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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kathleen L. S. Booth
Office: 866-788-3226, Ext. 7
Mobile: 410-271-6394
Email: kathleen@quintainmarketing.com

Local Firms Demonstrate Improved Effectiveness of New Approach to Direct Mail Marketing

Annapolis, MD - September 29, 2006

Direct mail is one of the most widely used tools that businesses employ for generating new leads and attracting customers, however response rates vary greatly. They are influenced by who you send the mailing to, what you say in your letter, whether or not you are reaching the right person, and when the letter arrives, amongst other factors. Mailers who send thousands of pieces of direct mail at one time to carefully selected mailing lists usually consider they've done well if they get 1 to 2 percent response rate. Mass mailings to all the people in a particular zip code are likely to get response rates as low as 1 in 10,000 or lower.

By improving the response rates to their direct mail campaigns, companies can greatly reduce the cost of acquiring new customers and improve their return on investment. This summer, two Annapolis-based companies, Quintain Marketing and City Dock Coffee, proved that direct mail can bring in response rates as high as 20% through improved targeting of customers and the creative use of promotional products in the mailings.

When City Dock Coffee, an Annapolis-based chain of retain coffee cafes, was looking to expand its office coffee services market, they considered many of the traditional approaches including newspaper advertisements, email announcements to existing customers, and other means of building their customer base. In the end, what they wound up with was a direct mail campaign that yielded a 17% response rate and a return on investment of 20 to 1.

To achieve these impressive results, City Dock turned to local Annapolis-based promotional marketing firm Quintain Marketing. "As a business owner, I know what it is like to get pounded with constant solicitations. We wanted to find an approach that stood out from the others," said Steve Duffy, President of City Dock Coffee.

"What they needed was something that would separate their message from the marketing clutter we are all bombarded with on a daily basis," explained John Booth, President of Quintain Marketing. "Most people who receive direct mail take it directly from the mailbox to the garbage can."

After a meeting to discuss City Dock's purpose, budget and timeline for expanding their office coffee services, the creative team at Quintain got to work. The result was "They're Hooked," a unique direct mail campaign aimed at Anne Arundel county-area businesses and featuring "dimensional mailings." Dimensional mailings differ from traditional direct mail in that they include not only sales literature, but a related promotional product.

The City Dock promotional campaign was scheduled to launch in early Spring, around the beginning of the fishing season. To tie in with the popular Annapolis-area sport, Quintain Marketing worked with City Dock to develop sales literature centered around the theme "They're Hooked." The key message was that when a business serves its customers City Dock Coffee, they'll be hooked.

What improved the response rate of the "They're Hooked" mailing, however, was the use of dimensional mailing and the inclusion of a related promotional product. In this case, Quintain Marketing developed a fishing lure custom-branded with the City Dock Coffee logo. The sales literature and lure were packaged in a box with green crinkle cut paper (to resemble bay grasses), along with a sample-sized package of City Dock Coffee and a personal note from City Dock's co-owner, Steve Duffy.

"Conventional marketing and sales efforts are old, obvious, and tired," commented Duffy. "We needed to find a way to get our business name and our products in front of potential customers."

"Why a fishing lure? It's the only one they will receive this year," jokes Booth. "When you appeal to someone's creative side and offer up a cleaver play on words, people appreciate it. It demonstrates you have given your marketing some time and attention. Potential customers recognize this effort and see it as a sign that your organization is going to put the same kind of time and effort, as well as attention to detail, into a relationship with them."

The results of dimensional marketing projects are impressive. A study by Baylor University found that response rates for dimensional package recipients are 75% higher than for those who receive only a sales letter. In the case of the "They're Hooked" campaign, response rates were 17% and the new revenue realized exceeded the cost of the project by 20 to 1.

"We had a small marketing budget, so our efforts had to be effective," explained Duffy. "I consider a 20 to 1 return a homerun!"

"We believe that with a targeted list of prospects and the right theme, the results are far more successful than traditional flat mail direct marketing and have a longer impact than traditional print media advertising," said Booth. 

City Dock Coffee is an Annapolis-based chain of retail coffee cafes. City Dock Coffee Services provides equipment, a selection of their highly recognized coffees, and other products to restaurants, offices, universities and other companies who wish to bring to their staff and customers the same high quality end products that have made City Dock famous for over a decade. Currently servicing customers from Seattle to Boston, City Dock Coffee Services has experienced tremendous growth.

Founded in May 2006, Quintain Marketing is an Annapolis-based promotional marketing firm offering high quality branded products, DIMENSIONAL MARKETING and web-based employee and customer reward and incentive programs. Their unique 'purpose focused' approach ensures that their customer's promotional marketing solutions are in alignment with their overall marketing strategy.

For more information, see www.citydockcafe.com and www.quintainmarketing.com