Q&As

Coupon distribution via free-standing insert was up 7.7% in 2004, according to TNS Media Intelligence, to 251 billion offers — the fastest growth rate the company has recorded in five years. Total FSI pages in North America also grew 7.7%, to 189.3 billion.

Promotion agency revenues hit an estimated $4.22 billion in 2004, up a respectable 12%. That’s less than half of the 26% increase agency execs had been expecting for 2004, but a steady increase nonetheless. Nearly half of U.S. agencies expect to boost revenues in 2005; and a quarter of shops say they expect a bump of 20% or more.

Arising tide may lift all boats, but when it comes to the growth of the promotional marketing industry, not all boats are rising as quickly or as far as others this past year.

Direct mail was the most popular channel used by Hispanics that made direct response purchases, followed by DRTV and online marketing. Telemarketing trailed a distant fourth, according to a new study from the Direct Marketing Association and Directo: the DMA’s Council for Hispanic Marketing.

The needs of prospects, who may never have seen your catalog before, differ from those of returning buyers, who already have some relationship with you and know what to expect inside the book.

By now most multichannel merchants know about matchbacks and the importance of understanding where online and retail buyers are coming from rather than guesstimating the percentage of sales driven by the catalog or an e-mail campaign.

Staying true to its mission of providing creative, confidence-building toys for children while continuing to expand its number of customer touch points has been integral to the success of Enfield, CT-based Lego,

Strong catalog creative, from compelling imagery to easy-to-read typefaces, is an essential component of effective branding, Glenda Shasho Jones, president of New York-based consultancy Shasho Jones Direct, said at last week’s New England Mail Order Association spring conference.

Since there are fewer businesses in the world than there are people, B-to-B databases by nature are smaller than B-to-C. However, they’re far more difficult to manage.

What is a lead? The only people in b-to-b marketing who know that answer may be salespeople. At least that’s the way it seems to John Coe, of the Sales & Marketing Institute.