Fun times at the Expo!

I apologize for missing the blog post yesterday. I, along with a couple of colleagues, went to the Customer Engagement Technology Expo at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

It was my first time at a huge Expo and we had a lot of fun going to the various booths. This particular expo turned out to be more hardware based than marketing based but we still learned a lot.

They had QR (2D) barcodes everywhere! As I have discussed a couple of times on the blog, this is definitely the new up and coming technology.

The expo also had a Social Sphere and Blogger Zone with laptops connected to the internet so people could update company blogs, twitter accounts, etc. I utilized this by tweeting from the event. Great way to gain more exposure for the event and a fun place to meet other social media people.

There were many interactive kiosks to try out the latest technology. It was fun to see how far the customer experience has come. Look for these interactive kiosks to pop up in stores near you!

Let me know if there are any other interesting conferences/expos that may be happening in the near future. DMI would definitely like to attend more of them!

--L

Direct mail and digital technology is a match made in heaven

Happy belated Easter! How was everyone's holiday weekend? I surprisingly did not eat my weight in chocolate bunnies.

An article caught my attention in April's Direct Marketing News, titled Direct mail and digital most successful combo in driving customer acquisition. Yes, the title is a mouthful but this is something that we at DMI, agree with 100%.

The article discusses the recent "integrated marketing campaign" by TruGreen, a lawncare company. They used digital support such as updating their website to bolster their direct mail. They also re-designed their direct mail piece to be more dynamic by doing things like a scratch and sniff postcard and three piece self mailers. Also to increase the number of touches they had pop up stores open up in malls, commercials, sweepstakes, and telephone calls.

Incorporating many different touches into an overall campaign is what DMI is all about. We want our clients not to only focus on the direct mail portion of their campaign but to make sure they have a web presence, social media presence, and other digital avenues like radio and/or TV. It is important to capture the buzz surrounding your organization/company.

Let me know if you want to know more about "integrated marketing campaigns" or what we can do to help you have a more successful marketing campaign!

--L

DMI's Community Weekend - Dining Out Edition

Sorry for not having a post yesterday. I was out of the office enjoying daytime baseball! Also, tomorrow is Good Friday (and Earth day!) so DMI will be closed, which means no Friday post either.

So this post will have to do until next week!

I love eating out and when I can combine that with a charitable cause...it's wonderful!

Next Thursday, The Heath Trust will be having their Dining Out For Life event. "Simply dine at one of [the] participating restaurants on Thursday, April 28, 2011, and 25 percent of your food bill will benefit The Health Trust Aids Services."

Check out the website for a list of restaurants that are participating in your area and for more information about The Health Trust Aids Services program!

Make a difference in our community by dining out!

Have a great Easter weekend! Remember to save some Easter eggs for me!

--L

Are zip codes private information?

Did everyone enjoy their weekend? I mainly caught up on my DVR over the weekend!

A very interesting article was given to me today from April's Issue of Direct Marketing News. It was discussing the recent California Supreme Court ruling "that Williams-Sonoma could not longer collect ZIP codes during credit card transactions." The court sided with the plaintiff who accused Williams-Sonoma of using "customer ZIP codes to find home addresses, market to consumers, and sell that data to other businesses." This case has brought along hundreds of similar cases against other retailers.

I shop at many stores that ask me for my ZIP code but never thought of it as private information. I never gave it a second thought but now this makes me wonder. With the advances in technology, it seems that our personal data is more vulnerable. But is that really the case?

Also, for those companies that do use this information for data gathering purposes will now have to find another way to do so. How will this affect marketing efforts by companies?

What are your thoughts? Do you consider your ZIP code to be personal?

--L

DMI's Community Weekend - Baseball Edition

This past baseball off-season seemed really long. I couldn't wait for the season to start! But now, I kind of wish we were in the off-season again, since my team can't seem to win games!

Anyhoo...if you are like me and love watching games in person I highly recommend supporting our local minor league team the San Jose Giants!

It's a great atmosphere to watch the games and they have some awesome bbq!

Plus tickets are inexpensive and the ballpark is right in our own backyard.





 Check out their website for more information:  http://www.sjgiants.com/

Also, if anyone out there has any events, organizations, or any local happenings that you want me to feature on Fridays send them in.

Have a great weekend!

--L