The Big Fat Marketing Blog

For what product or service would the Silhouette Girl Flashing Pin (right) be an appropriate promotional product?

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You’d think that the big news from a recent survey of 1,000 marketers by digital marketing firm Econsultancy and services provider ExactTarget would be that companies say they’ll spend more on digital media this year and they did in 2009—17% more on average, to be precise. It’s been the kind of year where a substantial investment in online campaigns should make a respectable splash.

Still, that hike is no big surprise, you say: Digital is measurable, and metrics lead to benchmarks and assurances of return on spending. These companies are simply migrating their money to channels that can produce the best provable performance at the least cost.

Not so fast. It turns out, the study reveals, that one of the online channels likely to get the biggest increase in marketing budget this year is the one that the large majority of respondents say is the hardest to measure, with the worst-understood ROI: social media. more

Now that the big game is over (congrats Saints), I have to inquire as to whether or not the all powerful game day ads convinced you to act?

Did you:

* Switch soda pop loyalties because Coke advertised and Pepsi did not?

* Want to run out and buy a Snicker’s bar?

* Do you now want a Hyundai more than ever?

* Did you text a question to KGB?

* Did you switch to Career Builder from Monster or vice-versa?

Okay, you have not had much time, but do you even PLAN on doing any of the above based on the commercials you saw? If you have not seen them, here they all are.

Inquiring minds want to know…!

A direct marketer of upscale prepared meals, DineWise and sister brand Home Bistro send out a joint e-newsletter twice a week. These alternate between strictly promotional (“Save 15% on Valentine’s Day and More!” is a typical promotional subject line) and informational. It’s the latter e-mails that we’re fans of.

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A few years back, maybe even during the 2004 Presidential Election season, I opted in to receive e-mail messages from the Democratic Party. Now that I’m trying to opt out, the Democratic Party doesn’t want me to.

The latest e-mail I received from the party seemed like it was going to make it easy to unsubscribe if I just clicked a link. more

In what appears to be a sign that it does aim to cater more to catalog members, The Direct Marketing Association has named Bob Allen its interim president/CEO.

Allen is the former president/CEO of The Vermont Country Store. That’s about as old-school catalog as you can get (which I mean in the nicest possible way). more