Award – Target Marketing

Who Are the People Moving Marketing?

With the new technology at the disposal of both marketers and their audiences, being successful today often comes down to having people on your staff who have the vision to see how things fit together in a way others can’t. How do you recognize those people? Who’s moving your marketing?

With all this new technology at the disposal of both marketers and their audiences, being successful today often comes down to having people on your staff who have the vision to see how things fit together in a way others can’t. How do you recognize those people? Who are the people moving marketing in your company?

For our September/October issue, we want to recognize those marketers. Traditionally, that issue has been reserved for our Target Marketing Marketer of the Year. This year, while we’ll feature our one Direct Marketer of the Year on the cover, we also want to recognize the visionaries who are moving marketing forward, and the young, up-and-comers who are changing the business in their own right.

Make a Nomination

Who have you worked with who fits those descriptions? Someone who you’d count among “the people moving marketing”? We’d like to know, and ideally we hope to be able to include them in the next issue.

Click here to nominate someone to be recognized as our Marketer of the Year, a marketing Visionary or an Up-and-Comer.

The People Moving Marketing

What sets these marketers apart? I think each category is a little bit different.

The Marketer of the Year, of course, should be a force within the company. To me, that’s someone who can guide a business to success, while also finding time to be a part of the wider marketing community and move the department forward.

A Visionary could be like the marketer of the year, perhaps without all the boxes checked. Or a Visionary could be someone who figures out how to get the most out of a new technology in your marketing department, or someone who can see how the market is changes and gets your company ahead of it.It’s someone who sees things other people don’t, and can make them happen.

An Up-and-Comer, to me, should be someone who’s really having a greater impact on the company and the marketing department than their years would indicate. That person probably came into the company with a skill set (perhaps on social media, or video) that other members of the staff just don’t have, or at least don’t have in that same way. We’re looking for marketing wunderkinds, but we’d consider a Nancy Drew.

We will be listening to the comments on this post, and to my email. But the best way to nominate someone is simply to click on that link above and fill out the nomination form.

I hope to hear from you!

Who Should Run for President? Effective Marketers Who Get Results!

As a marketer, how do you know that your work has made a difference in the world? It’s not whether you made an audience laugh, cry or remember the words to your jingle. It’s not because your brand name can evoke a Pavlovian response to make a purchase. For me, the most impressive result is when a smart strategy and innovative creative solution have a major impact on solving a business problem. I’m proud to report that this year’s ECHO entries were no exception.

As a marketer, how do you know that your work has made a difference in the world? It’s not whether you made an audience laugh, cry or remember the words to your jingle. It’s not because your brand name can evoke a Pavlovian response to make a purchase. While these are certainly all impressive outcomes, for me the most impressive result is when a smart strategy and innovative creative solution have a major impact on solving a business problem. And I’m proud to report that this year’s ECHO entries were no exception.

The ECHO Awards, represented by a new and beautifully designed glistening crystal statue, were handed out at a gala celebration on Monday night, complete with live band and TV-personality/stand-up comedian. But the highlight of the evening were those entries that truly impacted change – whether by driving a politician to introduce groundbreaking legislation or by disrupting an entrenched competitor. From campaigns for a little known travel destination in India to a clever recruiting campaign that sought to identify future code breakers for The U.S. Navy, the 2015 ECHO Awards were a testament to the brilliance of marketers who have honed their craft.

Even though I was honored to be this years’ ECHO Judging Chair, I was too busy administratively during the judging process to spend any time actually reading or judging entries this year. But when the dust finally settled and I was able to review all the finalist entries and partake in the discussion around who should be the Diamond Winner, I was astounded at how many times I marveled “I wish I’d thought of that!”

The judges, recruited from across the globe, were a tough bunch. While they included agency strategists, art directors, copywriters, account planners, project managers and client-side marketing pros, not one was unimpressed with the breadth and depth of the campaigns they reviewed. I saw many partake in lively discussions around the merits of an entry – and wished I could be part of that debate process.

In the end, those that were awarded Gold, Silver or Bronze statues on Monday night, should know that they are among an elite few. From nearly 1,000 entries, their work stood above the rest. Their work helped a client meet a financial goal… Or improved the lives of those less fortunate… Or helped drive revenue… Or helped drive sales. Most importantly, every campaign was thoughtful, innovative, and delivered on their promise to meet the stated measurable objectives. That’s no mean feat.

And that’s certainly more than I can say for most politicians.

4 Things I Learned at The Email Evolution Conference

I just got back from the 2011 Email Evolution Conference in sunny South Beach. The fourth annual event, sponsored by the Direct Marketing Association’s Email Experience Council (EEC), didn’t disappoint. I met many of my “virtual” contacts in person, did some networking, gathered some interesting content for our e-newsletters and acquired leads for future articles. There was a positive vibe about email in general at the event, with more than 500 attendees and exhibitors milling around the Eden Roc Resort. Here are four takeways from the conference:

1. Email needs to be more humanized. In his entertaining keynote address, Gary Vaynerchuk, the online marketing trailblazer, entrepreneur and author of CRUSH IT! Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In On Your Passion and the upcoming book The Thank You Economy, told attendees that for the email industry to evolve, it must offer a more human experience to consumers. “I’m convinced that nobody in this room cares about their customers enough,” Vaynerchuk said. “In the ecosystem we live in now, the currency is trust, appreciation and humanization.”

