August 2010

Sightings: Back to School 2010 Email, Insert and Catalog Promotions, Part 3

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Paradysz Research

With the new school year fast approaching (or already started in some states), retailers have naturally shifted the majority of their remaining back to school efforts to email, although a few late print catalogs and inserts have also been tracked. Here are some notable MarketRelevance promotions from Apple, Dell, Sony, Think Geek, The History Channel, Pottery Barn Kids, The Dancing Deer Bakery Co., Shoes XL, Olive Juice, and Growing Up with Garnet Hill. From laptops to backpacks, gear remains the name of the game. Check out Part 1 and Part 2 if you missed them.

Note: Click on any promotion graphic for a more complete view.

Apple Email Promotes Limited Time Offer for College Students
Apple dispatched an email with the subject line “New Mac. Free iPod touch. Last chance” reminding recipients that “September 7 is the last day for college students to get a free iPod Touch with a new Mac.” Those who click through learn that the deal is actually available “if you’re a college student or a faculty or staff member at any grade level.” The Calendar app icon is set for Tuesday September 7th reinforcing the deadline. With Apple education pricing, Macbook systems are available starting at $949, and Macbook Pros start at $1,099. The free 8GB iPod Touch has a value of $199. Free Shipping is available on all Macbook orders.

Vitals: email, delivered 8/26/10, free shipping on all computer orders

Sony Insert Offers Multimedia Ready Systems for Back to School
Justin Timberlake promotes the new Vaio laptop computer line just in time for back to school in a Sunday newspaper insert from Sony. The promotion stresses how easy it is to organize various entertainment and media with the Sony Media Gallery. Featured computers include the Vaio EB Series Laptop ($719.99 – $849.99), The F Series Laptop ($1,159.99 – $1,409.99), and the Z Series Laptop ($1,949.99 – $2,349.99). Digital cameras ($349.99 – $399.99), the Sony Reader Touch Edition eBook ($169), and the Dash Personal Internet Reader ($199.99) are also featured. Products can be ordered at sony.com/backtoschool, by phone, or at a SonyStyle store. Other retailers are also listed, including Best Buy, Sears, and Micro Center.

Vitals: FSI Solo, delivered 7/25/2010, 10” x 10”

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Direct Mail Trends for Apparel Marketers – 1st Half 2010

Posted on August 26, 2010 by Paradysz Research

Like our recent analysis of Nonprofits, our Apparel Market Trends reports look at promotional activity, incentive trends, direct mail list universes, list costs, and new launches in the first half of 2010.

Apparel Monthly Promotion Activity

Several 1H 2010 stats, like promotion activity, show a leveling off of the negative trends seen in 2009. 2010 YTD promotion activity was up about 1% from the same period in 2009, with February showing the most significant increase (up 23 campaigns). While activity was on par from the previous year, mailers have pulled their promotions back over the past two and a half years — 2010 was down about 5% from the same period in 2008.

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Recessionary Shifts for Nonprofits

Posted on August 24, 2010 by John Ernst

At our Client Forum at the NY Nonprofit Show this week, Paradysz Analytics and Paradysz Direct presented a study on how the recession has impacted donor files.  14 Paradysz Direct clients contributed samples of their new to file direct mail donors from a prerecession timeframe (2005/06), and a sample from recent campaigns (2009/10).  The samples were overlaid with demographic information and analyzed to determine if shifts have occurred during this recession.

The results were very intriguing, so I’ll share a few highlights…

Foreclosures Didn’t Kill Response Rates

While a number of regions negatively affected by foreclosures showed declines in donor penetration (such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles), there were actually increases in donor percentages in some of the hardest hit foreclosure areas such as the Southeast, Southwest, and West Central United States.  This was particularly prominent with Health/Disease mailers.  We did not see a clear correlation between foreclosures and donor counts.

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Sightings: New Magazine Efforts from Summer 2010

Posted on August 22, 2010 by Paradysz Research

A look at some notable consumer magazine direct mail promotions from MarketRelevance: Bloomberg Businessweek,  MaryJanesFarm, Parenting School Years and Chic Mom.

Note: Click on any promotion graphic for a more complete view.

