You need to understand: Drake Morton

The Quest For The Perfect

Loyalty Program Email Experience

by Deirdre Cook , Monday, June 30, 2008

On a recent work project, I was tasked with defining the “perfect” loyalty program email experience. After reviewing over 150 awards/loyalty program emails, I can safely say that no one company does it perfectly.

Since the very nature of a loyalty program is to honor your best customers, any communication should be a robust dialogue — a personalized conversation based on what is relevant to the individual within the community. (more…)

Very Good Read: Drake Morton

7 Tactics for Driving Traffic To Stores With Email

by Chad White , Thursday, June 26, 2008

RECENTLY AN EMAIL EXPERIENCE COUNCIL member asked me whether retailers should drive sales online or offline with their email marketing. The marketer wanted to drive more store traffic, but wasn’t sure about all the ways to go about doing that. The added concern was that revenue was more trackable and measureable online –and the marketer definitely wanted to get credit for the sales they drove. (more…)

June 23, 2008

Drake Morton & Associates Launches Emerald,

A Direct Marketing Relationship e-Mail Building Tool

Westlake Village, CA – DM&A today announced the launch of Emerald e-Mail Solutions, a revolutionary new concept in business relationship building. Emerald is the first company of its kind that makes it possible for businesses to rapidly develop and deliver branded online marketing relationship building tools for their customers.
Emerald has at its core a sophisticated software that was created by Drake Morton, an advertising/marketing entrepreneur whose core business is understanding and communicating with consumers. “In order to compete in today’s marketplace, it’s absolutely essential that businesses know their customers,” noted Morton. “But until now, research has been an expensive and complicated undertaking. That’s why I created Emerald. A company of any size can go online and easily set up a branded customized e-Mail, tactically targeted questionnaire or post-card that is instantly delivered to their customer base. It no longer takes an IT staff or the services of an outside research firm. It’s perfect to get consumer feedback, solve problems and build relationships. And because it can be designed by the business itself, it’s incredibly affordable and flexible.” (more…)

Good Read: Drake Morton

The Semantics Of ‘SEM Strategy’

by Rob Garner , Thursday, June 19, 2008

LATELY, IT SEEMS THAT PHRASES like “search engine marketing” and “search strategy” are being used so liberally in conversations, news and blogs that it has become increasingly difficult to discern a point-of-view without first qualifying the person or writer’s bias.

Media planners, business marketers, marketing strategists, social media marketers and SEOs commonly apply “SEM” and “search strategy” to their own point, while often meaning something more specific within the search or marketing landscape. As a result, I’m spending more time trying figure out where they are coming from, rather than focusing on the merits of the discussion or idea. (more…)

 Need to Know: Drake Morton

Behavioral Targeting and Competitive Intelligence

by Phil Leggiere , Wednesday, June 18, 2008

THE CORE MISSION OF behavioral marketing is to deepen marketers’ knowledge of who consumers are and what they want. In practice, however, most marketers so far have used behavioral platforms primarily for placing their own brand and product promotions. In so doing, Hal Wurster, managing director, Automotive, at Compete, explains below, they are closing themselves off from critical behavioral intelligence about how consumers see their brand and product in comparison to rivals.

BI: Compete doesn’t describe itself strictly in terms of being behavioral targeting, but rather an analytics firm devoted to competitive intelligence. What role does behavioral data play in that?
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Excellent Read: Drake Morton

Targeting Social Media: From Theory To Practice

by Phil Leggiere

Once one has accepted the premise that social connectivity behavior is distinct from more traditional matrices of individual online behavior and psychographic profiling, the question becomes how to integrate that new data set purposefully. In the second part of a conversation begun last week, Jim Calhoun, CEO of Popular Media, outlines some of the challenges of social media targeting from theory to practice.
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Excellent Read: Drake Morton

Predict, Customize, Convert

by Steve Smith , Friday, June 13, 2008

AS MORE SITES IDENTIFY AND profile users coming through their front door, retailers and publishers gain the ability to optimize the site experience itself for various audiences. Magnify360, which works with Inuit, HSBC and Citrix, uses a combination of behavioral targeting, predictive modeling, and real-time multivariate testing to lift conversion rates. CEO Olivier Chaine walked us through a recent case involving the Continental Warranty extended warranty retailer, where the automated system produced some customizations that were as effective as they were counterintuitive.
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Excellent Read: Drake Morton

Branding, The Mind And Search

by Gord Hotchkiss , Thursday, June 5, 2008

IN MY LAST COLUMN, I opened up the search “branding” can of worms regarding unclicked search ads and generated a fascinating discussion with Gian Fulgoni and James Lamberti from comScore, as well as Aaron Goldman from Resolution Media, who has unpublished research that sheds new light on the subject and counters my argument. I think it’s fair to say that the value of an unclicked search ad still needs further research to resolve the question.

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Excellent Read: Drake Morton

Targeting And Engaging Consumers Online Is Easy —

Just Ask

by Jere Doyle , Thursday, June 5, 2008

WE’VE ALL DONE IT, WHETHER driving to an important business meeting, a trade show or a tourist attraction with restless kids in the car: gotten lost and refused to pull over and ask for directions, or at least waited far too long to do so, wasting time and causing ourselves and our fellow passengers a lot of unnecessary aggravation.    Online mapping tools and GPS technology have alleviated some of these problems, but there are still times when technology won’t cut it and we need to just ask another human being. (more…)

Very Good Read: Drake Morton

Effective SEM Strategies For Online Retailers

by Janel Landis

OIL PRICES CLIMBED TO MORE than $130 per barrel last week and the impact is definitely being felt by consumers, many of whom have dramatically altered their everyday activities due to increased prices. The effect is being felt nationwide, with year-to-date petroleum demand levels lagging behind those of 2007, according to the American Petroleum Institute. Many truckers whose livelihoods depend on the shipping of goods around the country can no longer afford to continue working. Some airlines have even begun charging travelers for their first checked bag. And as a result of $4 per gallon gas prices, many consumers are driving less.
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