Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Suffolk Marketing Blog | Timing Is Everythng

It's 75 years to the day since John Dillinger was shot and killed outside a Chicago theatre in 1934!

For those not in the know, this is very topical given the recent release of “Public Enemies”, starring Johnny Depp as the aforementioned Dillinger. No doubt this is a film I’m soon to endure as my wife has had a crush on “Pretty boy” Depp ever since he played the leather-clad digitally-impaired hairdresser/topiarist in Edward Scissorhands. Hmph.

The latest Harry Potter romp, a rather dubious sounding “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” (half-blood always meant something else in my day..), was released recently too. Amazingly, just before the start of the summer holidays. Coincidence?

It’s not news that film companies time their release of films extremely well. Most films aimed primarily at children are released in the summer holidays or on the run up to Christmas. I seriously doubt the timing of the Dillinger movie is accidental either.

Even marketers without limitless budgets and access to Hollywood pin-ups can learn from this sense of timing. It all comes down to planning. Public holidays, construction projects, sporting events and even film releases can be spotted and jotted months or even years ahead.

So why is so much marketing reactive? It just piles the pressure on, leaves you wide open for mistakes and being 'last minute' often means concurrent campaigns are less integrated than they should be. One reason of course is that many firms notice what their competitors are doing and then want a piece of the action.

Why wait for your competitors?! Mr Dillinger waited for the FBI and look what happened to him! Oh I’m sorry, didn’t you know they shot and killed Dillinger?!

No need to see the film now Selina…

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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Suffolk Marketing Blog | To post or not to post...



It’s fifty years since the first UK postcode was introduced in 1959!

A nice little factoid and one I’ll certainly file away under “useful gems for the pub quiz”… but so what, surely they’ve been replaced by that ubiquitous item of personal identity, the email address?

I’m not so sure. There’s still a place for direct mail. Yes, emails are probably cheaper than direct mail, particularly when sent in serious volume, but not that much. Yes, measurement of certain metrics is easier (try measuring the open rate of a postcard), but surely the best measurement is that of the number of people responding to a campaign?

Emails can be designed with company values and branding in mind, but being digital media, I can’t help thinking something is lost. Perhaps that’s why email marketing is FAR more effective as a method of retaining, informing and communicating with existing customers than new prospects. It’s just too damn easy to hit “delete” if you don’t know who the email is from, no matter how targeted it purports to be.

Of course the beauty of direct mail is that it’s tangible. When I open a business letter, the senders choice of paper type, paper quality, typeface, printing quality, 1st vs 2nd class stamp, and all those other touchy-feely criteria tell me something about who’s written to me. Often it tells me something positive about them, other times it's a subtle warning. The point is, they’ve communicated with me before I’ve even read what they’ve sent me!

So has direct mail had its day? Is email the new king? Or is it horses-for-courses?


Do you need to outsmart your competitors? Contact us now on 0845 310 2457 to discuss what you want to achieve and how we can help you meet your goals.

Why not find out more about Business VitaminsStrategic B2B marketing agency Suffolk.

Or follow BizVits on Twitter
Or Like us on Facebook?
Or +1 us on Google+?
Or see the Business Vitamins channel on YouTube?