Bloomberg Businessweek:  “Redesigned…Reimagined…Reinvented…”

Following April’s relaunch of the revamped Bloomberg Businessweek magazine, MarketRelevance started tracking a redesigned direct mail acquisition package from the news and business title. The components in the #10 envelope are similar to previous Businessweek promotions, complete with a voucher and insert. The insert serves to reintroduce the 80-year-old publication, with a recent cover image and “Discover the new Bloomberg Businessweek.” The opposite side explains the fusion: “The innovation & scale of Bloomberg. The Insight & depth of Businessweek.” The Executive Savings Offer voucher form enumerates subscription benefits and the special issues included (e.g. Investment Outlook, The Businessweek 50, CEO Guide to Tech). It also presents the longstanding hard offer of $30 for 50 issues. Financial-information firm Bloomberg L.P. bought Businessweek in December 2009.

Vitals: direct mail, delivered 7/15/10, #10 package, price = $30 for 50 issues

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Who Uses Google, Yahoo! and Bing?

Posted on August 17, 2010 by PM Digital Research

The Yahoo! and Microsoft Search Alliance has begun to pick up steam for real, and naturally, search marketers have many questions.  They’re concerned about changes to the practical day-to-day aspects of bid management, and they’re curious about how (and how significantly) performance will be impacted once Bing’s results are fully integrated into Yahoo! over the next two months.

Before any impact can be assessed, however, it’s good to know where we’re starting from, so let’s take a moment to assess the status quo.  Just who are marketers already reaching via the three big search engines?  Is the Bing searcher the same as the Yahoo! searcher, and the same as the Google searcher too?  Not exactly.  comScore data for July reveals some notable demographic differences in age, income and household size.

Click here to continue reading on the PM Digital Blog.

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Direct Mail Trends for Nonprofits – 1st Half 2010

Posted on August 16, 2010 by Paradysz Research

The latest Paradysz Research Market Trends reports for Nonprofits show that the first half of 2010 continued to be challenging.  An optimistic interpretation of our 1H 2010 stats shows a slight leveling off of the negative trends seen in 2009, but there have been no positive rebounds yet. Our recently released reports look at the first half of 2010 in terms of promotional activity (type and timing) and use of incentives, plus the mailing environment (how many names are available, list costs, what lists are growing).

Nonprofit Monthly Promotion Activity for 1H 2010

Most nonprofits are taking a pretty cautious approach to prospecting so far this year. Overall acquisition promotion activity was down 14% for the first half of 2010, an improvement of sorts over the 20% decline reported for 2009. Big sectors like Disease/Health were down even more (18%) as groups continue to strategically pull back select campaigns in response to soft performance and increased mailing costs. January, February and May saw the biggest declines.

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Sightings: End of Season Summer Clearance 2010 Emails and Catalogs

Posted on August 11, 2010 by Paradysz Research

End-of-season clearance sales are not unusual for marketers looking to clear out old merchandise to make way for the new. Like old-fashioned sidewalk sales, many direct marketers use creative, attention-getting promotions to hype bargains in the waning days of summer. Here are a few recent examples from Bliss, Silhouettes, Herrington, Spiegel, Newport News, and Charles Tyrwhitt, all promoting a last chance at summer discounts and deals.

Charles Tyrwhitt Catalog Makes Final Reductions

British-based clothier Charles Tyrwhitt mailed a series of print catalog efforts with progressive markdowns. All added urgency by noting the limited supply of merchandise available. June announced an End of Season Sale with discounts of 67%, making the company’s well known dress shirts priced from $39.50 and its ties from $35. A mid-July book noted Further Reductions (save up to 70%), followed by late-July’s End of Season Sale. This latest book’s red cover features “Final Reductions” with key dress wear components highlighted:  Shirts from $35 (down from $120), Ties from $29 (normally $100) and Men’s Suits from $385 (down from $1,000).

