WELCOME!

This is the DMA Catalog and Multichannel Marketing segment portal!

These web pages feature relevant and timely information on events, as well as news, resources, useful links, white papers, and much more! This portal is part of our continued commitment to serving and connecting our Catalog & Multichannel Marketing members in a more significant and substantive way!

Add it to your favorites and please email Neil O’Keefe at nokeefe@the-dma.org with your thoughts and suggestions on content and features you would like to have access to!

UPCOMING EVENT

Planning a Successful Multichannel Prospecting Program

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 | 1:00 P.M – 2:00 P.M. ET | Online

FREE Virtual Seminar

Presented by DMA Virtual Seminars

Multichannel prospect planning means weeding through a multitude of options and choices. Successful Multichannel prospecting requires a foundation built on matching your brand, offer, and audience to the options available. As a marketer, you need to do all this while meeting basic company goals and political realities. Learn how to simplify the process and use structured approaches which can help any marketer make the best choices.

You will gain guidelines for testing success with Multichannel acquisition as well as the current industry benchmarks. Finally, examine the offer and creative concerns which must be considered for all Multichannel methods and how these intertwine with the structured approaches reviewed.

Attendees Will Learn:

• The 4 Key Strategic Options You Must Consider
• How to Evaluate Media Options for Your Brand, Product Offer and Audience
• How to ask the Key Strategic Marketing Questions
• Simplifying Media Choices With the 4 Key Planning Considerations
• The 6 Standard Internal Corporate Requirements
• How to Address Potential Operations Systems Challenges
• The 3 Critical Testing Guidelines for Success
• How to Compare Your Plans to Industry Benchmarks
• Critical Creative and Offer Aspects for All Mediums

Register Now!

Create Your Web Analytics 2009 Action Plan

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 | 1:00 P.M – 2:00 P.M. ET | Online

FREE Virtual Seminar

Sponsored by the DMA Analytics Council and Coremetrics

Join Eric T. Peterson, author, consultant, and recognized industry thought-leader as he outlines a sure-fire strategy to dramatically improve your use of digital measurement tools and the return you're getting from an investment in web analytics one month at a time.

Mr. Peterson will focus on the people, process, and technology required to allow your business to aggressively compete online in this uncertain economy, outlining a plan that any business can reasonably execute.

Attend this webinar to learn:

Best practices for setting-up a web analytics practice, including which data to collect and which to forget

Key processes to ensure analysis is acted upon and how to evaluate if your analytics resources are sufficient for your needs

How to use visitor segmentation to answer your business questions

What additional data sources can supplement your analytics data for deeper customer analysis

Register Now!

Building a Winning Loyalty Team

Thursday, December 4, 2008 | 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET | Online

FREE Virtual Seminar

Presented by DMA / COLLOQUY© Loyalty Marketing Virtual Seminars

In today’s loyalty marketplace, a great loyalty team is an equal asset to a great program strategy. While loyalty programs have become a norm in today’s marketing arsenal, it remains a challenge for today’s senior marketing executives to find and attract top team members to build and grow their loyalty practice. Without a focused and experienced team to create and flawlessly deliver a loyalty program, loyalty often becomes a competing marketing priority with dispersed accountability and insufficient resources.

This session offers a review of best practices from every angle of team building within a loyalty organization. We’ll explore the unique skill sets needed to run a loyalty program across strategy, marketing, operations and technology. Discover where accountability should lie within the loyalty team vs. other areas such as brand marketing or finance. Understand when you should consider outsourcing parts of your loyalty organization and infrastructure, and when you shouldn’t. Finally, we’ll discuss where and how to find all of the talent that you need to compete.

Offering a myriad of options on building a great team, you’ll leave this session armed with best practices and a tangible roadmap on how to design and defend the need for a strong loyalty practice within your organization.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

DMAchoice.org is LIVE!

DMAchoice™ is an online tool developed by the Direct Marketing Association to help consumers manage their mail. This site is part of a larger program designed to respond to consumers' concerns over the amount of mail they receive, and it is the evolution of the DMA's Mail Preference Service created in 1971.

For the purposes of this site, direct mail is divided into four categories: Credit Offers, Catalogs, Magazine Offers and Other Mail Offers. Consumers can request to start or stop receiving mail from individual companies within each category—or from an entire category at once.  Click Here to Learn More.

What the Election Means for Your Business

I hope you were able to join the call with our Government Affairs team on Monday November 10.  Below please find some brief notes as well as a link to the audio recording of this call. Running time is approximately 100 minutes.

