No... not that kind of Trigger!

Back in November 2009, I promised a series of blog articles detailing why I enjoy being an email marketer.  In my first article I outlined the brilliance that is heat map analysis and how potentially rewarding it can be.  This time I’m tackling something that is viewed by many as the next big thing in email marketing: triggered emails.

There are two types of retail focused emails:

1. The trunch email – These are emails sent to batches in batches.

or

2. The triggered (or automated) email– These are targeted emails sent out based on a customer’s action, either positive or negative.

The triggered email has been around for a while, an order confirmation email sent after you’ve made an online purchase is a good example. However, as we become more sophisticated with our email marketing, this type of email has a more important part to play in email marketing strategies.

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Shirley - Bottle blonde and proud of it

Shirley Polykoff is a legendary advertising personality whose copy revolutionised both the fortunes of Clairol and the lives of women in 1950s America.

A ballsy girl from Brooklyn, Shirley battled her way up the ranks at Foote, Cone & Belding agency from the position of junior copywriter to vice president and creative director, to finally, inductee of the Advertising Hall of Fame. On her way up, this flamboyant and brilliant woman gained a reputation as ‘a dynamo in selling and advertising’, with her copy for Clairol hair dye famous not only for its explosive cultural and commercial impact but also for persuading David Hockney to go blonde.

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I first got introduced to retoucher Ann Mulqueeney by my old Art Director and Creative Partner Simon Rowlands… and ever since I met her I have been constantly amazed by both her abilities as a retoucher and what a wonderful positive person she is… in fact I can safely say that she is someone who goes above and beyond for you every time to deliver truly stunning results.

Whether she is tidying up a fashion shot, smoothing down fabric and ironing out crows feet on a model’s face or undertaking something far more complex that could involve her having to combine up to 20 separate shots to create one stunning visual… Ann’s ‘can do’ attitude means even the most time consuming job is not a chore.

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Along with giving me an addiction to Fig Rolls and introducing me to the music of Mr Scruff I also credit my old Art Director, Simon Rowlands, with introducing me to the photographic work of Martin Parr about 6 years ago… and ever since then I’ve been a fan of his unique views of both Britain and the world in which we live.

Internationally recognised as a brilliant satirist of contemporary life, Martin Parr has led the development of the British documentary tradition with wit, style, and intelligence in a career that boasts numerous publications and exhibitions. His work is held by major galleries and museums worldwide. ‘Common Sense’, which this week graces our reception area, combines extravagantly lurid and luscious colour with Parr’s trademark sense of irony. Though hilariously funny – as always with Parr’s work – there is a sharp and biting edge to the humour.

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We’re extremely proud of our work on the Swinton Mystery Tipper, especially as it has garnered the agency an armful of awards from two DMA Awards to two ISP Awards and two IPA Effectiveness Awards. We’ve had quite a few people ask to see our winning entry form… so here it is!

CONTEXT AND MARKET BACKGROUND

The insurance sector is a complex and increasingly challenging marketplace. For most of us, insurance has always been a distress purchase – something we grudgingly concede we need to have, and resent the increasing premiums. Three key innovations in the last decade have had a significant impact on the broader market. The launch of Direct Line’s online insurance offer, in 1999, following the formula of its breakthrough approach to offering insurance by telephone a decade earlier, forced every insurer and broker to reassess their approach – here was a company that made buying insurance simple and fuss-free, cutting out the middle man and talking everyday language. This sparked an extended period of discounting in the sector that still has ramifications today.

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Choosing a director is a tricky business. You are putting a lot of trust in someone to bring your concept to life and this time we needed it to be extra special.

Working on the concepts for the Marisota spring summer 2009 DRTV advert we had to go back to basics, introducing the girls and focusing on the research and size messages. So to bring all this to life means taking care of the little details.

Once the storyboards were signed off the real work started. Firstly finding a Director who can understand the concept and add something special was needed. I was introduced to Andy Saunders through Sharon Gunnel and her production team at Velvet. The first pre-production meeting went really well, Andy brought lots of ideas to the table to bring the ad to life… and I was sold on him straight away.

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I love shopping online. I can do it from the comfort of my home, not having to rush from shop to shop and then back to the first shop again, deal with fitting room queues or worry about buying something before closing time. If I have something in particular in mind then it’s also great being able to search for it with the whole internet at my fingertips and specify what price, colour or brand I want. And I’m not the only one! According to Nielsen over 875 million of us have shopped online, with that number increasing 40% from two years ago. And despite falls in sales on the high-street, online shopping has seen a 13% rise on 2008 with the most popular purchases being Books, Clothing & Accessories, DVDs & Games, Tickets and Electronic Equipment.

But shopping online can sometimes be a bit solitary. It doesn’t replace going shopping on the high street with your friends and picking out clothes together and it doesn’t replace the buzz you get from having loads of shopping bags full of new things that you can’t wait to try on again at home. So that’s why online shopping had to evolve into something more visually and socially appealing. And with the boom in social networking sites and niche communities social shopping was born.  OSOYOU was one of the first online shopping communities and was launched in 2007. It acts as an aggregator of fashion and beauty products with 49 of the top retailers on there. But shoppers can also create their own profile, chat with each other in forums and drag products into their own “style file” to show off their most wanted items.

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It was billed as creative flair versus strategic nous. Those blokes in jeans and trainers versus those guys in suits. It was a hard fought match… for fifty minutes the game was too close to call, but a late flurry by Creative sealed victory for the boys with Macs and sent the PC guys running home with their tails between their legs.

With the help of some Precision Burner energy drinks saved up from a pitch for EAS… Creative were primed to take this game by the horns from the kick off. But credit to Account Handling… they were more than our equal for a long time and even took the lead a few times which only spurred on my brave warriors… dressed in black and playing like footballing Ninjas… we raised our game and produced some wonderful flowing football.

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Marchetto - Living Cartoon

If you’re an avid watcher of the Royal Variety Performance Show, circa 1998, here’s a face you might recognise, if not the name – Ennio Marchetto. Described by some as a living cartoon, and by others as human origami… on a cold and wet October Sunday I went to see if he could brighten up the dark evening (and cheer up my hangover from the night before) with his colourful performance.

For one night only, Marchetto was performing at the Lowry Theatre in Salford Quays. The show opened as the low murmur from the audience settled in, curtains already open and a bright light lit stage that looked like the cleaner had forgotten to sweep. From around the corner, a sleepy paper caricature (paper pyjamas, paper wig, paper candle) yawned and stretched its way to the front of the stage. The audience had silenced themselves for the evening’s performance and as Marchetto blew his paper candle out, the lights in the auditorium switched off. The show had begun. Read more…

Integrated agency Red C has won a three-way pitch to expand the role of online marketing for AGA Rangemaster Group, which celebrates the 300^th anniversary of its foundry this year.  The agency has been appointed to work on a number of brands including AGA, Fired Earth, Divertimenti, Falcon, Rayburn, Rangemaster and newly acquired Mercury.

“Each brand represented a very different challenge,” explained Red C Managing Director Adrian Rowe.  “For example, AGA already has a strong social media presence thanks to its passionate customer base and iconic status, whereas Falcon, which benefits from a strong commercial heritage, is aiming to raise its profile with those with a passion for cooking.”  The agency recommended a different blend of PPC, search engine optimisation, social media marketing and e-mail programmes for each brand.

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