PODi announces winners of 2006 Best Practices Awards

Media contact: Christine DeLooze
585.214.5900
chrisd@podi.org

PODi Announces Winners of 2006 Best Practices Awards

Like many private schools, Out-of-Door Academy (ODA) relies on fundraising to supplement tuition. To increase participation by parents, faculty, staff and trustees, the school turned to a personalized direct mail campaign created by One to One Gulfcoast. The new approach raised $345,452, a 42 percent increase over the previous year and a school record. The campaign achieved 100 percent participation from trustees, staff, and faculty, and 82 percent participant from parents, another school record.

“We started One to One Gulfcoast with a singular purpose – to share what we had learned about the startling power of effective digital print communications with those who could most benefit,” said Brian Weiner, President of One to One Gulfcoast, “While we are honored to be recognized, we take great pride in knowing that our products and concepts continue to advance the work of the diverse human and social services charities that rely upon us each year, and we thank them for putting their trust in our company.”

 Direct Marketing Award: Personalized Marketing Helps Inter-State Studio Stop Sales Slide

 In 2004, Inter-State Studio, a school photographer in the United States, halted declining sales participation by using personalized promotional flyers showing individual student poses in the photo packages offered for sale. As a result, the downward trend was halted as total sales participation held even with the previous year. The company also achieved a 30 percent increase in average order size, 300 percent productivity improvement, and 40 percent reduction in manufacturing costs through use of pre-converted roll-fed paper. The project also made effective use of PPML to facilitate problem-free digital production.

Collateral Management Award: MFS Enhances 401(k) Sales Proposals Via Customization  MFS Investment Management wanted to respond quickly, efficiently and effectively to requests from financial advisers for 401(k) sales proposals. A customized Web-to-print solution has increased kit requests by 58 percent, cut annual costs by over $350,000 and boosted sales volume. Now 30 percent of all sales proposals issued are closed, and sales volume is predicted to triple to $3 billion in 2006. 

 “Print and composition technology has matured to a point where creating documents digitally to allow for personalization and customization is not only possible, it is effective and efficient,” said Ron Ens, Senior Vice President, Marketing for Bowne Marketing & Business Communications. “We at Bowne have integrated web tools with data feed processes to help clients create and edit content dynamically, manage content centrally and allow for distributed remote ordering and tracking.”

 “Improving the member experience drives everything we do. We are zeroing in on what marketing can do in effectively communicating to the member. We have found that members want to know about our products and services, but only those that have meaning for them,” said Jon Reske, Vice President of Marketing for UMassFive College Federal Credit Union. “Improving our ability to provide one-to-one marketing through projects like this has not only resulted in more quality responses, but has also reinforced the message to our members that we listen and understand their needs.”