NextMark released its first quarter 2010 data card quality rankings this morning (press release). When I think about all of the new digital media competing for our attention, I am amazing at how much marketing insight can still be gained from data cards, and I’m not alone. Data cards provide valuable insight for prospecting:
“When it comes to prospecting for new customers, there is no better research tool than the data card,” said Britt Vatne, Executive Vice President of Data Management at ALC. “Despite the proliferation of digital media, data card analytics are still the best source of targeted information for new customer acquisition. However, if the information isn’t maintained in a timely manner, then much of that value is lost.” (more…)
To recruit for his 1914 Trans-Antarctic Expedition, Sir Ernest Shackleton placed the following advertisement in a London newspaper:
"Men wanted: for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success."
Shackleton's offer was not very enticing, to say the least, but he certainly understood his target audience and his need for others to be equipped for the journey.
Although streamlining the mailing listacquisition process is not worthy of comparison with Shackleton's initiative, there is a leadership lesson to be learned from his recruitment effort — you don't go alone. Fortunately, for us and our clients, we have much better odds today than Sir Ernest did in 1914.
In addition to the 250+ industry leaders who recently joined the NextMark groupson LinkedIn and Plaxo, a select few also joined NextMark's advisory board to provide counsel and feedback on a present initiative to bridge the gap between data cards and data. This effort will also be focused on streamlining the count request process as shown below:
The group's responses are encouraging:
"Cross Country Computer is very excited to be part of the NextMark Select initiative. As data geeks and technology lovers, we always want to be on the forefront of innovation. NextMark Select will help the list industry improve communications, resources and turnaround — and ultimately improve ROI," said Nora Brophy, Vice President of Business Development at Cross Country Computer.
"NextMark is once again leading the charge to streamline the direct marketing process online. Their innovative bridge between data cards and data will allow marketing professionals to obtain pertinent information at lightning speed — thus saving time and money. Most importantly, this new technology allows marketing professionals to gain more control over the deliverability of data," said David Dotson, Managing Partner at ALC.
"NextMark is taking a leadership position on an initiative that has great potential for the direct marketing industry. It's great to do business with a company that places such high value on innovation, collaboration and customer service," noted Mary Miller, Director of Marketing at dm2 Decisionmaker.
"The list industry has been aching for efficiency for years. Cross Country Computer is proud to be a part of this initiative to provide an infrastructure that allows the brokerage community to serve their clients more effectively, and gives list managers the ability to focus more on cross/up-sell opportunities and less on paper-shuffling," said Greg Jarrow, Manager of Business Development at Cross Country Computer.
The following individuals added valuable, empirical insight to the development of an integrated count request enginefor next generation direct marketing:
Nora Brophy, Vice President of New Business Development, Cross Country Computer
David Dotson, Managing Partner, ALC
Denise Hubbard, Director of Sales and Marketing, Specialized Fundraising Services
Greg Jarrow, Manager of New Business Development, Cross Country Computer
Heather Maylander, Managing Director, Lake Group Media
Mary Miller, Director of Marketing, dm2 Decisionmaker
Joanne Petrone, Controller, Blue Hill Marketing
Mike Reckinger, Vice President, ALC DataCentrix
Jerry Reisberg, Vice President of Business Development, MCH, Inc.
Joe Robinson, Senior Vice President, Lake Group Media
The NextMark executive team would like to thank these individuals for their contributions towards bridging the gap between 60,000 data cards and the data. Check out the following video on the YouTube 'findlists' channel for a sneak preview of what is to come:
The DMA Fast Forward Conference ended with a heartfelt message this evening from the 2008 List Leader of the Year award recipient. After a long day of strategic thinking and challenges from experts outside of the list business, it was refreshing to hear words of wisdom and optimism from Linda Huntoon, Executive Vice President of Consumer List Brokerage for Direct Media, Inc. The industry veteran was honored by her peers, family and friends for an unwavering commitment to her clients and to the list and data marketing industry. Her acceptance speech reminded list professionals, young and old, that the customer is king and exceptional service is key to sustaining a healthy business regardless of the media or response channels you support. Undoubtedly, the industry has survived and will continue to thrive with added value and measurable results.
The 2008 Ron Davis Young List Professional of the Year was awarded to Tim Hickman of ALC, Inc. Tim hit the ground running in ALC's Data Management Division with a remarkable attitude. At times, it seemed like he was having more fun selling segments and selects than sipping suds on a Saturday night. Tim found joy in helping his coworkers, clients and customers throughout the day regardless of the problem at hand. This rising star finds a way to get the job done and have fun doing it — and he makes everyone around him just feel good.
And there was Scott Chilcutt, whose industry contributions required the introduction of a new award — the Industry Innovation Award. A few seasoned list industry veterans put Scott's contributions in the context of list marketing circa 1989 when list marketing information was only to be found on paper, in proprietary databases, or in an SRDS book. That was the same time when marketing INFORMATION network began with three employees, no clients, and Scott's vision for the future of mailing list research and recommendations. The vision was realized with an electronic standardized data card database that replaced internal data card compilation tasks with top shelf data, world-class service, and added value for list brokers and their clients. Scott now heads up the mIn Strategic Business Unit for NextMark providing services to include search engine optimization and advertising for list managers, as well as fully-integrated list order processing solutions for all direct marketers.
Each award recipient spoke from the heart with words of integrity that clearly revealed their character. Congratulations Linda, Tim and Scott on your achievements and for making our not so little world of lists a better place to work!