Variable Thinking December Newsletter

Variable Thinking Wins International Award
Variable Thinking was announced as a winner in the 2007 Davey Awards by the International Academy of the Visual Arts. Variable Thinking was among those honored for the finest creative work from the best small firms, agencies and companies worldwide. The Davey Awards is judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts (IAVA) whose members include: Yahoo!, Estee Lauder, Wired, Bath & Body Works, Brandweek, Polo Ralph Lauren, ADWEEK, Coach, MTV, HBO, and many others. Read more...

Trends in Marketing
Huge profit potential in travel industry for 2008! Read more...
Direct mail continues to grow. Read more...
Customer retention and market segementation are main focus for marketers.
Direct mail response rates increasing. Read more...
Car dealers can expect increased web traffic in 2008. Read more...
Green marketing continues to grow.
Gen X gaining ground as target market.


Partnering With Us is the Smart Choice
Busy CEOs and advertising executives know when they find an exceptional and dependable business partner to handle the smallest or most technologically advanced project, they've gained an advantage.

Here's what Owner & President of Mann Marketing Agency, Ed Mallof has to say about Variable Thinking:

“The PURL technology sends the leads directly to the appropriate sales rep. That means we get the customers when they are in “buy mode” and no time is wasted figuring out who will respond to the lead. The customer responses we receive allow us to better serve our clients now, and better market to them in the future. Where else can you find such a great return on investment?”

To improve your ROI, call today and learn the many ways Variable Thinking can make your business better. Request a call today!

Customer Spotlight
In a cooling real estate market, Variable Thinking's one-to-one marketing is getting hot results for mortgage and real estate clients, including Guaranteed Rate, one of the largest independent mortgage companies in the Midwest.

Director of Marketing for Guaranteed Rate, Cheryl Cepuran says, “After searching for several online marketing solutions we found Variable Thinking. Apart from their outstanding technology and creativity, their solution has incredible functionality. Now we track all campaign responses in real-time. The marketing dashboard is so easy to use and allows us to not only recap our campaign at the end of the promotion but to get real-time reports mid-campaign.” This could be you! Contact us today!

Free Webinar!
Learn how your company can maximize profits! Attend one of our free weekly marketing webinars held every Wednesday from 2:00 pm to 2:45 pm CDT, and enter to win a free three day/four night trip to the Grand Bahamas! Sign up now!

MARKETING SPECIAL
Personalized direct mail with PURL services come with free web analytics and lead generation including:

Free real-time reporting
Free real-time targeted lead generation
This quarter only!
Find out more!

PURL TESTIMONIALS

“The PURL technology has allowed us to gather more information and build a stronger database of our customers than we ever thought possible. In my 20 years of marketing I have never seen such valuable data. This is powerful stuff!” - Keith Lemay, President, LeMay Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac, GMC & Medium Duty

“We couldn’t be happier with the creative and fully customized pieces Variable Thinking designed for us. They really understand the marketplace and hit the mark with their solution. We recommend the Variable Thinking solution to anyone who wants to build stronger business relationships and automate the selling process.” –Lori Greenberg, Director, Atlantis Casino and Hotel

“Variable Thinking is devoted to revolutionizing the direct mailing industry. Their technology is just one aspect of a great solution. Their ability to integrate our recommendations into the development process has saved us valuable time and money. We couldn’t be happier.” - Paul Mailto, Branch Manager, Country Companies Insurance

“The PURL offers dynamic and exciting materials that reach to tech-savvy individual as well as the computer beginner. The process is very straightforward and trouble-free for the customer and has shown to be a very effective tool to reach our current and potential customers.” - Cheri Arnott, Corporate Vice President, Citicorp Cards Division

The difference between the marketing results you're achieving now and the results you strive for is Variable Thinking. Contact Variable Thinking today! For immediate assistance call 866/346-1400 or email sales@variablethinking.com.

PURLs (Personalized URLs) Statistics

For your information: Random quotes and statistics about Personalized URL (PURLs), microsites, and VIP landing pages.

Forty-Three Percent of Consumers Prefer to Respond Online
According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) 43% of consumers prefer to respond to an advertisement online.

30 Percent Returns are Possible
According to the article "PURLs of Wisdom", “Personalization allows direct mail, which traditionally has less than 2 or 3 percent returns to obtain returns greater than 5 percent. Some of the more effectively designed programs can achieve returns of 20 to 30 percent.”

Behavioral Marketing to Reach 3.8 Billion in Three Years
More than thirty-three percent of websites offer behavioral targeting—or relevant offers, according to “Behavioral Targeting: Advertising Gets Personal” by eMarketer.com. The same report forecasts that spending on targeted marketing will jump from 575 million in 2007 to 3.8 billion in just three years.

PURLs Plus Email Marketing Equals Huge Results!
According to a Jupiter Research report, incorporating web analytics into email campaigns increases response rates by up to 5% and open rates up to 13%!

PURLs Help Maximize Customer Value
It pays to build relationships with and market to your most profitable clients. Unisys’ top 50 clients generate 80% of the companies revenue, according to Ellyn Raferty, the VP and general manager-worldwide marketing.

How to Choose a Solution Provider

If you search the phrase "marketing solution" on Google you'll be smacked with 167 million indexed pages (SERPs) that include everything from email, SEO, direct mail, and ministry marketing solutions. You'll be attracted to the pages because "marketing solution" will be all over the content and in page titles, but you'll never actually find an explanation of what a "marketing solution" is. That is why it's important to ask yourself if you're looking at a true solution--or a service.

PODI defines a solution as, "A repeatable combination of core products, services and unique knowledge that improves the economic performance and delivers ongoing value." In other words, solution providers are long-term partners who understand the needs of your business.

A true marketing solution must achieve at least one of three things: 1) fulfill unmet marketing needs; 2) provide a unique technology you can't find elsewhere; 3) offer services that would be unaffordable elsewhere.

When looking for a solution provider, it's important to make sure the company understands the needs of your company and helps you acquire, retain, and grow customers. Another important question to ask when researching companies is whether or not the solution can be replicated, or if individual services can be purchased when needed.

One example of a complete marketing solution is Variable Thinking’s Integrated Marketing Solution. All of the services are offered individually, but are most effective when used as a "solution" that includes: database marketing, personalized direct mail and email, personalized landing pages (PURLs), digital printing, direct mail fulfillment, real-time sales leads, and response tracking.

Another question to ask is if the "solution" is outsourced or provided under one roof. Variable Thinking is the only company that can provide the entire marketing solution under one roof, meaning you’re only communicating with one business partner.