PHILADELPHIA DIRECT MARKETING ASSOCIATION
SUMMER 2013
direct views
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Rewiring the Modern Brain
The 2013
Benjamin Franklin Awards
Coverage Begins on Page 6
Take a Walk in the Park
with your QR Scanner
Grow Your Social Media
with Blogging
PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
Back to School Time
Geff Rapp, Group G Direct, Inc.
N
ow is the time of year when we are typically inundated with
“Back-to-School” promotions and advertising. Often, we’re
earnestly solicited for products that have nothing to do with
getting kids back in the classroom, but hey, it’s a good gimmick.
So, being constantly reminded about the seasonal return to
educational pursuits, I’ve stopped to consider if learning is just
universally turned off during the preceding summer months. Not
just for vacationing students but professionals like us too who get
into a “summer mode.” “Hey, did you read that article in Direct
Marketing News about the mobile media trends?” “No, it’s summer
and that comes way too close to being something like learning.
Think I’ll just blend up a margarita and watch funny YouTube®s on
my iPad® in the hammock.”
Certainly work isn’t turned off for the summer. There is a direct
marketing axiom that assures leading up to any given vacation
week, a client or boss will increase the amount of work to do by a
factor of 3-5 times normal. Which all but guarantees a hellish week
before and after a given vacation period that we all have painfully
experienced. Sort of like a week of being in labor followed by a
week-long hangover.
Even the actual vacation day is rarely left unscathed. It used to
be having a wireless signal and internet was a vacation spot bonus
allowing one to do useless and fun, time-wasting things online. For
our industry, expanding web connectivity just means it is harder
for us to hide and ignore the flood of work emails from uncaring or
oblivious colleagues and clients trying to strip away what precious
little work-free summer time off we actually get to take. No
wonder when given an opportunity to learn or veg-out during these
summer months, vegging out tends to win.
So that brings us to Back-to-School time. The relaxations and
rigors of vacations are mostly behind us and now we get serious.
What kids that are left in the household are (un)ceremoniously
shoved out the door at ungodly early hours with neither parent nor
child particularly in the best of moods, but clearing the way to get
workly pursuits underway.
This is the time that marketing budgets for the coming year
are being set and we struggle to put them together or make sure
we at least get a piece of them. Big campaigns get geared up
for the fourth quarter. Summer mode fades away and we roll up
our sleeves and put our thinking caps back on. We may even be
open to learning a new thing or two along the way because—with
constantly changing economic landscapes and new emerging
technologies—there’s ALWAYS some new trick to learn. No
matter how young or old a DM dog you are.
So here’s to Back to School time when some of direct marketing’s
best is conceived, to the return of office fantasy football, bad
network TV shows and a very brief but needed buffer between
summer and the Holiday Shopping season. Enjoy it while you can.
PDMA Calendar At A Glance
Table of Contents
WEBINAR: Sept. 25th @ 12 Noon
“Optimizing Your LinkedIn® Profile”
President’s Column...................................................................... 2
Presented by JB Brigat
Director of Corporate Marketing, GENEX Services, Inc.
WEBINAR: Nov. 6th @ 12:30pm
“Cross-Channel Copywriting”
Geff Rapp
Group G Direct
[email protected]
QR Codes Enhance Park ............................................................ 3
Making the Shift to Social Media............................................. 5
Benny Awards .............................................................................. 6
Don’t Forget About F2F..............................................................9
Presented by Pat Friesen
Award-winning copywriter, creative strategist, author and speaker
Going the Extra Mile................................................................... 11
IN PLANNING:
Networking Event / Charity Fundraiser - October 2013
PDMA joins Graphic Arts Association to benefit
“Reading Is Fundamental” (www.rif.org)
Welcome New PDMA Members............................................12
Watch PDMA’s web site for upcoming
Networking Happy Hours
and plans for a December Holiday Party.
For registration information visit the PDMA Web site at
News & Notes..............................................................................13
www.the-pdma.org.
2 | PDMA directviews | SUMMER 2013
PDMA Right Start Internship Program Pays Off.................12
PDMA Career Center.................................................................13
Shape the Future: Nominate Yourselves..............................13
Renew and Reap the Big Benefits........................................... 14
Thank You to Our Advertisers.................................................15
Thank You to Our Platinum Members..................................15
QR Codes Enhance Park
QR Codes Incorporated into Park Interpretive Signage
Expand on Teaching Resources and Even Invite Donations
Jocelyn Canfield
W
hen writing and designing
interpretive signage for a
community park, you aren’t typically
concerned with broader marketing
opportunities. Such work primarily
consists of environmental research,
writing, art/photography and graphic
design to achieve the educational
goals of the client organization and
the needs of the visitor.
Recently, Plymouth Township, PA,
secured two grants that enabled the
purchase of a 55-acre tract now known as
Harriet Wetherill Park. The park provides
outstanding habitat for suburban wildlife
as well as opportunities to educate the
community. Teaching opportunities were
created through interpretive signage along
the park’s walking trails about:
•The agricultural heritage of the park as
well as contemporary concepts like Farm
to Table on a parcel that is leased to a local
farmer to grow various crops
•The importance of protecting plant and
animal habitat, including stream bank
preservation and maintaining water quality
both in the park and at home
•“Leave No Trace” and “Carry In Carry
Out” concepts of environmental/park
stewardship
•A showcase butterfly garden with
significant learning opportunities for area
school children, community groups and
even trail walkers
•Many other important concepts that
would educate visitors
about being good
citizens within the
environment.
