Thursday, April 12, 2012

Consumer Digital Research Undermines Brand Loyalty

Most loyalty programs are no match for today's breed of digitally empowered consumer, confirms the latest study on brand loyalty from Acxiom, a marketing services and technology leader, and Loyalty 360 – The Loyalty Marketer’s Association. Because consumers can use digital tools and technologies to access ever-growing volumes of information about products, prices, customer satisfaction and availability, virtually all brand-related metrics, including loyalty, are in serious decline, the study reports. Only 25% of consumers now report loyalty to a brand. Marketer confidence in loyalty programs has also waned. While 84.5% of executives surveyed said they use customer retention marketing strategies, barely half believed their strategies are working. For details, see http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/3/prweb9293625.htm

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Direct Mail Still Reigns in the Marketing World

Direct mail is not only alive but kicking up ROI in this digital age, argues Steve Olenski in a recent article for forbes.com's CMO Network. He points to global research agency Millward Brown's finding that physical media, like direct mail, leave a "deeper footprint" in the brain than online efforts, and to ICOM's recent national survey showing a preference for direct mail transcends demographics to include 18- to 34-year-olds. It's no surprise a recent Target Marketing magazine survey found direct mail rated as the top ROI channel of business-to-consumer marketers, but why does Steve still need to remind us of direct mail's advantages? Many marketers shy from direct mail because they lack training, experience and confidence with it, concluded the Kern Organization. Our conclusion: Direct-mail pros have some educating to do! For more, see http://www.forbes.com/sites/marketshare/2012/03/11/direct-mail-alive-and-kicking/2/