This week’s question: What list segments are likely to be hot in 2011 and why?
Our current panel includes: Jackie Gizzo of Leon Henry Inc.; Dave Hare of New England List Services Inc.; Melissa Marchetta of All That Marketing LLC; Kirk Swain of DirectMail.com and Heidi Thibodeaux of Direct Media Millard (Would you like to be considered to be a member of our roundtable? Contact Larry Riggs at larry.riggs@penton.com.)
Jackie Gizzo, vice president, Leon Henry Inc.:
Unlike the toy industry, that produces so-called winners every season the list industry is somewhat predictable in its hot category. Recency has always been important to mailers and will continue to be for many mailings to come.
Dave Hare, president, New England List Services Inc.:
There will be an increased in interest in file updates and enhancement overlays as mailers seek to increase return on investment. The market segment I think will do better will be financial and I’ve already noticed an increase in financial newsletters.
Melissa Marchetta, Sr. Account Manager, All That Marketing, LLC.:
As in 2010, I feel the most important segment available to mailers is recency followed closely by a dollar select. Past spending patterns do not accurately reflect a customer's current financial status. Additionally, mailers and brokers need to be aware that any database models are updated frequently.
Kirk Swain, Principal, DirectMail.com:
One of the hottest list segments in the upcoming year is likely to be lists capturing people who voted in the 2010 midterm elections. Over the next two years, tons of political mail will drop, both for fundraising and voter persuasion purposes. Luckily, voter files are among the most reliable files because they at once reveal an individual’s political affiliation and the recency of political activity. There are no two stronger indicators of response likelihood when it comes to cause-related appeals.
Heidi Thibodeau, Vice President, Catalog Brokerage, Direct Media Millard:
In 2011, the hot selects will continue to be the tried-and-true dollar and product selects, but we have seen a resurgence of zips and source as important for clients. As more mailers try to find the sweet spot of where their buyers are, they are looking at the Zip code penetration of their buyers across the country. They would rather apply a Zip model to the borderline lists than continue to manipulate the selects for higher response, especially when they feel there is a strong affinity between the offers. Source continues to be a point of focus as well. As mailers cut back on their page counts or drops to fine tune their circulation, they are identifying buyers that are known to buy from both web and catalog, but not web only buyers. Often, a web-only buyer does not want to receive a catalog or other mailing piece.
