The Hive

"Bait and switch." "Pulling a fast one." "Faking you out." No matter how you describe it, the response is human nature. When someone tricks you, it's irritating. Given that marketers are considered irritating in even the best of circumstances (we fall somewhere under used car salespeople and above elected officials), we should all agree not to do a...

Most of our clients are still getting their arms around GDPR and how it affects their ability to nurture prospects. But regulations aside, there are other considerations before you develop and send an email. Here are some issues we encourage our clients to think about. Noise LevelAccording to a CampaignManager study, there are about 124.5 billion b...

Ship ahoy! Here are two postcards from cruise companies. They present an interesting compare and contrast opportunity. CRUISE CARD ONE: With summer waning and fall client work picking up, the Bs aren't terribly interested in the postcard we received from Royal Caribbean. But, the timing may not be the only problem. Photography is, arguably, the mos...

If you've been in this business as long as the Bs have, you probably remember those halcyon days of ... photo shoots. Yes, actual shoots with a photographer, models, sets, lighting equipment, lighting people, make-up, hair, wardrobe, and a nice buffet for the clients who had flown in from Virginia or Seattle or France.  At B Direct, we have pl...

Good direct marketing comes down to a fairly simple equation: the right offer, sent to the right person, at the right time. Most so-called "junk mail" misses the mark because one or more of those elements is wrong rather than right. (The junkiest junk mail would be a lethal combination of wrongs: the wrong offer, sent to the wrong person, at the wr...

Lots of copywriters are former English majors. But it's hardly a prerequisite for a successful career in advertising or direct marketing. In fact, much of what Professor So-and-So at the University-of-Somewhere-or-Other taught you is not just unnecessary to write copy; it's downright detrimental. So, with all due respect to any proofreaders who may...

Dale Carnegie, in his perpetual bestseller How to Win Friends and Influence People, lists "6 Ways to Make People Like You." The third of these tips is this: "Remember that a person's name is, to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language. The average person is more interested in their own name than in all the other names in ...

phish·ingˈfiSHiNG/noun the fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers. Out of the hundreds of emails you receive every week (or maybe every day ... sorry), a third may be business and half may be commercial s...

This October, the Queen B will have lived at her current address for twenty years. Twenty. That's right, twenty. In fact, it was still the 20th century when she moved in. So, imagine our surprise when she received an obvious "new mover" mailing from JCPenney. The self-mailer is a simple three-panel piece, closed with fugitive adhesive (or what real...

The headline of this post is what we in the marketeering business call "borrowed interest." It's also not quite accurate. We're going to talk about five (not fifty) direct mail formats, when to use what and why. At B Direct, we're big believers in direct mail for one big reason. It works. And for anyone who thinks you can't be creative with direct ...

It was a decade or two ago when virtually all our clients made the move from direct mail to email marketing. Having cut our teeth on 1990s "brochureware" websites, we were happy to apply direct marketing techniques to digital media.  Whether you're sending a campaign to someone's analog mailbox or to their Outlook inbox, a lot of the rules and...

Do you know the expression, "If you have to ask, you can't afford it?"  Well, that's exactly what was going through our minds as we went through the handsome — and substantial — direct mail package we just received from Brooklinen. The booklet, printed on a nice cover stock with engaging copy and attractive visuals, made a lot of promotional p...

​We didn't receive any mail today (not any mail of note, not any mail period).  Hey, it happens. So, we went into our "swipe files" and pulled out a piece that impressed us a few years ago. It's a sleek little self-mailer we received from the Bank of America Pavilion, an outdoor concert venue in Boston. Never underestimate the sensory experien...

As cost-conscious direct marketers, we are always interested in clever hard-working mail formats.  That's why we noticed when the agency received a self-mailer from Vocus, a PR software company. It did a good job explaining the benefits of the product and offered a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card if we were willing to sit through a presentati...

When you're being paid to conceive, develop and implement ideas, brainstorming is as much a science as an art.  And, it's all about people. At B Direct, we conduct business from separate offices and remote locations, leveraging mobile and digital technology. But, when we need to brainstorm concepts for a new campaign, we prefer to do so the ol...

Let's face it. Direct marketing is a thankless job. Despite all the talent, the skill and the sweat equity you invest, consumers are still going to resent your efforts. Most people get up and go to the kitchen (or worse) when your commercials interrupt their favorite TV show. Most people would rather not talk to telemarketers. Most people don't buy...

"Email is king. direct mail is dead." Yeah, yeah. And video killed the radio star.  Email has certainly become ubiquitous. And, used strategically, it can be cost-efficient and effective. But, direct mail is still pretty powerful stuff. Especially today when there is so much less paper mail in everyone's in-box. Looks like we're not the only o...

