People respond to “fun” Oct 14th, 2009

See how making something fun can affect people’s adoption rate.  Brought to you by our friends at Volkswagen.

Using the trash can just got intriguing:

Got any ideas how to make reducing unwanted mail more fun, let us know by posting a comment.

Own an Oscar-Winner Oct 13th, 2009

National Geographic, one of our participating merchants, offers a wide range of green products. They have everything from rechargeable batteries and organic cotton towels to the 2007 Oscar winner for Best Documentary Feature: An Inconvenient Truth.

An Inconvenient Truth DVD

Price:$29.95

Item#:1073375

An Inconvenient Truth DVD - National Geographic Store
Director Davis Guggenheim eloquently weaves the science of global warming with Al Gore’s personal history and lifelong commitment to reversing the effects of global climate change in the 2007 Oscar winner for Best Documentary Feature. An Inconvenient Truth makes the compelling case that global warming is real, man-made, and its effects will be cataclysmic if we don’t act now. Gore presents a wide array of facts and information in a thoughtful and compelling way: often humorous, frequently emotional, always fascinating. In the end, An Inconvenient Truth accomplishes what all great films should: it leaves the viewer shaken, involved and inspired.

Looking for other cool products from National Geographic? Their iCatalog is packed with their entire product selection.  Shop right from here or click Get & Share and put it on your desktop or personal homepage.

Do you know your Customer’s Channel Preference Oct 13th, 2009

Promo Magazine report that a study published by Forrester Consulting on behalf of ExactTarget found that “80% of marketers claim that customer preference is a key factor but only 12% ask customers their preferred frequency for email messages.”  A few other interesting facts:

Only 32% of the marketers surveyed reported knowing how customers behaved across channels and only 37% even knew what channels their customers preferred to use.  Even more interesting, only 37% of marketers know what channels their customers prefer to use.

The take away from the study is clearly articulated by Morgan Stewart, ExactTarget’s director of research and strategy:

The bottom line is that in an industry where new digital communications make it easier to send a variety of messages, it’s imperative that marketers not only send the right message, to the right person, at the right time, but that they use the right channel as well

Companies that use Catalog Choice know consumer preferences for direct mail and why consumers are making opt-out choices.  Based on 6.5 million survey responses collected over two years 55% of consumers do not want direct mail because they want to use digital tools, because they either prefer to use the internet (15%) or want to help the environment (40%).

Microsoft Excel
If your company works directly with us, your merchant account reports the primary reason why consumers opt-out of your direct mail.  Contact us to get access to your free Merchant Account if you don’t already have one.

Then and Now…Catalog Choice Celebrates its Second Anniversary! Oct 9th, 2009

Today, Catalog Choice celebrates its second anniversary.  We thought it would be fun and informative to reflect back on our beginnings in 2007 and compare things to how they look now.
Then: Before Catalog Choice, there was no free, title-specific service that let you reduce unwanted mail.
Now: With Catalog Choice on the scene,  the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) dropped its fee and dramatically improved its service DMAChoice.  More convenient choices for the consumer.
Then: We didn’t have a lot of friends in the direct marketing world.
Now: We’ve gained the trust of not only the consumer, but also the industry.  We have strong supporters, including some of the biggest mailers around (L.L. Bean, Crate & Barrel, Williams-Sonoma).  We are endorsed by the American Catalog Mailers Association.
Then: We had two ways to deliver mail preference requests (email and file).
Now: Today, we have five secure methods to ensure that each and every request we receive from you is delivered.
Then: It was all opt-out.
Now: Our service provides a way for consumers to request a catalog or decrease frequency of a mailing, if offered by the company.  Consumers can also sign up for a company’s email newsletter through a subscription service we offer to mailers.
Then: It was just catalogs.
Now: We’re adding other forms of mail, including coupons, credit card offers, and phone books.  Look for upcoming changes to the service to help you opt-out of these forms of mail easily.
Then: When we launched we had 600 catalogs in our service.
Now: Today, we have nearly 1,056 titles in our system.
Then: By the end of 2007, we had about 350,000 individuals using Catalog Choice, requesting to stop the mailing of 4 million unwanted catalogs.
Now: Today, we’re a community of nearly 1.2 million members strong!  On your behalf we have delivered more than 16 million opt-out requests.  Thank you for your continued support and participation!  We could not have done it without you.

Wineglasses from Windshields Oct 7th, 2009

Looking for cool gifts from recycled materials? Uncommon Goods, one of our participating merchants, offers a huge selection of unique housewares and beautiful jewelry, much of which creatively breathes new life into recycled materials. Check out these wine glasses made from recycled auto glass.

RECYCLED WINDSHIELD WINE GLASSES – SET OF 2
$22.00
ITEM NUMBER: 16706
MATERIALS: recycled glass
NOTE: dishwasher safe.
SIZE: 5.5″ H, 18 oz.

RECYCLED WINDSHIELD WINE GLASSES - SET OF 2 | Glasses Made From Car Windshields | UncommonGoods

Handmade in Colombia of recycled glass from old car windows, these substantial stemless wine glasses will add an interesting twist to any glass of wine. Sturdy and strong, the thick glass has a slight green hue from the tint originally added to lessen the sun’s glare. Beautiful and interesting, these stemless wine glasses are an uncommon take on a stylish design. Each is one of a kind and will vary. Sold as a set of 2.

Looking for other cool products from Uncommon Goods? Their iCatalog is packed with their entire product selection.  Shop right from here or click Get & Share and put it on your desktop or personal homepage.