While the signage
is educational in and
of itself, QR codes
recommended by Communication Results,
presented opportunities to expand teaching
materials for educators on class trips or
for local residents who might be interested
in making a donation in order to expand
offerings at the park, including a nature
center.
QR codes link to the park website, which
also contains a clickable, interactive park
map. In this way these scannable codes
create the option of a more interactive
After using a QR code at Wetherill Park, the Department of Parks and Recreation decided to incorporate a code at a second park, East Plymouth Valley Park.
SUMMER 2013 | PDMA directviews | 3
experience, allowing the Township’s
Department of Parks and Recreation to
keep learning materials fresh. Plymouth
Township liked the interactivity used in the
Wetherill Park signage and opted to include
QR codes in signage at another park, East
Plymouth Valley Park. Three signs on a
fishing pier include a fish identification
station and linkage back to the park site,
which details other features at the park.
Future code use could link back to the
website for fish stocking information or
other educational content.
While it costs nothing to implement the
codes, opportunities created by adding a
code are numerous. Park staff and budget
are limited now, but obtaining future grants
could enable them to significantly broaden
the educational materials and even solicit
volunteer support in the parks through the
code link backs.
Jocelyn Canfield, ABC
(Accredited Business
Communicator) is Owner
and Creative Director
for Communication
Results, a Philadelphiaarea communications
firm that offers writing,
design, photography and
communications project
management. In addition to signage design,
Communication Results engages in marketing and
corporate communications projects for a wide variety
of clients in varying industries, including healthcare
and professional services. Learn more at
www.communication-results.com
Wetherill Park featured four simple signs on the life stages of butterflies and one large, centerpiece
sign on butterflies, pictured here. It features a QR code linking back to the park website where park
visitors can access more educational materials and link to an interactive park map.
Online Quote Form
www.vftl.com
610-524-8900
800-345-1323
ce
Sin 2
196
4 | PDMA directviews | SUMMER 2013
Making the Shift to Social Media
Lessons to Be Learned from Blogging
Judith Gotwald
I
’ve been a free-lance writer and
graphic designer for 30 years.
Three years ago, as the market I
served began to shrink with the
recession, I decided to retool.
Nothing new. Free-lancers have
always needed to be on the cutting
edge.
My qualifications, according to Hubspot
experts, were perfect for Social Media.
Social Media is both a graphic and wordbased medium.
The challenge was to take my old skills
and apply them to a new discipline. A
Voyage of Discovery. I felt like Lewis and
Clark rolled into one!
Innovation is never comfortable.
Innovators need to be in constant sales
mode, guiding customers into an uncertain
future.
Early innovators work through
embarrassing problems that are often
beyond their control—things like software
crashes and the sudden disappearance
of platform support. While they tear their
hair out in private, they patiently explain to
clients that they are riding the wave of the
future. Expect a spill or two.
Social Media is no different. Early
adopters take criticism and spend a great
deal of time holding hands. They answer
the same question over and over:
“But how do you make money
blogging?”*
So How Do You Make Money?*
Things are different today. Previous technology revolutions leveled off after a few
turbulent years. The life-changing rollouts
are fewer and farther between. The competition that forced consumers to gamble
when they made a platform choice have
called a truce. Software is stable and works
seamlessly cross platform.
On the other hand, Social Media is
an interwoven world of ever-expanding
tools. You know the current big names—
Facebook®, Twitter®, Pinterest®,
YouTube®, Instagram®, Google+®.
Good news. There is still time to be an
early adopter.
The Benefits of Blogging
I’ve dabbled in all the major platforms, but I
found my niche in blogging.
The benefits of blogging are many.
•Blogging builds voice and authority faster
than any other platform—especially when
used in conjunction with other platforms.
•Search engines love them.
•Blogging allows you to benefit from the
other Social Media platforms.
•Blogging platforms have a short learning
curve and have supportive communities.
•Blogging has no space limitations.
•Nifty plugins allow you to anthologize and
repurpose your posts.
•Blogging allows you to build trust and grow
relationships.
•Blogging is easy to monitor and measure.
•You can own your blog.
•The discipline of blogging forces you to
stay on top of your field.
I started my first blog as an experiment in
2011. I chose a topic where there was need
and immeasurable interest. Could be small,
could be large! Income was not the object.
I wanted to learn the ropes. I wrote about
church issues.
Web use by religious groups seemed to
be self-interested and amateur—limited
to cheesy, poorly maintained parish web
sites. Here was untapped potential that had
parallel challenges in the business world.
Evangelism and marketing are similar!
The corporate culture of Church was
fashioned in the Middle Ages for the people
of the Middle Ages. It has been passed
on to the modern era by tradition. There
is no tougher market. Great ground for
experimenting!
Lessons continued on page 10
SUMMER 2013 | PDMA directviews | 5
2013
Benjamin Franklin Awards
Since its establishment 38 years
ago, the Benjamin Franklin
Award (The Bennys) has come
to represent the celebration
of superior strategy, creativity
and results—the pillars of direct
marketing. The goals of the
awards are to: 1) Honor the
significant achievements of
direct marketers in the Greater
Delaware Valley, 2) Recognize
outstanding work within the
direct marketing arenas, and 3)
Foster pride, competition, and
the free exchange of ideas among
members of the PDMA.