There are two kinds of people who watch the Super Bowl. The first, and majority, pay rapt attention to the plays. They go get a beer, open a new bag of chips, or use the little boys' room during the commercials. The second tunes out or multitasks during the game itself, but pays rapt attention to the commercials. As you may have guessed, the Bs at ...

We often design oversized postcards for our clients. They stand out; they provide enough real estate for branding, copy and offers. Bigger can be better, but not always. This oversized (8.5 x 11") postcard is just too much! Help! Where do you look first? On the so-called "art side" of this postcard, we have:• An image • A headline • A subhead • Som...

The Bs at B Direct have done a lot of work in the B2B space, specifically with what we call, "high-tech, high-ticket, high-touch." We're selling technology solutions that carry a heavy price tag, and, to do that, we need to develop creative that is particularly noticeable and engaging. Sometimes, the audience is very focused — as few as 100 or 250 ...

Here at B Direct, we love direct mail.  In fact, the Queen B was President of the New England Direct Marketing Association and served on its executive board for more than a decade. When she speaks there or at other industry events, she often introduces herself by asserting, unashamedly, "I love direct mail." It isn't quite as sensitive as admi...

At B Direct, we believe that the best direct marketing approach is to establish a conversation with your customers and prospects. For your marketing conversation to work, you must use any and all the knowledge you have of the customer to start the dialogue and then commit to two-way communication going forward. Not once a quarter in a discreet dire...

The agency received a 6x9 direct mail package from none other than "big blue" (that would be IBM to you and me). It started with a simple envelope, first class presort indicia. Our Creative Director & Queen B's name was even spelled correctly (big kudos for that).  But, things got a little funky once we opened it. There was a color card in...

​Earlier this week, we talked about web copy, how it's similar to other direct marketing copy and how it's different.  The most important thing to keep in mind is that the web is personal. It's probably the most intimate of media. (Think about it, when people can't sleep, do they pull out their latest direct mail packages? Or do they go online...

Since our team worked on its first website back in 1994 (that's like the Paleolithic era in Internet time,  the web has evolved into an important tool for building and sustaining a marketing conversation. Many of the old rules of direct marketing copy still apply: • Ask yourself "Who am I selling to?"• Focus on benefits first, features second•...

Today, we thought we'd share some ... um ... interesting old concepts from direct marketing's older brother, advertising. Take a few minutes and enjoy these oh-so-politically incorrect print ads. (How many different audiences can we insult anyway?) Sheesh! Excuse us, but we have to go find an ethnically diverse stock photo for a new campaign now. W...

There are more than 5,000 colleges and universities in the United States. To call higher education "a buyer's market" is an understatement for most schools. In fact, many colleges find themselves competing for the same students. How do schools stand out? Today's students are wary of advertising; they don't want to be marketed to. They want to engag...

At B Direct, we love using "magacards." These oversized postcards have a short fold — typically where the card is addressed. With fugitive glue or wafer seals, the fold unfolds and ... Ta Da! Something special is revealed. We use this spotlighted real estate for offers, punch lines, answers to questions. We received a nice, colorful, oversized (6' ...

B Direct and the Queen B were just featured in Boston Voyager. In case you missed it, here's the interview ... Meet Alexandra MacAaron of B Direct Marketing Communications Today we'd like to introduce you to Alexandra MacAaron. So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don't you give us some details about you and your story...

Here's one that we received a while ago, but held onto because it was smart and efficient and — most of all — effective. They say "nature hates a vacuum." So, apparently, do the donors of not-for-profit organizations. Or, at least, so assumed the creative team for this surprisingly simple campaign. This nifty little package arrived, encouraging us ...

The other day, we were at a meeting with some talented New England marketers. One prescient media planner told us that she had bought Facebook stock at $40 (even with Zuckerberg's Congressional apology tour going on, the stock is trading at $167 right now). The rest of us were duly impressed.  Another marketer offered up her strategy...

Selling insurance is tricky. Essentially, as a marketer, you need to make something sound useful — even though your customer really hopes he or she won't ever have to use it. And, all insurance is not created equal. There's insurance you are mandated to carry (like auto insurance in the state of Massachusetts, or health insurance under the Aff...

Do you have a favorite airline? We do. Southwest. They've made their mark by shaking up what passengers have come to expect as airline-business-as-usual. They zig when others zag. Exactly what do we mean by that? Here's a (probably only partial) list of innovations Southwest has ... well ... innovated: - No assigned seats- 2 free checked bags- Easy...

Remember the classic 1970s movie The Jerk? One of Steve Martin's funniest (and most often quoted) lines is ..."The new phone book's here! The new phone book's here!" Well, that's kind of how we feel at B Direct whenever a new J. Peterman catalog arrives. Oh wait, did we say "catalog?" Scratch that. It's not a catalog; it's "Owner's Manual No. 158B....

