The mail. It comes every Monday through Saturday. It comes through rain, sleet or snow (but not on government holidays). While once a cutting-edge medium, it’s been reduced to a second-tier level of communication. It’s an antiquated system that doesn’t require the attention and excitement it once did. Or does it? Direct mail pieces used to be the ideal way to reach your target audience. But in today’s growing digital age, some people feel marketing through the mail is a waste of time. We beg to differ.

Recent research proves that heads of households sort through the mail and are more likely to open mail that’s unusually shaped. Your direct mail piece will certainly be seen as long as it doesn’t look like the endless amount of identical, cookie-cutter pieces of flyers, credit card offers and donation requests already populating their mailbox.

A standard direct mail piece has a typical response rate of 1%. If you get 3-4%, you’ve hit pay dirt. There are three things you need to have a successful direct mail piece: unique creative, a worthwhile call to action and a good, targeted mail list. When all three come together, you’ve got a marketing slam dunk.

So we plead with you. Put aside those boring No. 10 envelopes and common 8 ½” by 11” pieces of paper. Take a risk. Be creative. Think outside the box. It’s an investment you won’t be disappointed in.

by Randi Schmelzer PR Week USA

Unsolicited e-mail is the marketing equivalent of a case of poison ivy: annoying, garish, and practically impossible to shake.

But when opted in, e-mail can be a valuable addition to a PR program, an effective call to action for consumers and journalists alike.

“PR can be a great way to begin the dialogue with consumers; it can help them to become interested and drive them to a client’s Web site,” says Phil Carpenter, GM in Allison & Partners’ San Francisco office. “But opt-in e-mail enables you to go deeper.”
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If a consumer reads about a new snack and is interested in learning more, Carpenter says, he or she could go to the brand’s Web site to explore. There, the brand could capture the reader’s e-mail address and continue the interaction over time, passing along news and sales incentives.

“It’s a really neat way to carry forward the conversation,” he says.

“Opt-in e-mail is obviously a good communication tool because people have expressed interest, so [you're] talking to a warm audience,” says Ellie Whims, managing partner at Frederick, MD-based Robin Jones. And if the message or product “is highly targeted, and the group is highly targeted, it can be very fruitful” as part of a larger marketing effort, she says.

But it’s essential not to abuse the brand-recipient relationship, Whims warns.

“When somebody has told you they trust you enough to talk to them, it’s important to not be too verbose, not send too many messages,” she says. Otherwise, those once welcome opt-in e-mails could end up blocked.

Opt-in e-mails can also be used to communicate with the media, says Mac McLean, president of LA-based Click Communications. But their effectiveness depends on the product being promoted and the journalists one is trying to tap.

Opt-in e-mail “can be very helpful for very specific things, for niche press lists or niche products,” McLean says. But unless it provides specific information - such as industry analysis or breaking news that can’t be found anywhere else - those e-mails “turn into consensual spam.”

Key points:

Opt-in e-mail lets a brand continue a consumer-initiated conversation

The cost of an e-mail campaign is a fraction of using traditional mail - and better for the environment

Opt-in e-mail can provide journalists breaking news and targeted information

London officials unveiled the logo for the 2012 Olympic Games earlier this week and it was met with harsh criticism and disgust. And really, we can’t blame them. It’s a mess. First glance shows four oddly-shaped, sharp-looking puzzle pieces in neon colors…varying neon colors, mind you. It takes a bit of head-scratching to figure out the four blocks actually spell out 2012. A good logo should make you ponder, not make you sit like Rodin’s Thinker.

Logos are supposed to identify. Logos are supposed to represent your company, product, service or event. In this case, where’s the tie-in to London? Or sports? Logos are supposed to relate. This logo risks epileptic seizures.

A logo is so much more than a well-crafted graphic with a unique font choice. A logo is the face of your brand. It’s the first impression people have about your company, and people form opinions about you in a blink. And the 2012 London Olympics logo has already left a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths.

Perhaps, this $800,000, Crayola-inspired logo will make more sense once viewed with the larger branding scheme promised by 2012 London Olympic organizers. But, really, it’s branding opportunity missed.

Robin Jones (RJ), a full service marketing, advertising and public relations firm today announced that Ellie Whims has assumed the role of Managing Partner for the firm. Whims has been part of the Robin Jones team since 2004 when she joined as Director of Public Relations.

In her new role, Whims will be responsible for the day-to-day operation of RJ, including overseeing the development and execution of strategic marketing campaigns for RJ clients.

Although Whims’s most recent role at RJ was in public relations, her background includes more than 15 years in marketing and public relations experience. Her career began in Los Angeles, managing investor relations for a NASDAQ-listed voice recognition consumer electronics company that was subsequently acquired by Franklin Electronic Publishers. From there Whims’s corporate and client work expanded to include a wide spectrum of public relations and marketing disciplines and industries. Her past client work includes developing viral marketing for Puma’s website, managing strategic web campaigns for Canon USA, executing integrated campaigns for Autodesk, and email newsletters for Viking Office Products (a subsidiary of Office Depot).

Robin Jones will continue to have a very active role in the agency, focusing on what she loves: positioning, strategy and creative work for clients. “I’m delighted that Ellie has agreed to take on the daily management of the firm,” said Jones. “She is truly a talented and seasoned professional, and she brings a wealth of enthusiasm and experience to RJ and our clients.”

“I’m thrilled and honored to take on my new role. Robin has built a wonderful, strong and vibrant firm, and I’m excited about what the future holds. For me, for RJ and for our clients!” Whims holds a degree in finance from California State University. She lives in southern Frederick County with her husband and son.