Surrounded by the Academy of Natural
Sciences of Drexel University’s fearsome
prehistoric creatures, the PDMA hosted
its annual Benny Awards celebration on
June 6.
system was the U.S. Postal Service. A few
young guns pushed the envelope and added
telemarketing to the mix. It’s doubtful that
the PDMA founding fathers and mothers
could envision the explosion of message
delivery systems that is today’s direct
marketing.
Yes, print is still direct marketing royalty.
Nothing beats the feel, smell, and staying
power of the mail package. But the direct
marketing royal family has proven to be
very fertile and now includes the
prince and princesses of the Web,
Facebook®, LinkedIn®, YouTube®
and Twitter®. And as with any
family, the addition of a new
member changes not only the
individual, but also the whole.
The 33 categories of awards
celebrated this new dynamic of
the integrated messaging system,
and included a little over a third of
the winners, including the Best of
Show.
This unique venue underscored that,
unlike the doomed dinosaur, direct
marketing has quickly evolved and looks
to be withstanding the test of time.
The New England Direct Marketing
Association (NEDMA) served as judges for
the second year in a row. NEDMA volunteer
judges took on the unenviable job of selecting
winners from the hundreds of the high
quality, creative entries.
In the “prehistoric” times of direct
marketing, the primary message delivery
The evening was a fitting showcase of the
best our industry and membership has to
6 | PDMA directviews | SUMMER 2013
offer. And while we did not have to
struggle for survival during an ice age,
we did have an extremely entertaining
Blizzard to contend with – our emcee for
the evening, the lovely, talented and very
funny Dena Blizzard – kept our audience
laughing, poked a little playful fun at us
here and there and did a fantastic job
helping present the awards to the winners.
The 2013 Benny’s may be a thing of the
past, but it’s never too soon to start
thinking now about your 2014 Benny
Award submissions. Who knows, you
might just make history.
Honoring the Giants
The PDMA honors those who have made significant contributions to the direct marketing industry with the awarding of the
Direct Marketer of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Direct Marketer of the Year
Lifetime Achievement
Michele Fitzpatrick, Executive Vice President, Strategy and Marketing
for The Agency Inside Harte-Hanks was named the 2013 Direct
Marketer of the Year. Michele brings more than 20 years experience
in the direct response arena to her work. In her current position she is
responsible for marketing strategy, analytics, market research, and new
business development. As an award-winning strategist and soughtafter industry speaker, Michele brings her passion for the power of
relationship marketing to The Agency Inside Harte-Hank’s clients and
the industry as a whole. Accepting the award for Michelle is Morayea
Pindziak, Marketing VP for the Agency Inside Harte-Hanks.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Linda
Armstrong of DMW Direct. With 40 years of experience,
Linda is DMW Direct’ s Health Insurance Practice leader.
As a nationally recognized thought leader in direct response
insurance, she is a sought after speaker for industry conferences
and webinars as well as a contributor to publications and blogs.
She is particularly well known for her expertise in Boomer
marketing, helping clients sell to the newest leading edge
Boomers as they enter Medicare.
Best of Show
The Thomas Black Best of Show
Memorial Award for “Best of
Show” went to Mint Advertising
for their social media branding
campaign for Applegate Bacon
Log.
In 1994 PDMA introduced this
award, which was named for one
of the industry’s greats, Thomas
Black, who was president and
CEO of Mars Graphics. Tom
gained the respect and admiration
of many direct marketing
colleagues for his countless
contributions to the industry.
People’s Choice
Never to be stuck in the primordial ooze, PDMA
instituted a new category this year, the People’s
Choice Award. Attendees got to have the last
word in their choice for creative excellence by
picking their favorite entry. The first annual
People’s Choice Award went to SMS Marketing
Services for their entry, “Bigger Than Life.”
SUMMER 2013 | PDMA directviews | 7
Benny Winners
23K Studios
Self Promotion for 23K Studios
GENEX
GENEX PYRAMID News Magazine
ShareBuilder High Value Campaign
HOPE International
Leap Forward
Savant Branding Campaign
Bicknell Creative
Blue Cross Blue Shield
of Tennessee AEP Campaign
Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg
Season Advertising
Direct Choice, Inc.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
Aging-into-Medicare Campaign
DMW Direct
Center for Vein Restoration “Fast Relief”
Landing Page
Center for Vein Restoration
“We Deal in Relief” DRTV
M&M Associates, Inc.
CareCredit - Fact or Fiction?
Mint Advertising
Applegate Bacon Log
Northfield Bank Pedometer Mailing
Quattro Direct LLC
Hartford “Ways to Save” Integrated Ad Campaign
Schultz & Williams
Philadelphia Zoo 2012 Spring Acquisition
SMS Marketing Services, Inc./The Sama Agency
Home Décor List & Insert Media Guide
The Agency Inside Harte-Hanks
Sony Tablet P Launch Campaign
fwd>direct, LLC
“High and Low”
Sony Pinterest Email and Pin It Button Integration
Medi-Pak Advantage Platinum Fulfillment Kit
Sony Apple — Compatible Products Email
My Vet’s the Best
Sony Love to Give Holiday Campaign
“Change Direction”
Sony Dynamic Triggers Email Program
SonyAbandoned Cart/General Visit Program
Sony Subscriber Giveaway Email
Emcee
Dena Blizzard
8 | PDMA directviews | SUMMER 2013
The Lukens Company
The Barnes Foundation
Founding Member Prospect Package
Tminus1 Creative Inc.
