Q&As

Promotech, a direct marketing support division of Ventiv Health Inc., based in Somerset, NJ, has launched a mail order and Internet pharmacy services division.

The Direct Marketing Association Circulation Council has named Rob Gursha, president of Time Inc. Home Entertainment, to its Hall of Fame. He will be honored during the DMA’s Circulation Day on Feb. 1 at the New York Marriott Marquis.

Burger King Corp. is taking fans of NBC’s The Apprentice from the boardroom to the lunchroom through a new online sweepstakes, which offers the top winner two American Airlines tickets to a destination of their choice. The QSR is giving consumers a …

Shania Twain sings on DVD, not discs Procter & Gamble taps its four-month-old partnership with singer Shania Twain to launch a new disc for its Scentstories by Febreze air-freshener system. The scent (not music) disc, Shania’s Wishes for Spring, …

So you say you want to be the next hip hop star? Cingular Wireless, Sony Ericsson and Sony Urban Music are searching for the next up and coming star, offering one grand-prize winner the chance to record a mobile ringtone and win a new car. Unsigned …

Imported beer maker Newcastle Brown Ale is set to start a grassroots “edutainment” campaign to get the word out about the brands. Three-person street teams, called “Ale Blazers” will visit local bars around the country offering product samples and …

Christopher Reeve Foundation Pledges to Continue Legacy The latest mailing from the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation celebrates the life of its namesake, the late actor and director who was paralyzed after a horseback riding accident in 1995. The …

How do you know that a Web-buying household is placing an order just because they received a catalog? The argument has been made that just because a Web buyer gets a catalog and then later places an order, that purchase doesn’t prove that the catalog circulation caused the Web purchase. There are ways to answer whether receiving catalogs causes the Web orders.

Direct marketers put a huge amount of time and money into examining, testing, analyzing, and fine-tuning their marketing on a campaign-by-campaign basis. The results of a single campaign are judged by response rates, average spend amounts, and often, the ROI generated by that campaign. But less attention has been given to the long-term behavior of customers, says Don Austin, Ph.D., director of client strategy at Greenwich, CT-based list services firm Direct Media. In general, the amount of the first transaction predicts the amount of subsequent transactions. But Austin a variety of other variables can be used to segment customers into low long-term value and high long-term value groups.

Pepsi-Cola Co. is renewing its under-the-cap promo, doubling its 2004 offer with 200 million free songs, and introducing the chance to win Apple iPod minis though a sweepstakes. The promotion, open to consumers 13 and older, offers a one-in-three shot …