Go to www.the-dma.org/government/election.shtml for a recording of this call.

While congress will likely be occupied with economic issues and cabinet confirmations, the call addressed significant shifts in Senate and Congressional committees that may impact our businesses.  The most significant changes to committees have occurred within the Senate where Senators Sununu (commerce, homeland security), Stevens (commerce, homeland security), and Smith (commerce) were defeated. Senators Obama and Biden will obviously vacate their seats. Primarily, our call addressed these committee changes, concerns about the upcoming postage increase expected to be announced in February, and momentum behind behavioral marketing legislation. From a local level we discussed any new “Do Not Mail” initiatives as well as the “affiliate” tax passed in New York.

Postage is expected to increase at an average of between 4.5 – 5.0%. DMA is supporting a stimulus package that would alleviate pressure on USPS to increase rates as well as less of an increase for flats in an effort to offset steep declines in flat mail since 2007.  Rate change announcements will come in February and increases are expected in May.  DMA may reach out to members in support of the inclusion of USPS in the stimulus package.  Timing will depend on whether the issue is addressed in a likely lame-duck session.

There are currently no pending bills regarding behavioral marketing or national do not mail. However, behavioral marketing is expected to become an issue in 2009 and do not mail is expected to surface at a state level again in 2009.  In 2008 DMA efforts in conjunction with Mail Moves America were successful in preventing 15 bills in 12 state legislatures from moving forward.  Most died or were withdrawn.  The New York State “affiliate” law is expected to remain in place since the state legislature has shifted to a Democratic majority.

Please go to the-dma.org/mailmovesamerica to learn more about how DMA will continue its efforts to oppose do not mail legislation.

Move Update Standards

On November 23, the Move Update standards expand from First-Class Mail automation and presort-price mailings to include all Standard Mail mailings. The minimum frequency of Move Update processing also changes from 185 days to 95 days prior to mailing. To meet the new requirements, mailers must use addresses that were updated within the previous 95 days. Mailings entered on November 23, for example, must have addresses updated no earlier than August 20. If an address used on a mail piece in a mailing at one class of mail is updated, the same address may be used during the following 95 days in another mailing, even if it’s another class of mail. The Postal Service is considering a Move Update non-compliance adjustment factor of $.07 per piece applied to the total pieces in the mailing regardless of any discount price levels claimed.

Please go to http://www.the-dma.org/government/moveupdate.shtml to learn more about the Move Update changes.

The Essentials of Catalog and Multichannel Marketing

If you missed any of the Essentials of Catalog & Multichannel Marketing Virtual Seminars, or you want to hear any of the presentations again - here is your second chance. Each virtual seminar has been recorded and available at your convenience for a nominal fee of $25.00 for DMA Catalog & Multichannel Marketing Council members. Go to http://www.the-dma.org/seminars/cmmcvs/ for more information and to register!

RECENT GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS BRIEFINGS

Click on the links below to get access the recordings or information from these important government affairs briefings:

DMA Tax Counsel Summary of Supplementary Technical Services Bulletin Regarding Affiliate Marketing Relationships
DMA Tax Counsel George Isaacson provides a summary of the June 30, 2008 Technical Services Bulletin entitled: Additional Information on How Sellers May Rebut the New Presumption Applicable to the Definition of Sales Tax Vendor as Described in TSB-M-08(3)S.

DMA Briefs Members on New Address Standards for Commercial Flat-Size Mail
USPS experts provide DMA members with detailed information on all aspects of the new addressing requirements for flat-shaped mailpieces, which will take effect Mar. 29, 2009.

Calling Canada: Canadian Regulators Will Tell You What to Do
Do You Telemarket into Canada? Do you have Canadian customers? The Canadian National Do Not Call List becomes effective September 30 and telemarketing rules are changing!

DMA Briefs Members on New FTC CAN-SPAM Rulemaking
On Friday, May 16, 2008, DMA hosted a comprehensive update for over 250 members, providing analysis of FTC’s CAN-SPAM rulemaking announcement and fielding questions from membership on the rules.

DMA’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS ANNOUNCES NEW NOTIFICATION PROVISION EXTENSION FOR THE COMMITMENT TO CONSUMER CHOICE

Launched last October at our Annual Conference in Chicago, the DMA’s Commitment to Consumer Choice (CCC) is the key component of the direct marketing community’s self regulatory efforts against Do Not Mail proponents.