Vitals: direct mail, delivered 7/31/10, 10½” x 7½”, 36 pages

Herrington’s Steepest Summer Sale

Delivered mid-July, Herrington promoted “Our Steepest Summer Sale Ever…” that features MBT Sandals at $100 off on the cover. All summer, “The Enthusiasts’ Catalog,” Herrington, has been promoting various discounts. June’s effort kicked it off with some items marked down 60%, and the latest August book promotes, “Sale, Sale Sale! Did I mention 100’s of Sale Items…” Product categories include footwear, apparel, watches, tools, home items and gadgets. Specific examples on sale include a Stürling Swiss Chronograph Watch ($189 – 40% off), Sperry-Top Sider Shoes ($84.95) and a Maui Bamboo Towel Set on sale for $36.

Vitals: direct mail, delivered 7/14/10, 10½” x 7½”, 60 pages

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Seasonal Trends for Nonprofits in Direct Mail

Posted on August 9, 2010 by Paradysz Research

Paradysz Research has just released its annual Seasonality Study for Nonprofits.  As with all of our seasonality reports (which also include the apparel market and consumer publishing), the 2010 Seasonality Study for Nonprofits attempts to answer the following:  When did marketers mail?  When did consumers respond?  Are there any synergies between those two trends that represent future marketing opportunities?

As our latest report notes, 2009 continued to be a tough year for donors and nonprofits alike. Unemployment rose to 10% and hovered there, a rate not seen since the early 1980’s recession. Following a historic low in the first quarter, the Consumer Confidence Index rose in fits and starts. In the face of poor economic indices and other challenging financial news, nonprofits remained as strategic as possible, often focusing on historically strong months.

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Rewind Paid Search Performance Index Released for July 2010

Posted on August 4, 2010 by PM Digital Research

Paradysz Research’s digital division has just released its Rewind Monthly Index covering paid search metrics for online retail in July 2010.  The latest study continues to reflect positive trends for online shopping.  The PM Digital Rewind Index shows that paid search demand was up 43% in July on a year-over-year basis.  This follows a similar 44% YoY increase tracked for June.  Paid search advertising spend was also up in July (51%) vs. the same month in 2009, and smaller increases were seen in clicks and conversion metrics.  The only metric that fell vs. 2009 was average order size, which slipped slightly (-2%).

Click here to continue reading on the PM Digital Blog.

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Sightings: Back to School 2010 Email and Catalog Promotions, Part 2

Posted on August 2, 2010 by Paradysz Research

Although the verdict is still out on how retailers will fare this back to school season, the promotions keep coming. Here is another batch of noteworthy marketing efforts from Juicy Couture, Lands’ End Kids, Hanna Andersson, Tea, Old Navy and Personal Creations. Like in the promotions we saw in Part 1, backpacks are a hot item for marketers targeting parents and kids alike.

Note: Click on any promotion graphic for a more complete view.

“The Backpack Headquarters” Catalog from Lands’ End Kids
Lands’ End Kids mailed a back to school book titled “The Backpack Headquarters.”  A $5 off all backpacks and lunch boxes discount is promoted on the cover, along with a free shipping incentive with no minimum order.  Inside, a table of contents grid features all the bags available in the FeatherLight ($29.50 – $39.50), ClassMate ($24.50 – $59.50), and MultiTask ($19.50 – $69.50) lines.  School uniforms are also promoted with a customized URL at landsend.com/school.  A free clip-on flashlight carabineer is promoted with any backpack or lunch box purchase.

Vitals: direct mail, delivered 7/14/10, 9½” x 6½”, 80 pages, free shipping on all orders, free carabineer with backpack or lunch box purchase

Email from Juicy Gets Girls Ready for Back to School
Juicy Couture recently emailed back to school promotions offering free shipping on orders over $100.  One email reads “Glee Club – Get your leggings in colors that make Juicy Girls HAPPY,” with a picture of three tween girls in Juicy T-shirts ($32) and Button-Ankle Leggings ($42).  Another email, sent a day later, is titled “Prep-School Pride – Argyle that’s too cool for school.”  A picture of The Argyle Backpack ($188) and a matching Argyle Lunch Box ($78) is promoted– note that prices are listed on the landing pages but not in the email itself.  Facebook and Twitter programs are promoted at the footer of each email.

Vitals: email, delivered 7/14/10 and 7/15/2010, free shipping on $100+ orders

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