Chief Marketer Staff

• Captaris Snares Hot Leads

  Question: How do you sell a software program that costs up to a quarter of a million dollars?

  Answer: Through a cheap but precisely targeted electronic lead-generation effort.

  Ask Captaris Inc. It got 1,458 leads this summer from a multipart campaign promoting Alchemy, its Sarbanes-Oxley Act compliance software. (Sarbanes-Oxley requires companies to thoroughly document their revenue figures for accuracy.)

• Agencies

  Loose Cannon: The Gold Standard for Letters

  I don’t usually share mail without first obtaining permission from the writer, but I’m making an exception with this column. What follows is a note from a correspondent in Sierra Leone whom I suspect has sent this letter to other folks. I’ve left her syntax and grammar intact, as I have enough trouble with my own.

  Readers, if you don’t see a column next week, you’ll know that I’ve taken Mrs. Christina Coulibaly up on her offer, and am practicing my charitable instincts from Barcelona.

  I’ve interspersed some of my thoughts — in bold — with hers. Enjoy.

• Mail Stream: A Report on Incoming Direct Mail

  O, The Oprah Magazine Promotes Book Series Oprah Winfrey graces the outside of a colorful 12″ x 9″ polywrap mailed to promote O, The Best of Oprah Magazine book series. A sneak-peek at “Live Your Best Life,” the first book in the series, is offered in a …

• Listline e-Newsletter 11/28/05

  The names of more than 200,000 members have become available from the
  National Association of Teachers of Special Education (NASET). This
  database has the largest state counts from Illinois, Florida and Texas,
  followed by North Carolina and Ohio.

• Greg Livingston Q&A: Mom Plus Kid Equals Superconsumer

  CHIEF MARKETER Web editor Tim Parry recently spoke with Greg Livingston, the executive vice president of Cincinnati-based WonderGroup, about how the role of mother as consumer has changed and why you should market even “adult” products such as autos to youngsters.

• Touting the Icon Helps Keep Captain Morgan Relevant

  Diageo keeps its Captain Morgan brand relevant in the minds of 21-to-29 year olds by bringing its icon to life. When an actor dressed as The Captain puts drinks in the hands of party-goers, it’s proven to build brand loyalty.

• How Do You Get a Town to Change Its Name? Free Satellite TV

  Dish Network’s City Makeover crusade challeged a municipality to legally change its name to “Dish.” The satellite TV provider and the town formerly known as Clark, TX, will both benefit from the buzz.

• Multichannel Merchants Entering Customer Loyalty Field

  The cost of implementing a loyalty program has come down during the past few years in large part because of automation and online capabilities. RedEnvelope will test one through the first quarter of 2006, then determine the short-term effect on its customers.

• Listline e-Newsletter 11/23/05

  Consumers who inquired about financing the purchase of a new or used
  vehicle have been assembled on the Car Loans for All file. The count for
  the last 12 months is 332,198.

• Agencies

  Simon Malls Lure Gift Card Buyers with Sweeps, Treats

  Mall manager Simon Property Group and Visa USA are running an instant-win game touting its Simon Visa Giftcard to holiday shoppers.