Agilent “Summer of Fun” Water Park
Honorable Mention
23K Studios
21st Century Sales
Warrior’s Guide to Mobility
Aon Affinity
Ralph Loves Socks
DMW Direct
Tufts Medicare Matters Digital Campaign
Rocky’s Story
Encompass Elements
Encompass Elements Map-folded Brochure
The Agency Inside Harte-Hanks
Sony Black Friday/Cyber Monday
Email Campaign
The Lukens Company
Pennsylvania Academy of the
Fine Arts Annual Fund Appeal
Don’ t Forget about F2F
Judy C. Arnold
R
ecently, while working during
the early evening from my
home office, I sent a text to my
daughter to confirm our plans for
later that night. I was upstairs in
my office and she was three levels
down in the basement with friends.
That was efficient and timely.
But it later dawned on me that it
was pitiful too! Expectations of
immediate communication, and
the availability and ease of using
technology, have gotten in the way
of human interaction.
In the world of business-to-business
(B2B) sales and marketing, it’s easy to
forget how important face-to-face (F2F)
contact can be. Selling in B2B is not about
selling to a company. It’s about selling to
a person at that company—a person who
really is just like you. Forming a personal
relationship with someone, and creating
that bond, makes a difference.
I have worked with sales teams or
account executives most of my career. I
even spent several years as an AE myself.
All things considered, people buy from
people they like. You, of course, have to
be genuine. But, over the years, people
remember people and relationships they
have formed with coworkers, partners and
clients. They “take them with them” when
they change jobs, they call them for advice
and referrals, and they recommend them
to others. That’s how you build long-term
relationships.
While leading marketing teams and
partnering with sales, I have come to rely
on direct marketing principles and channels
to generate leads and nurture prospects
and clients. It’s measurable, predictable
and scalable. An integrated marketing
approach is critical for success. Digital
marketing, including web, email and mobile,
are extremely effective in building brand
awareness and generating leads. But for
complex sales, with a long sales cycle, the
next step has to be interaction with human
beings. That’s when the salesperson picks
up the phone and schedules a F2F meeting.
In the world of
business-to-business (B2B)
sales and marketing,
it’s easy to forget how
important
face-to-face (F2F)
contact can be.
The Power of A Smile
No matter how much you think you can
build relationships over the phone, nothing
can replace the infectious warmth a smile
can bring to another person’s face and
the value that brings to forming a true
relationship.
Recently, I heard Shawn Achor speak
at a leadership event. Shawn is a worldrenowned leader on the connection
between happiness and success, based
on his Harvard research around positive
psychology. He forced us all to do an
experiment and pair up with the person
next to us. One person was required to
keep a straight face and resist smiling while
the other person looked you straight in the
eye with a big, beaming smile. What do
you think happened? No one could resist
smiling back! Smiling was contagious,
and suddenly strangers were opening
up to each other and sharing personal
information.
Technology has come a long way in the
past 10-20 years. I remember hearing
stories from my Dad of his experiences as
a sales person literally “knocking on doors”
to sell Cutco knives. Now, we use email or
paid search campaigns where our goal is
to get people to “figuratively” raise their
hands.
Yes, email works to engage prospects
and clients with content. Websites provide
information to help educate. LinkedIn® is
a fantastic place to make connections and
get insights. Texting is expedient for quick
alerts or questions to family, friends or
coworkers. But a phone call is a step up for
real conversations allowing live interactions
and immediate interpersonal response.
Taking it one step further, enjoying that
Chai at Starbucks®, or coffee at the great
family-run coffee shop around the corner,
is the place to be to take a break from
technology and look each other in the
eyes for a real conversation—keeping
both feet on the ground instead of your
hands typing in the cloud.
One Lump or Two?
You can find me on LinkedIn, through
email and on my cell phone. But, I
encourage you to meet me for a cup
of tea. I promise you’ll remember that
a lot longer than you will our online
“conversations.”
Judy C. Arnold has over
25 years’ experience
generating revenue by
closing the gap between
ideas and results. She
possesses a unique blend
of marketing strategy
and marketing operations
expertise in both B2B and B2C in industries including
retail, education, insurance and financial services.
Judy is currently the Vice President of Marketing at
CorpU, and has held marketing leadership roles at
PriceWaterhouseCoopers, SEI, Seabury & Smith, and
Harte-Hanks. A leader in the marketing community,
Judy is a past PDMA president, and a veteran judge
for the DMA’s international Echo awards. She can be
reached at [email protected].
In the Spring Edition, the following author
bio was omitted.
Carolyn Goodman,
President/Creative Director
An award-winning strategic thinker, creative director,
writer, photographer and in-demand speaker, Carolyn
founded Goodman Marketing Partners in 2002 after
spending a 25+ year career assisting F500 clients
achieve marketing success. With a strong focus
on strategic thinking steeped in analytic rigor, her
creative solutions are unique, award-winning and,
most importantly, achieve business objectives.
Tapped as a blogger for Target Marketing, Carolyn
shares her pithy insights into B2B marketing
challenges and solutions. Read client, peer, and
associate endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/
in/carolyngoodman.
SUMMER 2013 | PDMA directviews | 9
Lessons continued from page 5
I am not a theologian. My blog would
be written from a lay point of view for lay
people.
At first, I posted sporadically. At the
end of the first month, I had one reader.
The site picked up a few more over the
next four months—20 than 50 per month.
Colleagues shrugged. “You are wasting
your time.”
I began to follow the advice of experts
and started posting daily. I linked the site
to Facebook® and Twitter® and eventually
LinkedIn® and Pinterest®. Site traffic began
to grow immediately. As the site grew, so
did my authority.
