By Published On: March 30, 2021

Megan attended the semi-annual AMI (Agency Management Institute) meetup with agency owners from across the nation in a (virtual) meeting like no other. Discussion of a year of pandemic-tinged business was top of mind. She was intrigued to hear perspectives from other owners who continued serving their clients by flexing their businesses in 2020—they went remote, downsized, changed their plans, and found their way through the uncertainty.

In the state-of-marketing portion of the meeting, it was no surprise to learn that marketers in general are being left to do more with less (budgets are smaller, but goals remain high). There’s a high degree of fatigue and burnout, and an alarmingly high incidence of mental illness concerns with employees and executives alike. Agency clients are simplifying and narrowing down their agency rosters (as we experienced first-hand). And, all eyes are on marketing leaders as they discuss social issues and unrest, and take steps toward solving prejudices and problems in their businesses and communities.

After several days of serious conversations about heavy (but important) topics, Megan shifted her focus to a lighter (but just as important) topic: Awards! For the 15th consecutive year, she was a judge for the ANA ECHO Awards. Unlike many awards in our industry, all ECHO entries require results (data) as a judging metric. While the number of entries was lower this year, the quality of the work remained high, and was particularly strong in the strategic categories—as compared to the years during and just after the Great Recession where the work seemed to fall back on reusing ideas.

We’re getting a boost from the USPS

We’re excited to incorporate Informed Delivery into an upcoming campaign for one of our clients. Informed Delivery is just one of many promotions and incentives developed by the U.S. Postal Service for helping direct mail marketers to:

  • Reach active consumers by tapping into an engaged customer userbase and delivering higher-than-average email open rates.
  • Reach customers digitally from their physical address, which expands reach and audience base.
  • Increase interaction and encourage faster responses by generating multiple impressions from a single mailpiece.
  • Get more bang for their buck by potentially increasing campaign ROI

Learn more in our latest blog Could the USPS be your new direct mail marketing partner?

About the Author: cat-tonic

cat-tonic
Born of curiosity and enthusiasm, we’re a scrappy group of smart, passionate marketers who work hard and play hard. We show up every day and fight for our clients who are making the world a better place. We listen with curiosity, explore deeply, ask hard questions, and sometimes put forth ideas that might make you squirm. Because we believe the status quo is good for growing mold but not much else. The way we see it, change is the way forward and the magic happens when curiosity, math, science, instinct, and talent intersect.
Could the U.S. Postal Service be your new direct mail marketing partner?
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