One of my favorite segments on The Colbert Report is the "Better Know a District" segment. I thought we could have our own DMI version!
So here's my interview with head of our Graphics Department, who we'll call GD.
L: How long have you been working at DMI?
GD: 2 years. Time flies when you're having fun!
L: So speaking of fun, what do you do when you're not working?
GD: I like to pump iron!
L: That sounds impressive!
GD: But seriously I really like to stay physically active in my personal life. I stay in shape by going to the gym, snowboarding, dancing, rock climbing, and paint balling.
L: I wish I could be that active. Do you have any pets?
GD: Yes I have 2 house cats named Ace and Sheba.
L: Nice! Any funny stories about your cats?
GD: They're full of personality. It's like living with 2 other roommates. One acts like a toddler and the other seems to have a bipolar personality.
L: Sounds like a handful! I know what it's like to have a crazy pet. Were you always creatively minded or was it something that developed over the years?
GD: It actually runs in the family. My mom is a florist and a craft maker, my dad is a photographer and my brother & sister are both artists. It's something that just came naturally.
L: A family of artists. That's really interesting! Thanks for a great interview!
I hope you all had fun getting to know a DMI employee!
--L
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Benefits of Barcodes
Hope everyone had a good weekend! I was on the road when Earth Hour happened and was curious to see how dark it would get around me but unfortunately nothing happened. Granted turning off your car headlights would not have been a good idea!
Last month we had written a post titled, Love and the 2D Barcode. It was about those little bar codes we see on advertisements.
Well these 2D bar codes (also called QR codes) are gaining more momentum. In a recent article from Advertising Age, QR codes are being pushed to the forefront by some large companies. Companies like Target, Best Buy, Macy's, and Post cereal are doing large marketing campaigns not only by using these bar codes but emphasizing how to use these bar codes.
Macy's has a nationally running video that "shows shoppers how to use codes and explains what they'll get access to when they scan one with their phone." They have "in-store signs and employees that are armed with more than 100,000 lanyards containing instructions on how to use the codes."
I think educating the public is the most important thing. If people know how to use it and why they should use it, it allows people to embrace the technology more.
This type of marketing can be used as part of a direct marketing campaign as well. Creating a buzz about your company or organization in multiple channels is vital in making your overall direct marketing campaign successful.
Has anyone tried scanning any of these 2-D bar codes? What do you think about this type of marketing? If you knew more about it, would you be more willing to try it?
--L
Last month we had written a post titled, Love and the 2D Barcode. It was about those little bar codes we see on advertisements.
Well these 2D bar codes (also called QR codes) are gaining more momentum. In a recent article from Advertising Age, QR codes are being pushed to the forefront by some large companies. Companies like Target, Best Buy, Macy's, and Post cereal are doing large marketing campaigns not only by using these bar codes but emphasizing how to use these bar codes.
Macy's has a nationally running video that "shows shoppers how to use codes and explains what they'll get access to when they scan one with their phone." They have "in-store signs and employees that are armed with more than 100,000 lanyards containing instructions on how to use the codes."
I think educating the public is the most important thing. If people know how to use it and why they should use it, it allows people to embrace the technology more.
This type of marketing can be used as part of a direct marketing campaign as well. Creating a buzz about your company or organization in multiple channels is vital in making your overall direct marketing campaign successful.
Has anyone tried scanning any of these 2-D bar codes? What do you think about this type of marketing? If you knew more about it, would you be more willing to try it?
--L
Friday, March 25, 2011
DMI's Community Weekend - Earth Hour Edition
Happy Friday! Let's hope the rain stops so we can enjoy the weekend.
For today's Community Weekend, I wanted to talk about an event that you can attend in your own home! This Saturday (03/26/11) is Earth Hour. Earth Hour is a "worldwide collective display of commitment to protect the one thing that unites us all - the planet."
In order to participate, all you have to do is turn off your lights at 8:30pm (local time) for an hour! While the lights are out, take a minute to think about what you can do to conserve the environment and make it more sustainable.