People, including pastors, started coming
to me for advice. Blog posts have been
linked to seminary class sdiscussions and
reposted on other sites. Resources have
been downloaded thousands of times. I’ve
been asked to submit to other blogs and
recently was interviewed for a podcast.
The blog has crossed denominations in
readership. The relationships formed are
beyond anything I imagined.
Now in its third year, the site has several
thousand readers per month—small by
corporate standards but more than most
large churches have in attendance.
Readership spans the globe. Although the
site began with commentary, its growth
began with service. Practical resources
draw traffic.
Meanwhile, I apply what I learn to
customer sites. It is still a tough sell. There
is a notion that Social Media belongs to the
young and should be the mission of free
labor. The value of Social Media—building
relationships—seems to go unrecognized.
Just sell the product.
10 | PDMA directviews | SUMMER 2013
The Obstacles
Hierarchical thinking. We live in the
remnants of a top-down world. Corporate
managers still think it is enough to assign
tasks and walk away. Blogging forces
interaction between all corporate tiers —
including the customer!
Tradition.
In the past, the call for tradition often
came from the lower rungs of society that
wanted to know the rules, boundaries and
expectations. Today’s cry for tradition
seems to come from a less comfortable
top.
Understanding that blogging is an
investment is a difficult concept.
Blogging requires discipline, strategy and
knowledge of the market as well as an
insatiable willingness to relearn skills. This
can’t be left to chance or assigned as the
sole responsibility of a student intern.
IN A NUTSHELL
*Here is the answer to How Do You
Make Money Blogging?
You make money blogging by using your
blogging platform to
•create authority
•establish relationships
•learn the needs of the your followers
and respond accordingly with products
and service offerings
•generate interest in the types of
services you’d like to offer
• identify your market
•build community
• create excitement about the things that
matter to you
Sounds like marketing doesn’t it!
Businesses fear unexplored territory.
Litigation is a real part of today’s corporate
culture. Blogs can seem to be attractive
targets. To avoid the potential out of fear is
to hand the advantage of early innovation
to your competitor. Someone is going to
take the risk. They will have the benefit of
the education delivered in the school of
hard knocks. In some ways, it will be like
driving. The best incentive for safe driving
is the universal desire to get where you
want to go without getting hit.
Reversing decades of
“specialty” thinking.
In some ways, blogging is a return to
renaissance thinking. We have to tear
ourselves away from emphasis on
specialties. Blogging requires comfort with
many areas of expertise—writing, visual
communication, video, audio, creativity,
planning, organizing, big picture thinking,
and attention to detail. Bloggers must know
some code and have some comfort with
all the auxiliary social media platforms.
Bloggers should have an ear to the ground,
which requires social skills. At the same
time it can be reclusive.
Blogging is most effective when it is
communal.
Despite the demands for various skills,
blogging is often assigned to one person.
Blogging must become part of the fabric
of the company with contributions from
all levels. That will keep the blog fresh and
cutting edge.
And that’s where today’s marketers need
to be.
Judith Gotwald, has owned
and operated Gotwald
Creation, a communications
business, since 1978. She has
developed and maintained
blogs for several businesses
and institutions. She has
designed Direct Views for
four years. Her experimental
blog is 2x2virtualchurch.com. Her company web site
is gotwaldcreation.com. Her book, Social Media
Renaissance and Reformation, based on two years
of church blogging, will be published this fall. Contact
Judy at [email protected].
Going the Extra Mile.
It’s not a Race. It’s a Mindset.
Denise Wlliams
S
ounds cliché—going the extra mile
at work, for clients, in just about
anything worth doing. Turns out,
there’s more to that old cliché than
you think. Here’s why.
Each generation knows less and less
about servicing customers, whether
internally or externally. Don’t believe
it? Call an 800 number.
Time the call to see how long it takes for
a customer service rep to really help you or
how long you are on hold with bad music.
Stand in line at big box retailer with an
item that doesn’t have a price. (Yes it does
happen and watch the manager swagger
over, roll her eyes and sacrifices “I’m going
to have to go back and get the price. Sigh.”)
As marketers, we have the privilege, the
responsibility to teach our kids, and their
kids, what it means to be better at service,
to really care about people, to behave in a
way that outperforms competitors or stand
out in the job market—slowly and steadily,
at every touch point, consistently and
continually.
This is not a race.
This is not a one-hit wonder.
We have to be in for the long haul.
Think of it as the new USP. Anyone who
has been in the marketing and advertising
business for a few decades and has
worked to maintain brand experiences
and drive business despite economic rises
and crashes, a dot.com boom and bust,
real estate bubble and burst, followed by
recession, rise in unemployment, and now,
lots and lots of noise* in this great Internet
Age knows it’s not always easy.
One thing remains constant. Those
who survived the ride with success had
something in common. They probably went
the extra mile. They stayed positive, added
value, stayed on top of technology and its
support of business, and most of all, they
were interested in helping—really helping—
their clients, constituents, their employees
to observe the things going on around
them, learn as much as possible, and apply
those learnings.
It’s a mindset.
It all goes back to the infrastructure. In
Jim Joseph’s book The Experience Effect,
Jim infuses into the marketer’s mind the
importance of engaging your customers
with a consistent and memorable brand
experience. What does that mean?