2. Marketers need to pay close attention to Facebook Messages. This Facebook service, which allows email, text messages and instant messages to be linked together in a “social inbox,” will be offered to most of the more than 500 million Facebook users over the next two months. Since people will undoubtedly be switching over to this service, marketers need to make sure they have a mechanism in place to deal with all the new addresses.

“Persistent consumer switching behavior and increases expected to be driven by Facebook Messages will have an impact in the number of dormant email accounts, requiring marketers to exert more effort in understanding subscriber engagement and reactivating subscribers,” said David Daniels, CEO of The Relevancy Group, in a presentation he led at the event.

Daniels also discussed his newest report, The Social Inbox: The Impact of Facebook Messages on Email Marketing. The report, which surveyed 1,000 consumers about their feelings toward Facebook Messages, found that nearly half of online consumers would switch their personal email address to Facebook or create a new address. These behaviors are trending higher for younger demographics.

“As consumers begin to spend more time on Facebook and in Facebook Messages, they’ll be less attentive to their other email accounts,” added Daniels. “The survey data indicates staggering implications for Gmail and Yahoo. Even if users maintain a separate account for their marketing messages and they move to @Facebook for personal communication only, they’ll be spending less time in their traditional email account — even if they don’t abandon it.”

3. Stick to the basics. While email is going through a rebirth of sorts (see No. 1), some industry best practices must remain the same. Austin Bliss, president and co-founder of FreshAddress, made the case that marketers should make it easy for consumers to sign up to receive their emails.

“Ask for their email addresses everywhere — on every page of your website, during every phone call and on every paper form,” he said. “Also, make sure to include email sign-up capabilities or a link to your website’s sign-up page on your social networking pages. Other best practices that were constant themes at the conference included the following: be vigilant of email law; master the subject line; be careful when using lists for acquisition; and strive for targeted, relevant and engaging emails.

4. Loren McDonald was named the winner of the Stefan Pollard Marketer of the Year Award. After much speculation, McDonald, the vice president of industry relations for Silverpop, was named the winner of the first-ever award from the EEC. The award was presented to McDonald by David Springer, CEO of Resposnsys, at Tuesday morning’s keynote in front of a teary-eyed audience.

This annual award was established in honor of Stefan Pollard, a highly respected and beloved member of the email marketing community who passed away last year. Pollard was considered a selfless mentor and champion of best practices in email marketing. The award honors an individual who demonstrates the qualities and professional standards that Pollard exemplified during his lifetime. Congratulations Loren!

Silver Apples Shine Brightly This Year

In some good (finally) news surrounding the direct and interactive world, the Direct Marketing Club of New York announced that its Silver Apple Awards 25th Anniversary Gala is sold out.

The awards, which honor industry leaders for their outstanding contributions to the New York direct and interactive marketing community, will take place at New York City’s Hudson Theatre on Nov. 12.

In some good (finally) news surrounding the direct and interactive world, the Direct Marketing Club of New York announced that its Silver Apple Awards 25th Anniversary Gala is sold out.

Stu Boysen, executive director of the club, told me that its maximum seating capacity of 300 was reached on the evening of Nov. 6. And tickets are not cheap: Members and previous Silver Apple honorees paid $195 a pop, while nonmembers paid $235.

Each year, the club’s past presidents gather to select individuals and a corporate honoree to receive Silver Apples. The recipients must have at least 25 years experience in the business, a commitment to volunteerism and leadership, and records of vital contributions to the growth of the industry.

Maybe it’s the recipients of the 2009 Silver Apple Awards that made it such a hot ticket. They include:

Andy Goldberg, CEO, Publishers Clearing House
Ed Mallin, President, infoUSA Services Group
Beatriz Mallory, CEO, HispanAmerica ·
Ruth Stevens, Principal, eMarketing Strategy
Tom Turner, Founder, Turner Direct ·
Brian Wolfe, Executive vice president, Time Inc.

And the Corporate Silver Apple Award will go to Acxiom Corp.

Or maybe it’s because the club is planning a gala event this year to commemorate the awards’ 25th anniversary. In past years, the awards were made at a special club luncheon in Manhattan. This year, however, the optional black-tie evening event will go back in time and pay tribute to the outstanding direct marketers who’ve received the award over the past 25 years.

The gala is also a key fundraising event for the club. The organization raises money from direct marketing organizations and industry vendors to provide program support and scholarships for college-level educational programs in direct and interactive marketing. Organizers hope to raise more than $30,000 for education this year through table sales and other donations.

Whatever the reason — or reasons — it’s good news for all involved. Way to go DMCNY!