When we tell people that we run an ad agency, they're usually impressed. Maybe they're imagining Don Draper and company, multi-million dollar Super Bowl commercial budgets, or just a wacky way of life that makes their (insert less exciting career option here) job seem ho-hum. However ... when we add that we specialize in direct marketing, the impre...

With royalty-free stock photography as abundant — and inexpensive — as it is these days, it's rare that we receive direct mail with original illustrations. That's just one of the reasons this postcard from Ruby stood out. The other thing we noticed immediately was how it felt. The stock is particularly heavy, which is nice, but also has a brushed f...

Happily, at this year's Academy Awards, there wasn't an envelope mix-up. (If you care to relive last year's, just Google "Warren Beatty Faye Dunaway Oscar Envelope.") The powers that be at the Academy Awards (not to mention PricewaterhouseCoopers) made certain that "envelopegate" wouldn't be repeated. In direct marketing, we see plenty of envelope ...

Remember when mobile phones first had cameras? "Why would you need a camera on your phone?" we all wondered. Now, can you imagine not having a camera on your phone? Blogs are kind of the same thing. Early enthusiasts raised a lot of marketers' eyebrows. Who would program them? Who would read them? With everything else on our plates, when — for heav...

Here's one from the holiday vaults. But, a nice example of personalization that goes beyond "Insert Name Here." At B Direct, we're big fans (and long-time practitioners) of VDP, variable data printing. Here's a really super use of it from online retailer American Pearl. It's an oversized (8.5 x 11) self-mailer. The outside address panel promises a ...

Here at B Direct, we like most dogs.  On the other hand, we love Blossom, Zydeco and Princess Grossman.  Send us direct mail with a picture of some random schnauzer and we'll say "Aw, how cute!" ... right before we throw it in the trash.  But, send us direct mail with a picture of one of the beloved personal pets cited above and you'...

As agency creatives, the Bs know that inspiration can come at any time, from anywhere. For today's blog post, we're getting inspiration from a different, but equally creative field: the theatre.  And, more specifically, from the concept of method acting. It's 2018, so if you want to know more about method acting, your first stop may well be Wi...

Here's an oldie but a goodie.  We're posting some not-so-recent work for two reasons: (1) Nothing worth writing about arrived in the mail this week and (2) the Queen B has kept these postcards for about five years. Now, that says something! This postcard series uses VDP (variable data printing) to grab the recipient's attention. In each case, ...

How many unread emails are sitting in your inbox right now? How many do you actually care about? And what will you do with the rest of them? As direct marketers, we used to worry about catching and keeping a prospect's attention as he or she walked from the mailbox to the trash can. That minute or so seems downright luxurious now. In the world of e...

Storytelling became a major focus for marketers several years ago. (In fact, some of its champions were so zealous it felt like a sort of religion.) There are wonderful examples of brands built around compelling genesis stories, of larger than life founders or spokespeople, and of brands that people don't just like, but love. Passionately. Because ...

Many moons ago (before 9/11 and anthrax and the age of paranoia), we sometimes created "stealth" direct mail packages. These might have an intriguing teaser on the outside or the envelope might be plain. What they had in common was that we didn't reveal who the sender was until the recipient went inside the package. Well, those days are gone. For s...

Here at B Direct, a lot of our work is B2B. We're not complaining, mind you. When you're marketing something like high-ticket technology solutions, you have to use both sides of your brain.  You need to appeal to the audience's analytical side. You have to back up your marketing message with facts and figures, and make a compelling case for su...

Yesterday was the 52nd Annual Super Bowl. (As New Englanders, the Bs are still reeling a little over the Pats' defeat, of course. But, as Scarlett O'Hara might say, "Tomorrow is another year.")  Happily, the day marked a couple of less ... shall we say, distressing ... events too. First of all, Super Bowl LII coincided with Puppy Bowl XIV. Whi...

We received an early Valentine card from a company that is fast becoming one of our favorite places to find funky gifts for friends and family. The shape and size of a greeting card, it certainly didn't feel like direct mail. It happened to be upside-down when the agency's stack of mail was pulled out, so all we saw was the one-word message "Love."...

Last week, the Bs attended a marketing association networking event. One of the topics that came up was online video. Although the marketers we met agreed that video is a "hip, hot and happenin'" option these days, many of us (the Bs included) have had trouble convincing our clients to invest in it.  That word "invest" seems to be both the big...

We recently received not one but two postcards from a local independent bank. They both promoted "Absolutely Free Checking" although one was for personal accounts and the other for business. The cards had a lot going for them. They were bold and big, printed on nice stock. The mailer even used one of our favorite tricks and put the "Free Gift" abov...