Simply put, the crux of good marketing
is the conscious and methodical process
of determining exactly the kind of brand
to offer consumers and exactly the kind
of experience to create for them, then
developing it consistently across every
facet of the marketing plan. It must impact
every touch point.
We need to empower one another to
go the extra mile (mindset). We need to
design our ecosystems to create systems
of engagement (infrastructure). Practicing
smart use of technology and educating
all workers about what it means to truly
delight customers is critical today.
Why? There are three reasons:
1. Because there are too many companies that
do what we do, so we need to stand out.
2.Every shopping, buying, customer service
interaction shapes perspectives.
3.The social Web has created ease for
complaints, so to keep up, brands need to
become social businesses (which means
understanding what people need in the
organization to service customers, and plan
for it).
Take it a step further and consider
recognition of going the extra mile and
rewarding good behavior. It’s not rocket
science; it’s how dolphins are trained.
Positive reinforcement is used to reward
a behavior. This is precisely behind the
idea of gamification. A core strategy
for gamifying is to provide rewards
(points, achievement badges, speaking
opportunities, virtual currency) for players
for accomplishing desired tasks. The SAP
Community Network is a great example.
See for yourself at http://scn.sap.com.
We can all do a lot better. Before we
endeavor to launch that next campaign,
take a step back and inspect. Look
under the hood. Ask the question: Am
I really ready to create a consistent
brand experience with each specific
consumer interaction whether internally or
externally? If not, turn the bus around.
*blah blah blah
Denise Williams is
Director of Strategic
Marketing, New
Business Development
at Goodman Marketing
Partners. Six-year
Board member of the
Philadelphia Direct
Marketing Association,
Former Member Chair, current Liaison to the
Advisory Council, Internship Chair, and Philadelphia’s
2011 Direct Marketer of the Year, Denise is regarded
as an expert in both B2B & B2C direct response
marketing. She has led creative teams in the launch
of major brands and products in the US including
Progressive Insurance, Response Insurance, Aon,
ACE USA, Nextel, software for Sun Microsystems,
Sterling Commerce, LENA, Tandberg/Cisco, ADT/
Tyco, plus a host of .com brands, Denise continues
to bring innovation and strategies that work to drive
action, anchor relationships, and produce ROI for her
clients. Read client, peer, and associate endorsements
at linkedin.com/in/denisedwilliams
SUMMER 2013 | PDMA directviews | 11
PDMA Right Start Internship Program Pays Off
Shane Wagner
T
aking advantage of the PDMA
Right Start Internship program
was one of the defining decisions
of my young career. My education
gave me the tools to succeed but the
PDMA gave me a network of connections for which I will be forever grateful. Just 2 years ago I looked at this
industry with a strange bewilderment
but now I see a home.
With the help of the PDMA Right Start
Internship program (especially the lovely
Denise!) I landed a job with Aon Affinity
while I was still a freshman. Every day was
different and brought new challenges and
opportunities. I collaborated with the art,
marketing and business departments on a
variety of exciting projects. I learned how
each division comes together to reach a
client’s goal. By the end of the summerlong program I was appointed project lead
for a marketing piece and oversaw the
project from start to finish.
I then continued advancing my education
and developing my portfolio until I decided
it was time to find another internship. I
once again reached out to the PDMA Right
Start Internship program and was able to
connect with SMS Marketing Services, Inc.
a multi-channel marketing company in
Philadelphia. That is when I truly learned
how expansive the marketing industry is
and how advanced the technologies are
that drive it. I have had the opportunity
to become fully involved with the team
and have dipped my feet into just about
everything from data acquisition to
developing mobile landing pages. I now
have a 360 degree view of the industry.
As I continued to explore and experiment,
I took a Portfolio Development class
where we had an assignment to create a
commercial for PSAID, a disaster-relief
organization, which urges people to donate
cash instead of canned goods. It was a
national contest that received over 125
submissions. It was the first commercial
I have ever created, and it was quite the
learning process, but I was awarded 3rd
place and received media recognition. This
was an exciting moment for me because I
finally honed in on what I wanted to do.
I am very fortunate to have a career path I
am so passionate about, an organization to
help me make connections and parents that
support me through it all.
www.psaid.org/portfolio-items/what-can-1-dollarbuy-around-the-world/
www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_
embedded&v=gCO-afHP0ZY
Shane is 21 years old and lives
in Philadelphia. He enjoys
playing guitar, fishing, and
critiquing every commercial
that comes on TV. He began
taking an interest in
advertising and marketing
while still in high school and is
currently starting a studentrun agency called Visionary Creative Group.
[email protected]
Welcome New PDMA Members
J. Andrew Damico
WizeHive
6 Poplar St.
Conshohocken, PA 19428
[email protected]
Amber Flynn
Brown Industries, Inc.
101 S. Chester Road
Swarthmore, PA 19081
[email protected]
Sandy Ostrander
ListSolutions
825 Georges Rd 3rd Floor
North Brunswick, NJ 08902
[email protected]
Stephen Dougherty
ANRO Communications
931 S. Matlack Street
West Chester, PA 19382
[email protected]
Mark Frymiare
Delaware Investments
2005 Market Street 9th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103
[email protected]
George Pelose
Marlin Business Services Corp.
300 Fellowship Road
Mount Laurel, NJ 08054
[email protected]
Christina Lynne Fissel
Valley Forge Tape & Label Co., Inc.