The CCC includes several requirements for our members, but at its core is the notification provision, which requires each mail solicitation to provide the recipient with the opportunity to modify their future mailings from that sender.

The DMA’s Board of Directors met last week in Washington, D.C. and received member input on the notification issue from DMA staff. The Board, noting the extensive preparation and time necessary for testing notification language, approved an extension of the enforcement of the notification provision until October 2009.

For further information on the CCC, please visit: www.DMACCC.org.

SHOWCASE YOUR BRAND – GAIN VISIBILITY IN YOUR MARKET SPACE!

As a DMA Catalog & Multichannel Marketing Segment Sponsor you'll have the opportunity to connect with the leading catalog and multichannel marketers. This is the perfect opportunity to get your company message and sales/marketing executive team in front of the right audience. Take your company to new levels of success through a highly-visible sponsorship.

Showcase your brand and your company to clients, potential clients and others as well as your commitment to top quality programs, events and educational opportunities to over 10,000 catalog and Multichannel Marketing professionals!

To learn about the benefits of becoming a DMA Catalog & Multichannel Marketing Segment Sponsor, contact me at 212.768.7277, ext. 1479, or by email at nokeefe@the-dma.org.      

ABOUT THE DMA CATALOG & MULTICHANNEL MARKETING COUNCIL  

The goal of the DMA Catalog & Multichannel Marketing Council is to represent the interest of catalog companies, members of The DMA, and communicate critical industry issues to its members. The council identifies topics and opportunities and develops initiatives to address them. 

SPECIAL DISCOUNT

Special discount offer for the DMA 16th Annual State of the Catalog Industry Report and the EEC’s 2008 Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season.

16th Annual State of the Catalog Industry - Click Here!

2008 Retail Email Guide - Click Here!

UPCOMING EVENTS FOR CMMC MEMBERS!

17th Annual Catalog on the Road

February 3, 2009 – Cambridge, MA

For the past 16 years, over 150 Multichannel professionals gather to discuss and learn about the latest industry trends and the best strategies for increasing their businesses. This one day event is filled with leaders and visionaries who are not only committed to excellence, but those who display an undying passion that drives them to strive for success and share their insights with others. Hear from renowned catalogers and Multichannel marketers about what’s worked and what hasn’t. Most importantly, you will spend the day with your peers actively discussing actionable strategies to help strengthen your business.+

Register Now!

Email Evolution Conference

February 9-11, 2009 – Scottsdale, AZ

The Email Experience Council and the Direct Marketing Association will join forces for the second year in a row for 3 days of focused learning, networking, and exploring at the only conference for - and by - email marketers.

Step Up to Bigger Profits
The Email Evolution Conference will arm you with actionable strategies, illuminating research, and insightful forecasts to help you get up-to-speed with today's customer preferences, and stay one step ahead of the competition!

Register Now!

26th Annual Conference for Catalog and Multichannel Merchants

May 4-7, 2009 – New Orleans, LA

The Largest Conference for 360^o Marketers

• Connect with Multichannel customers anytime, anywhere
• Innovate to fight rising postage and paper costs
• Maximize revenue with breakthrough marketing solutions

Register Now!

KNOWLEDGE. NETWORKING. ADVANCEMENT. LEADERSHIP. SAVINGS

Membership Roster - To view the roster with access to online member profiles, you must sign on as a Catalog & Multichannel Marketing Council member.

Discount on DMA Reports/Research - Council members enjoy 20% discount on all DMA Research reports at the DMA Bookstore. In addition, Council members receive additional exclusive research offers and discounts. To take advantage of the 20% discount simply use the special discount code when you purchase any DMA world-class research reports at the DMA Bookstore. To access the discount code simply click on the Resources section found on the Catalog & Multichannel Marketing Segment home page and then click on the Research tab. There will be a link to the code. Remember to sign on to the DMA Web site first. 

Access to Industry Knowledge and Exclusive Information - As a DMA Catalog & Multichannel Marketing Council member you will have access to industry knowledge and best practices through numerous Council Member products and services, including exclusive content on the Catalog & Multichannel Marketing Segment Web pages.

Free Virtual Seminars and Exclusive Discounts - Council members enjoy free virtual seminars and exclusive discounts to conferences, seminars, networking receptions and other Council-sponsored events – all led by industry thought-leaders. Discounts can be up to $100 off the DMA member price for Council-sponsored events!

Personal Visibility - Catalog & Multichannel Marketing Council membership provides opportunities to raise your personal visibility as a direct marketing “professional practitioner” and enhance your reputation as a trusted community leader.