Q&As

National Jewish Health, a specialized hospital in Denver, is launching its first national direct response space campaign to attract patients and potential donors as well as build its brand.

What is required for a company to do effective data analysis? Many would respond, “People with advanced degrees in statistics.” This is most assuredly a worthwhile characteristic. However, I would also add, “The ability to ask the right question!”

Many best practices across B-to-C and B-to-B paid search campaigns are similar. However, B-to-B marketers face some unique challenges

Tom Simons of Partners + Simons shares how measurement-tools firm Agilent used puppets to charm online prospects into checking out a new product line, and offers thoughts on healthcare/scientific marketing trends you should watch.

On Tuesday evening over the course of about 30 minutes a flash-mob video was produced on the Las Vegas strip for both the Miller Light and Bacardi brands. The production was edited down to 2.5 minutes and is now up on YouTube with 1,016 views and counting.

As we know, the healthy lifestyle movement is well underway and promotion is an effective way to build a brand’s credentials whether or not “health” has ever been part of their core positions. Let’s take a look—and lesson—from two distinct, long-established brands with powerful promotional concepts. One, Special K, begins its new messaging with a heritage of health; the other, Bounty, uses promotion as a way in.

At first blush, rewards statement design should be a no-brainer. By definition, a marketer is communicating with its most engaged customers. To paraphrase an old saying, any communication is good communication as long as the customer’s name is spelled right. Right?

Marriott International found differently when it reconfigured its rewards e-newsletter. The new design highlights features members are interested in, strips down verbosity, offers a cleaner look and adds personalized rewards to its communication.

As a result, this group of engaged recipients has become even more so, with revenue per e-mail initially jumping by 25%. Since the new design has rolled out, monthly per-message revenue has consistently been 10%-25% higher, according to Kristen Barletta, Marriott International’s email marketing director.

Welcome to Broker Roundtable, where each week we ask list brokers to give their opinions on issues that matter to the marketing community. This week’s question: What direct mail package designs are going to be popular in 2011?

We all know that “listening” to conversations and comments about our brands on the social Web is very important, which is why social listening tools have become an indispensible part of marketing. But what marketers do with that information is even more important.

Age is an essential data point when targeting consumers. But advertisers who have pre-fixed ideas about what a baby boomer looks like may be in for a rude awakening as younger-thinking citizens age into this cohort.

Take the oldest boomers, those born between 1946 and 1954. They’re a lot more active—and a lot more computer-savvy—than previous generations of consumers in their mid-50s and mid-60s. Linda Armstrong, an executive vice president and practice leader at DMW Direct who specializes in health and age-targeted product launches, spoke with Chief Marketer about specific considerations marketers should mull when appealing to this group.