For more information about Earth Hour check out these links:
http://www.earthhour.org/Homepage.aspx
http://www.worldwildlife.org/sites/earthhour/index.html
http://www.beyondthehour.org/
Join the movement and turn off your lights!
--L
For today's Community Weekend, I wanted to talk about an event that you can attend in your own home! This Saturday (03/26/11) is Earth Hour. Earth Hour is a "worldwide collective display of commitment to protect the one thing that unites us all - the planet."
In order to participate, all you have to do is turn off your lights at 8:30pm (local time) for an hour! While the lights are out, take a minute to think about what you can do to conserve the environment and make it more sustainable.
For more information about Earth Hour check out these links:
http://www.earthhour.org/Homepage.aspx
http://www.worldwildlife.org/sites/earthhour/index.html
http://www.beyondthehour.org/
Join the movement and turn off your lights!
--L
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Maximizing ROI
Today we have another post by our guest blogger. Take it away!
Here at DMI, we employ statistical analysis to select the best targets for our clients, review campaign performance, and even evaluate our internal production and data processes.
But here is one we hadn’t seen before - One of my favorite bloggers, Nate Silver, recently wrote an article on how to use statistics to select the best salad: maximizing Return on Investment (ROI) by component/ingredient evaluation.
Regardless of whether you’re trying to get the most for your money out of a salad bar or a prospecting campaign, ROI component evaluation can be a quite a useful tool.
We can more broadly apply this idea to meet our clients’ needs by having them evaluate their internal data resources from an ROI perspective. Instead of going out and purchasing an expensive, heavily detailed prospecting list, we might advise them to consider going back to lists of lapsed customers or donors, or reaching out to those who are affiliated with their organization in some other capacity. This information may also be added to a less expensive prospecting list option and then incorporated into a statistical modeled solution.
--B
Monday, March 21, 2011
Mail Delivered Via Missile?
What a rain filled weekend we had! My borrowed poncho was my favorite clothing item over the weekend, and I don't think I'm going to return it anytime soon.
So did you know that the Postal Service used a missile to deliver mail? Well they did!
"On June 8, 1959, in a move that Postmaster General Arthur A. Summerfield heralded as 'of historic significance to the peoples of the entire world,' the Navy submarine USS Barbero fired a guided missile carrying 3,000 letters towards the naval auxiliary air station in Mayport, Florida. Racing along at about 600 miles per hour, the guided missile traveled the more than 100 miles from the deck of the submarine off the coast of Florida to the air station in about 22 minutes."
Wouldn't it be cool to get your mail delivered to you in minutes, instead of days? Maybe not your bills but all the fun stuff like packages or magazines.
Unfortunately this experiment didn't stick and was a one time thing. Granted, I can see where some issues and concerns would arise.
You can read the entire article here: http://www.usps.com/postalhistory/_pdf/MissileMail.pdf
Can you imagine if this option was available today? Direct mail would be a completely different concept.
--L
So did you know that the Postal Service used a missile to deliver mail? Well they did!
"On June 8, 1959, in a move that Postmaster General Arthur A. Summerfield heralded as 'of historic significance to the peoples of the entire world,' the Navy submarine USS Barbero fired a guided missile carrying 3,000 letters towards the naval auxiliary air station in Mayport, Florida. Racing along at about 600 miles per hour, the guided missile traveled the more than 100 miles from the deck of the submarine off the coast of Florida to the air station in about 22 minutes."Wouldn't it be cool to get your mail delivered to you in minutes, instead of days? Maybe not your bills but all the fun stuff like packages or magazines.
Unfortunately this experiment didn't stick and was a one time thing. Granted, I can see where some issues and concerns would arise.
You can read the entire article here: http://www.usps.com/postalhistory/_pdf/MissileMail.pdf
Can you imagine if this option was available today? Direct mail would be a completely different concept.
--L
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