Advertising Is Good For You

67% of U.S.consumers say they're more likely to use coupons during a recession.

The other 33% are finding alternative ways to save.

Source: Media Post's Center for Media Research

Fresh approach to self-promotion from a freelance art director

Auckland freelance art director, Mari Pettersson, came up with this clever self-promotion piece. She explains:

As a fresh newcomer in freelancing, I wanted to approach some creative directors by delivering them a small poly-wrapped meat tray containing 'a fresh brain' = my business card. The label was personalized for each person. Number under the barcode is my phone number."

Looks a lot like the campaign from yesterday's post yet it's a completely different concept.

Source: Ads of the World

Introducing the Hawaii Chair. Privacy screen not included.

It only looks like a nursing home potty. It's really the Hawaii Chair. A fitness device that let's you hula dance your way to slimness (and possibly an orgasm, if you're a woman) while sitting down.

Go to the Hawaii Chair website to see the TV commercial.

"Online coupons of all kinds represent less than 1% of the overall coupon market."

That's according to Peter Meyers, ICOM marketing vice president.

I can tell you -- both as an advertising/
marketing geek and a consumer -- if you shop on the Internet, online coupons are a great reason to put yourself on e-retailers' email lists. It's only April and my e-mailbox is already full of 30% and 40% off coupons from some of my favorite online retailers pushing summer fashions.

The drawback is that your mailbox fills up pretty quickly with sales messages. But so what? Typically, the offers are in the subject line, so you don't have to open the email to know if it's something that interests you. Personally, I find the savings are more than worth the time it takes me to delete the unwanted emails.

Just in case you didn't know (and a lot of people don't), if you hold down the Control button, you can click all the emails you want to delete and then get rid of all of them at once by hitting the Delete button.

Image: Ann Taylor
Source: Media Post's Center for Media Research

The most popular inducements used by credit card companies to sign up college students

According to a survey of college students conducted by the Public Interest Research Group, here are the most popular "free gifts" used to entice college students to sign up for credit cards.

Source: The Consumerist

I don't care what the ad says, no one "delicately prepares" dog food.

I think ads that make pet food sound like five-star cuisine are silly. So this free-standing insert from Sunday's paper made laugh. Until I turned it over.

FSI front:

FSI back:

The back is so colorful, so graphically interesting, that I don't even mind that it's a rip-off of old Target campaigns.

Direct marketing revs up the auto industry

According to the Direct Marketing Association, auto retailers who spent $7.3 billion on direct marketing campaigns in 2007 saw it drive $248.1 billion in sales, for a return on investment of $33.81 for every dollar spent.

Auto makers, meanwhile, spent $8 billion on direct marketing in 2007 to generate $77.8 billion in sales, or a $9.68 ROI per dollar spent.

Vroooooooooooom.

Never forget, the purpose of a direct mail envelope is to entice people to open it

I really like this idea, although I think the open rate would have been higher if the envelope had been blind -- that is, if the envelope had not included the name of the sender.

Advertising agency: Marshall Fenn, Toronto

Source: Ads of the World

Best use of a window envelope by a direct mailer

Vienna advertising agency DRAFTFCB KOBZA created a direct mail solicitation for Amnesty International that turns the glassine window of the outer envelope into prison bars. Very nicely done.

Click image to enlarge.

Source: I Believe In Advertising

Follow the money

According to Media Post's Center for Media Research, a B2B Marketing survey reports that 60.1% of marketers plan to increase 2008 spending on online, events and direct marketing.

Their primary goal: customer acquisition.

Image: yomanimus