119 Summit Drive
Exton, PA 19341
[email protected]
Wayne Heimbach
Digital Dog Direct
200 Ludlow Drive
Building E
Ewing, NJ 08638
[email protected]
Michael Tokar
EU Services
668 Stony Hill Rd Suite 26
Yardley, PA 19067
[email protected]
Rick Norris
Norris Creative
715 Jade Road
Yardley, PA 19067-3011
[email protected]
12 | PDMA directviews | SUMMER 2013
Shape the Future:
NominateYourself!
As a member of the Philadelphia Direct
Marketing Association, your opinion counts
and you can be a part of the group of people
that decides the future of PDMA. You may
nominate yourself — or a colleague — to
serve on the 2013-14 PDMA Board of
Directors.
This year we are especially looking for
those who create the direct marketing for
their businesses. Direct marketers in the
financial, health and insurance businesses
would be most welcomed, and would
complement those already on the Board.
Each PDMA Board Member holds a
responsible committee position. Board
Members establish both short- and
long-term goals and policies; come to
understand and resolve issues facing the
direct marketing industry; and help to
keep that business community strong and
thriving.
So let your voice be heard! Let the
Nominating Committee know that you want
to be a part of the direct marketing business
future!
PDMA Career Center
The Career Center is an online resource for
both Job Seekers and Employers. If you are a
PDMA member, you may post your resume
or job opening for free locally. If you post it
nationally you may do so at a reduced rate.
Visit www.the-pdma.org.
Job Seekers
PDMA members have the ability to search
the job database, post resumes and submit
real-time online applications.
•Advanced job searching options
•Control over your career advancement
•Increased exposure for your résumé
•Optional e-mail alerts of new jobs
Employers
PDMA is your online resource for top direct
marketing professionals. Post your next
job opening on the PDMA Online Career
Center.
•Quick and easy job posting
•Quality candidates
•Online reports with job activity statistics
•Simple pricing options
YOUR IMAGE.
ne can
Everyaonother
use shirt!
T-
Independent Graphics is pleased to produce the PDMA Newsletter.
Call us today or visit our website
to see what we can do for you.
• Full-Service Printing
• Fast Turnarounds
• Wide Format Posters
• Digital Color
• B&W Copying
• Direct Mail
PDMA Intern Honored
for Public Service Announcement
PDMA-sponsored AON intern Shane
Wagner, a Temple University student, won
third prize in the The United States Agency
for International Disaster’s (USAID) Center
for International Disaster Information
(CIDI) 2013 PSAid: Public Service
Announcements for International Disasters
competition.
Shane’s video entry, “What Can 1 Dollar
Buy Around the World,” urges donors to
disaster relief efforts to send cash rather
than physical items. It can be viewed at
http://www.psaid.org/#!prettyPhoto.
Shane writes about his experience on
page 12 of this issue of Direct Views.
Visit www.the-pdma.org and then click the
Career Center tab.
OUR IMPRESSIONS
WILL SHARPEN
News & Notes
• Variable Data
• Fulfillment
• Bindery
FREE
T-SHIRT
GIVEAWAY
CALL FOR A FREE TSHIRT.
Offer good for first 50 callers. One
per bus
iness.
www.IndependentGraphics.com
SUMMER 2013 | PDMA directviews | 13
Renew and Reap the Big Benefits
It’s time to renew your annual
membership in the Philadelphia
Direct Marketing Association.
Members renewing by January 15,
2014, will continue to receive all of
their membership benefits without
interruption.
Reap the Benefit of Visibility
With your renewal, you and your
business can be listed in the annual
Membership Directory! All members are
listed alphabetically by last name and
also by company name in the printed
Membership Directory, and your business
will be entitled to a company profile
printed under your company listing.
Reap the Practical Benefits
Your membership in PDMA provides
unique benefits for you and your
business. In addition to the Membership
Directory, you may also post resumes
and job openings on the PDMA website
for FREE. You can attend all meetings
and events at a discounted rate, and then
continue the networking benefits after the
event with a member-only complimentary
contact list of all attendees.
Reap the Unique Benefits
Preferred Partner Program: Brings
together suppliers and consultants who
will offer discounts to PDMA members.
Right Start Internship Program:
Brings together Member organizations
and students for summer internship
programs. The PDMA will help make
the connection with local colleges
and universities to find the right fit for
your marketing and communications
positions.
Career Coach Program: The PDMA
provides a complimentary 1:1 coaching
session for members who have been
displaced or who are in career transition.
Members have access to experienced
advisors who can assist them with their
personal and professional brand, and can
14 | PDMA directviews | SUMMER 2013
point them in the right direction.
Program and Event Discounts: Only
members can attend events and
meetings and enter the Bennys at a
discounted fee.
What Are You Waiting For?
Renew and Reap
the Big Benefits!
Simply go online and log in and your
renewal invoice will be waiting for you.
If you would like us to email you and
invoice or take your payment over the
telephone, just let us know.
Individual Membership:
$140 per person
One person may join and attend
meetings and events at the member’s
discounted fee. If you leave your
employer, the membership stays with the
individual.
Corporate Discount Membership:
$125 per person
(three or more members)
Firms that want to sign up three or more
employees receive a discounted fee per
person of $125 each—a $15 savings per
person! Individual member names must
be given to PDMA, but the names can
be changed at any time upon written
notification.
Platinum Membership:
$1,125 (Company owns unlimited
memberships)
All employees attend meetings and
events at the discounted member fee
and receive the DirectViews magazine
and other communications. PLUS—
your business receives PDMA website
recognition and a link to your website,
along with Platinum sponsor listing in the
PDMA magazine, DirectViews and in the
Membership Directory.
