HOTIDEAS
NETS MEDINA FIRM NATIONAL MARKETING AWARD
- Digital Print Marketing Concept Judged Best in Americas
February 10, 2004:
HotIdeas.com* of Medina, Ohio has given new tread to an old automotive marketing
tool, and received a best-in-class international award for their efforts.
The firm specializes in customer relationship management (CRM), a relatively new
concept of personalizing direct mail marketing, and was recognized for its
unique approach to attracting customers to the service bays of car dealers.
The Best Practices Award for Direct Marketing was presented to HotIdeas.com today at the PODi Applications Forum in Las Vegas, Nevada. PODi is a national initiative designed to foster the advancement of 4 color variable digital printing. Unlike traditional offset methods, digital printing permits the production of highly personalized, full-color marketing materials, including direct mail, brochures, and magazines. PODi, founded in 1996 and headquartered in West Henrietta, New York, has over 100 members, with an executive board that includes Adobe, HP, IBM, Pitney Bowes, and Xerox.
The winning entry from HotIdeas.com involved the production of a "variable service brochure" for Jay Pontiac-Buick of Bedford, Ohio. In addition to using the customer's name throughout the piece, each brochure contained a series of variables that noted the make, model and year of their vehicle., plus their service history, current mileage, brake pad and treadwear status. In most cases a photo of the customer's vehicle was also included, and in the appropriate color!
Based on the customer and vehicle data extracted from the dealership's management system, and by using a proprietary program called Variable Data Casting, HotIdeas is able to generate a series of printed variable service reminders and discount coupons for each car's projected needs. HotIdeas' Cleveland printed partner is Consolidated Graphics Group. "If we were recommending a tire rotation and fluid maintenance package, then coupons for those items appeared in the coupon slots," says Kelly Chaloupka of HotIdeas. "Addition, if a major service was recommended based on the data, an ad for the GM Goodwrench Card appeared to inform customers of financing options available."
By tracking each customer's response, HotIdeas was able to analyze the effectiveness of the Jay Pontiac-Buick mailing. The results were impressive. "There was a 29 percent response rate in the first six weeks, and 43 percent of the services recommended were sold," adds Chaloupka. With these results in hand, HotIdeas.com has begun implementation of this same program, in both print and online, at over 35 other auto dealerships thorough the Midwest.
This winning entry by HotIdeas.com was one of 32 received by PODi across the U.S., Canada, and South America. Case studies of all winners will be featured in the 4th edition of PODi's Best Practices in Digital Print to be published in March.
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Background
notes on HotIdeas.com:
HotIdeas.com specializes in highly customized one-to-one marketing and data
management services for the auto, entertainment, hotel and education industries
as well as a variety of other customer-driven commerce. HotIdeas has over 10
years experience offering customer relationship management and data analysis
services.
For further information on PODi: Contact Christine DeLooze, PODi, 150 Lucius Gordon Drive, Suite 203 West Henrietta, NY 14586. Phone: 585-214-5900 Email: chrisd@podi.org Web: www.podi.org
*PROMPT RECOVERY, INC. NOTE: The data management and variable data programs written about in this article, were created and developed by Mr. Jeff Scott in 2001. The auto dealership service reminder program featured here was marketed and sold to Jay Pontiac-Buick by Mr. Scott's company, Customer Appreciation Resources (CAR). Beginning Fall 2003, these products and services were marketed and sold to other dealership as Hotideas.com during Scott's brief partnership with the company. Since June 1, 2004, these services are now offered exclusively though Mr. Scott's company - Prompt Recovery, Inc.