Jul 30

Response July: Turner’s Rise, Social Success and a Yahoo! Daily Ticker Link

Response July 2013The July issue of Response has been available online for a couple of weeks now. Hopefully, if you’re one of our readers, you’ve taken a look at it, but — if not — here’s some back story on the cover feature on Turner’s Jason Baron and Katrina Cukaj, as well as a number of the other key pieces in the issue:

Thanks again for reading and interacting with Response!

Jul 07

Response June: Money Mailer, Social Media and a Growing Market

Better late than never, here’s a look at my work in Response‘s June issue!

Money Mailer’s Chris Rimlinger leads Response’s June issue.

Our cover story on Money Mailer’s marketing leader Chris Rimlinger was a bit of a late bloomer, coming to us after a couple of other opportunities dropped out. But that turned out to be a lucky break, as Rimlinger was a pleasure to deal with and a very thoughtful interviewee. Not only that, but the size and scope of Money Mailer as a direct response marketer, via print, Web and mobile, was a surprise to me once we delved into the story. Money Mailer not only services hundreds of local communities across the U.S., but it’s also one of the leading franchise ownership opportunities in the country. To learn more, here’s the link once again: The Deal Is in the Mail

The latest Response Advisors’ Forum, about the growing power of social media, became a Web exclusive when the print version was cut for space. But that allowed for us to run all of our experts’ answers in their entirety. As usual, the opinions were varied as some believe social media is a perfect DR outlet whose measurability is truly underrated at this moment. Meanwhile, others still have questions about social’s viability as a standalone DR opportunity. To hear from the industry’s experts on social media in DR, click here: A Social Solution

Finally, my Editor’s Note column for June talks about some of the positive financial statistics that are trickling out in the DR space of late, questioning why so many folks you speak with in the industry still seem to downplay the industry’s health. The idea came up when researching recent media stats for a different project, but those numbers are hard to dispute: direct response is getting healthier every day, and often at a faster pace than other, more touted marketing mechanisms. To read my thoughts, here’s the link: Most DR Indicators Are Up

Thanks again for reading and interacting with Response!

Jan 30

Response January: An ICON, a Roundtable, and a Rant on Real Value

Rather than just putting links on my Facebook and Twitter with my Response Magazine stories this month, I figured I’d transition the links to a single blog post that I could then link to said social media. Plus, this forum gives me a little space to expand on each story and give you some deeper background.

ICON's Eric Watterson was an excellent interview.

  • The January cover features ICON Health & Fitness’ Eric Watterson. The story’s genesis came on a September visit to R2C Group’s Portland offices, when agency leader Tim O’Leary took Response Publisher John Yarrington on a tour of their facilities, including the edit bays. A new version of the show for ICON’s ProForm Tour de France Trainer was being cut in one of the bays, so when our January sports & fitness issue rolled around, I dropped a note to R2C to gauge ICON’s interest in a cover story on its newest DR product success. Within days, R2C’s Lisa Calais had connected me with ICON  — and the resulting story can be found here.
  • Our January issue also includes a Response Advisory Board roundtable previewing some of the issues and opportunities DR marketers will face in 2012. Technology, politics, the economy and more are all major topics of discussion. And, in case you hadn’t noticed, we’ve changed the name of this group from Editorial Advisory Board to Response Advisory Board (see the board’s members here)to better reflect the group’s service across our product offerings, including assistance with Response Expo’s educational sessions and the initial nominations for the annual DRMA Marketer of the Year Award. These are the thought leaders in the industry, and to see their latest takes in the January issue, click here.
  • Finally, my monthly Editor’s Note column touches upon some of the magazine’s newest content to kick off 2012, including new Nielsen research and our efforts to make reading Response a more interactive experience. At the same time, making a point about the true value of our properties — the fact that we always use third-party verification of our opted-in customers let’s both our readers and advertisers know our commitment to real service — feels more crucial in a time where competition is tight for all of us. As committed as those in the DR space are to their clients and customers are, Response’s commitment to you is just as strong. To read my take, just click here.

Most importantly, thanks for reading and interacting with Response!