender. It’s not hard to see why so many catalogs have transferred online. Digital does away with expensive printing and delivery charges and there’s no pulping of old catalogs or waiting around for new ones to be printed. The analytics associated with digital are now incredibly powerful, making it easy to collect large volumes of detailed data on user behaviors. An online catalog is a powerful package, so why is print making a comeback? With another national lockdown upon us, people are being forced to spend a huge proportion of their time at home and home is where print catalogs score. Recent research by Royal Mail revealed that 88% of people surveyed said they paid as much or more attention to mail during lockdown. This means leaflets and catalogs are far less likely to be dumped straight in the trash.

Catalogs are a tried-and-true instrument in a marketer’s toolbox delivering an in-depth product experience right to any home or office door. With the rise of the digital age, many thought that e-commerce would supplant catalogs, but the opposite has been true. Catalogs continue to hold their own as a marketing channel operating steadily alongside its digital brethren. Catalogs originated as a method to communicate product availability and highlight new goods. Now a company’s website functions in the same capacity and in real-time. Catalogs of today have evolved to serve as a means of inspiration, allowing consumers to visualize products in real-life situations with thoughtful detail and narratives. They also allow brands more room to tell their story and gain consumer trust. This can occur because, unlike the more frenzied pace of online shopping, catalog readers spend between 15 minutes to 30 minutes turning the pages and catalogs are retained for several weeks as a reminder to place an order, shop online, or visit a store.

A while back I wrote a blog about price as an often-overlooked brand positioning tool. Marketers are always looking for ways to influence how consumers perceive their brands in an effort to build relationships that are more than simply transactional. They know that effective brand positioning helps separate them from the competition and not just capture, but keep a larger share of both consumers’ minds and wallets. Here are six of the most common positioning strategies that companies use. Depending on the product category, some will be more effective than others and all come with some potential drawbacks. Learn more at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/lets-talk-about-brand-positioning/