Q&As

Two month before its release, toymaker Hasbro is generating excitement around Columbia Pictures’ Spider-Man 3 with a new line of toys and games.

Coca-Cola plans another launch. This time it’s Diet Coke Plus.

Loyalty marketers understand that not all customers are created equal. A well-designed program segments members based on their actual or potential value and assigns them to various program tiers

The U.S. Postal Service periodically sends around postcards touting various offerings such as Hold Mail, Premium Forwarding and Change of Address. The cards give rise to numerous questions, including: Why are they addressed to “Postal Customer”? Shouldn’t the Post Office, of all organizations, know who it is sending mailings to? Why do these mailings bear the notation “Permit No. G-10”? Shouldn’t the U.S.P.S have permit number A-1? Did whoever had to apply for the permit have to wait in a really, really long line like the rest of us?

But the biggest question these mailings engender is: Why did the Postal Service decide to use characters from the comic strip Cathy as part of the design? Cathy is a perfectly innocuous, but not especially postal-centric, strip.

As it turns out, Cathy was the last comic strip standing after a review of several possibilities. The following internal U.S.P.S. memo offers insight into the selection process.

Membership services direct marketer Affinion Group Inc. reported on Thursday that its net revenues for the 2006 fiscal year decreased by $73.6 million, compared to the previous year. It reported $1.1 billion in net revenues for 2006.

Williams-Sonoma Inc. reported its catalog and Internet revenues for fiscal year 2006 increased 4.5% to $1.57 billion, up from $1.50 billion for the 2005 fiscal year.

Equestrian products direct marketer, Dover Saddlery Inc. yesterday reported $60.2 million in direct marketing revenues for the fiscal year that ended Dec. 31, compared to $53.3 million for the previous fiscal year.

The New England Mail Order Association differs from many other DM clubs in that it has always been a very personal organization. And that, said Tim Litle on Thursday, can make all the difference in the world.

If you’re a small cataloger, knowing everything about your business — including the little stuff like how to pick, pack and ship things from the warehouse to how to post photos on your Web site — is essential to running your business.

Warner Bros. has begun planting clues for two promotions behind its summer film Nancy Drew.