Preferred Partners
Diamond Technology Services
Contact: Bill Stuart
[email protected]
(610) 370-6019
Free 2 hour consult,
free review of telecom bills,
if no savings = no charge,
if work = 20% off normal rate
www.4-dts.com
Health Insurance | USI Affinity
Contact: Jim Pitts
[email protected]
1-800-265-2876 ext. 11377
Direct: (610) 537-1377
Employee Benefits | Free quote | group rates
www.affinityhealthplan.com
Jobecca Technology Group
Contact: Michael Schatz
[email protected]
(215) 891-9503
15% off all services
www.jobecca.com
Kelleher Associates
Contact: Tammy Beil
[email protected]
(610) 293-1115
10% discount for customized executive
transition services for 3, 6, and 12 month
programs
www.kelleherllc.com
Lindy Powers
Contact: Lindy Powers
[email protected]
(610) 347-1079
20% off Portrature
www.lindypowers.com
Makarios Consulting
Contact: Rip Tilden
[email protected]
(610) 909-7580
Free 90 minute consultation
www.makariosconsulting.com
MTM Linguasoft
Contact: Miriam Siftar
[email protected]
(215) 729-6765
10 % off any translated content
over 1000 words
www.mtmlinguasoft.com
THANK YOU TO THE ADVERTISERS
in this issue of Direct Views.
Please utilize these Direct Response Experts when you can:
ABC Mailers
Anthony Bucolo at (856) 241-2100
Independent Graphics
Sal Caimano at (215) 205-6859
p. 5
p. 13
Japs-Olson Company
Back Cover
Debbie Roth at (952) 912-1440
Nova Label
Alan Rich at (301) 386-4433
Valley Forge Tape & Label Co
Paul Myers at (610) 524-8900
To place your ad, email PDMA Sales Rep., Lou Yager at [email protected].
All ads must be submitted by the 15th of the month prior to publication.
Thank You to Our
Platinum Members
Action Mailers, Inc.
90 Commerce Drive
Aston, PA 19014-3209
(610) 859-0500
www.actionmailer.com
Affinity Insurance Services
159 East County Line Rd
Hatboro, PA 19040
(215) 293-1127
www.aon.com
Com-Pak Services
265 New Albany Road
Moorestown, NJ 08057-1105
(856) 802-1900
www.com-pak.com
The Agency Inside
Harte-Hanks
777 Township Line Rd., Ste 300
Yardley, PA 19067
(215) 456-750-6600
www.harte-hanks.com
DMW Direct
701 Lee Road, Suite 103
Chesterbrook, PA 19087
(610) 407-0407
www.dmwdirect.com
FWD>Direct
100 East Lancaster Ave.
Suite 100
Downingtown, PA 19335
(610) 518-0800
www.fwddirect.com
Japs-Olson Company
7500 Excelsior Blvd.
St. Louis Park, MN 55626
(952) 932-9393
www.japsolson.com
SEI
1 Freedom Valley Drive
Oaks, PA 19456
(610) 676-1000
www.seic.com
SMS Marketing Services, Inc.
461 North 3rd Street
3rd Floor West
Philadelphia, PA 19123
631-224-9220
www.sms-inc.com
Contact: [email protected]
United Health Group
680 Blair Mill Road
Horsham, PA 19055
(215) 527-2859
www.unitedhealthgroup.com
PHILADELPHIA DIRECT MARKETING ASSOCIATION
p. 10
p. 4
Editors
Design/Layout
Printing
Lettershop
Marie Caldwell
Marion Guthrie
Joanna Smith
Gotwald Creation, inc.
Independent Graphics, Inc.
fmi direct, inc.
PDMA Office
PDMA c/o Seamless Events
P.O. Box 1155
Havertown, PA 19083
610-952-5064
[email protected]
Websitewww.the-pdma.org
PDMA 2013-2014 Board of Directors
President
Geff Rapp
Group G Direct, Inc.
Secretary
Graham Ruffles
QDMH
Treasurer Jacqueline “JB” Brigati
Genex Services, Inc.
Chairperson
Karen Keenan
Integral Metrix Group, Inc.
Vice-Presidents Christine Wagner
Direct Choice, Inc..
GraceAnn De Cesaris
Microsoft Dynamics
Christopher Long
LongEffect
Melanie Vivian
Kreischer Miller
DIRECTORS
Aleka Agapitides
IBSDirect
Marie Caldwell
Aquent Studios
Anthony Campisi
Annodyne, Inc.
Lisa Mark
Innovation Print & Media Group
Jacqueline Ricchey
Diamond Graphics Print
Leslie Schultz
The Agency Inside Harte-Hanks
Joanna Smith
Christine Wagner
Direct Choice, Inc.
SUMMER 2013
PDMA DirectViews is published quarterly by
and for members of the Philadelphia Direct
Marketing Association and other interested
direct marketers. For more information, visit
www.the-pdma.org.
Cover Photo Credit
diepuppenstubensammlerin via photopin creative commons
http://www.flickr.com/photos/diepuppenstubensammlerin/8210765590/
SUMMER 2013 | PDMA directviews | 15
technology.
innovation.
SCAN
CHA NG ING
THE GAME.
FOR A SAMPLE KIT
http://info.japsolson.com/pdma
TO RECEIVE OUR SAMPLE KIT, FOLLOW THE LINK OR
CONTACT DEBBIE ROTH AT [email protected] OR (952) 912-1440