Catalog Choice Joins 1% For The Planet as Nonprofit Partner Oct 5th, 2009

1%_logo.png
We are pleased to announce that Catalog Choice has joined 1% For The Planet as a nonprofit partner.  The organization, launched in 2002 by Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard and Blue Ribbon Flies Owner Craig Mathews, inspires the business community to contribute to environmental groups worldwide.  These two successful businessmen and passionate outdoor lovers recognized the powerful influence of connecting businesses and nonprofits through philanthropy.  Working with an alliance of 1,200 business members and 1,800 nonprofit partners, 1% For The Planet offers a simple way for companies to mitigate the true cost of doing business by making a simple pledge to the planet; what Yvon Chouinard calls an “Earth tax.”  Member companies, including CaliBamboo, Clif BarSterling Vinyards, and Canada’s Mountain Equipment Co-op, donate 1% of their annual net sales to environmetnal groups.  Singer/songwriter/surfer Jack Johnson even pledged 1% of sales from his CD In between Dreams.  We think that’s good business.
We applaud all companies that donate to environmental organizations and encourage our Catalog Choice participate members to join other businesses making a difference through 1% For The Planet.

iCatalogs as Ad Units Oct 2nd, 2009

Your company’s catalog at the Doctor’s office – that is great advertising for any marketer.  On the web, it is not so easy to show off your great assortment of products on the wide array of web sites your customers visit every day.  That was then.  But now, with the iCatalog you can put your entire product inventory in an easy to navigate 300 x 250 widget and run it as an advertisement on any website where your prospects and customers might visit.  We have taken rich media ads to a new level.

Take a look at this video and see how the UncommonGoods iCatalog becomes a natural part of the Naturalpath.com website.  Want to learn more about going paperless with iCatalogs?  Drop us a note at merchantservice@catalogchoice.org. Put the video in full screen mode to get the best view.

Ad Unit example from Catalog Choice on Vimeo.

It’s a Fine Day for Consumer Choice Oct 1st, 2009

Today is an important day for consumer choice.  October marks the beginning of the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) enforcement of a new labeling provision.  This guideline states that a DMA marketer must provide existing and prospective customers and donors with notice of how to eliminate or modify direct mail solicitations from their organization.  That means that catalogs, credit card offers, and nonprofit fund raising appeals all need to state how you as the consumer can opt-out or reduce frequency of the mailing.  The notice needs to appear in every marketing offer and it must be “easy to read, find, understand, and act upon.”  This provision is part of DMA’s Commitment to Consumer Choice (CCC) that was announced two years ago, about the same time that Catalog Choice appeared on the scene.  The CCC program and notice policy apply to DMA members, but all mailers are encouraged to comply.

We all know how convenient and effective labeling rules can be.  Whether it’s a printed warning on a cigarette packet about smoking’s health hazards, the listing of trans fat on a food label, or a recycling logo on packaging, labels inform our choices and empower our actions.  We are hoping that you’ll see more Catalog Choice logos printed on catalogs and that marketers will make mail preference choices more visible and convenient on their websites.

And here’s where you can help.  Look at the catalogs you receive this month and through the holidays.  Can you easily find the notice for how to modify or eliminate the mailing?  Is it easy to read and understand?  Let us know which companies are doing a good job and which ones need improvement.  We’ll pass on the results of your findings to mailers and the DMA.   Thanks for your help!

Paper or Plastic – Never forget your bags again. Sep 29th, 2009

Here’s another simple, yet elegant, solution for eco-living from Gaiam, one of our participating merchants. The ChicoBag Reusable Shopping Bags are so compact and strong, that you’ll always have your bags when you need them.

ChicoBags Reusable Shopping Bags – set of 3   Item #04-9393
$24.00

ChicoBags Reusable Shopping Bags - set of 3 - Kitchen - Household - Eco Home & Outdoor - Gaiam

Though we have the best intentions, we often forget to bring our reusable shopping bags with us when we’re out. If that sounds familiar, you’ll love these! They compactly fold into their own tiny sewn-in pouch (about the size of a cell phone) to stay – on call – in purses, packs or pockets or on keychains. Featherweight nylon fabric means you’ll never know they’re there yet each holds an impressive 20 lbs. China.

Looking for other cool products from Gaiam? Their iCatalog is packed with their entire product selection.  Shop right from here or click Get & Share and put it on your desktop or personal homepage.

Stepping up the commitment to consumer choice Sep 28th, 2009

Catalog Choice was created because we believed that consumers deserved choice over what comes in the mailbox.  We are pleased that the DMA followed our lead and created the Commitment to Consumer Choice (CCC).  You can read all about it at DMACCC.org.  Simply stated, the new policy is:

The CCC requires that you notify consumers of the opportunity to modify or eliminate future mail solicitations.

The DMA’s CCC launched shortly after Catalog Choice in late 2007.  It originally gave marketers 12 months to comply.  They increased the phase in period to 24 months – October 2009.

There are four specific elements of the CCC that everyone should be aware of:

  1. A marketer should proivde existing and prospective customers and donors with notice of an opportunity to eliminate or modify direct mail solicitations from their organization. It effects consumer and nonprofit mailers.  The notice should:
    Appear in every marketing offer and be easy to read, find, understand, act upon.
  2. Upon request by a consumer, a marketer should disclose the source from which it obtained personally identifiable data about that consumer.
  3. Use the DMA’s Mail Preference Service file on a monthly basis.
  4. A marketer should establish internal policies and practices in support of the CCC.  Specifically, a senior level executive should be responsible for making sure that your organization implements its policies and practices, and reviews and updates them as necessary.

If your company does not have a spot on your website where you can refer consumers to in order to set their mail preference, you should consider Catalog Choice’s new hosted Contact Preference Center.  Learn more about our solution.  If you want to offer opt-down options rather than just opt-out, we can make that happen.  If you want to sending the consumer somewhere other than your privacy policy to set their mail preference, we have a solution for you.