Sharpen Your Skills in the Concurrent Sessions

Marketers must anticipate consumer needs in order to surpass the competition. To help you excel in an uncertain market, industry experts will share new ideas, time-saving tips, practical advice and tactical tools that you can use right now. Get the latest on integration, branding, direct marketing, interactive, e-commerce, creative, production and more.

Band #1 – Monday, May 14, 1:45 – 2:45 p.m.
Band #2 – Monday, May 14, 3:10 - 4:10 p.m.
Band #3 – Tuesday, May 15, 2:15 to 3:15 p.m.
Band #4 – Wednesday, May 16, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Band #5 – Wednesday, May 16, 11:50 a.m. to 12:50 p.m.

Marketing Mountains - The right mix of strategies and media can move mountains

Selena McLachlan
Marketing and Research Manager, Mountain Equipment Co-op

Attendees are sure to leave with a better understanding of unconventional marketing at its best, using low-cost, high-impact strategies. Learn how this values-based organization embraces the competitive and dynamic multi-channel world in which it operates and fully leverages the power of its membership through word of mouth marketing. See how the challenge that every marketer faces is made even tougher by an organizations’ desire to grow, and at the same time, reduce its ecological footprint on the planet. Feel a renewed sense of Canadian pride as you see how this small west coast co-op has since become the country’s largest retail consumer co-operative, through the support of its 2.5 million members; many of whom will be in attendance.

• Understand how co-operatives differ from traditional business models, and these differences can create challenges and even barriers to retailers and marketers.
• Learn how MEC turned these challenges into opportunities, by leveraging its position in the market place and depth of knowledge in its member databases; and by making some strategic shifts in its approach to marketing strategies.
• Learn how MEC’s new brand platform and segmented approach to marketing has strengthened member relations and influenced multi-channel sales.

Cracking the Code on Marketing to Small Businesses
VentureOne™ – Canada Post’s Small Business Loyalty Program

Donna Reid
Director Segment Management at Canada Post

Marketing products and services to small businesses has always proven to be a financial challenge. Retail marketing techniques do not provide the high touch interaction that small business owners require, and enterprise marketing tactics are too time consuming for the volume generated. It’s not because it is difficult to find them – it’s the cost of acquisition that’s difficult to justify.

So how can you market profitably to small businesses?

Learn how to “crack the code” on marketing to small business customers using familiar marketing methods and straightforward value-add strategies that get results. Hear practical insights on the strategy and experience of Canada Post’s own small business loyalty program, VentureOne.

• Learn why small business must be marketed to differently from the consumer and enterprise segments.
• Understand the 3 attributes your product or service needs to have in order to market effectively to this segment.
• Leave with effective marketing tactics to reach the small business segment.

Applications of Geodemographics Marketing with Success Stories in Europe

Chuck Wilson
Principal & Founder, Complex Wisdom Inc.

As marketers we must address the best and most cost-effective methods for recruiting the right customers. There is a wide array of data modeling solutions out there that attempt to target potential customers, but are these over complicating the situation?

Although geodemographics are no new feat in the world of marketing, they work! Where people live is still an extremely valid indicator of their characteristics and spending habits and thus a valuable resource to all marketers. This is particularly the case when marketers are focusing on customer segments that are at the far ends of the wealth spectrum, as we find these groups are even more likely to geographically cluster.

We can provide evidence of this in the following examples in Europe. These learnings can be applied to Canadian marketing techniques.

Successful examples of use of geodemographic solutions in the European market:

Thorn – Major players in the electronics rental business in Norway and Sweden markets. Have utillised CAMEO geodemographic classifications to profile their current customers and target new business in areas made up of the same types of people.

BrightHouse – One of the largest players in the credit agreement retail industry in the UK. Used CAMEO geodemographic classifications to profile non-responders to their marketing campaigns, to avoid mailing areas uninterested in their offer in the future and saving on wastage costs.

REDCATS – Encompasses a group of UK home shopping brands. Used CAMEO Financial, EuroDirect’s classification evaluating levels of likely credit risk using financial services data to identify areas of high credit risk and remove these areas from their sales territories to avoid potential credit fraud in their selected target market.

• Understand how geography heavily influences the take up of financial service offers.
• Understand that even in a marketplace considered saturated it is still possible to reveal potential customers and untapped demand.
• Understand that rather than one-size fits all, fixed site marketing of financial services can form a customized offer to best fit the catchment population.

Domain Name Karate: The ‘Ancient’ Art of Maximizing and Defending Your Domain Names

Bill Sweetman
Vice President, Internet Strategy, MacLaren MRM

Think what comes after the “www” isn’t very important? Think again. In the fiercely competitive Internet landscape, the difference between success and failure can often hinge on something as seemingly mundane as your domain name. Join sensei Bill Sweetman as he reveals secret Domain Name Karate techniques that will give you the upper hand. Learn powerful moves to protect your domain names, increase your website traffic, and outmaneuver your competitors. Attend this session and you too can earn a black belt in Domain Name Karate.

• Have the negotiating skills to purchase a domain name without overpaying.
• Know how to generate targeted traffic from expired domain names.
• Be able to protect yourself from losing your valuable domain name.

Building Customer Equality in the Era of The New Direct Marketing

Serge Grichmanoff
VP of Research and Development, The AIIM Group

This is an executive educational session primarily structured for marketing practitioners who want to focus on building customer equity. The tools, methods and technologies used to achieve this “building” of customer equity is achieved by understanding the state of our current marketing paradigm - “The New Direct Marketing”.

This session is comprised of four sections:

1. The New Direct Marketing
This section will define this new marketing paradigm of ‘The New Direct Marketing’ and serves to describe the elements of this highly competitive, adaptive, interactive, and highly personalized marketplace that drives us to develop the tools, workflows and technologies required to manage digital assets across a myriad of delivery channels.

2. Tools, Methods and Approaches
In this second portion of the session, we discuss the three basic elements of the Customer Life Cycle: customer acquisition, customer development, and win back programs. The participant is introduced to the various data sources that are available to augment customer data and to various statistical techniques demystified and translated to layman terms.

This section helps direct the participant to better organize various layers of data, and understand how to begin to set up the elements of a full-circle solution. Specifically, we illustrate and encourage the participant to build-in response measures in a continuous marketing sequence.

3. Analytical methods explained
Analytical tools have really become an important cornerstone of the CRM engineering effort. There are many different techniques available, and in this section we discuss ten basic techniques. Prior to discussing these techniques we quickly and graphically explore prediction basics – essentially the basic arithmetic one needs-to-know in order to succeed.

In this portion of the session we review citing examples:

• Customer Segmentation.
• Profiling.
• Top Performers.
• Purchase Predication.
• Attrition – How to stop exiting clients.
• Retention.
• ROI / Lifetime Value.
• Gap Analysis.
• Share of Wallet.
• Market Analysis.

4. CRM in Action
In this last segment of the session, we explore actual campaigns in various industries circumstances.

Using a step-by-step approach, we explore the customers’ objective and review the raw data. We carefully take time to understand things like ‘purchase probability’, as well as what is needed in a production sense to ensure the proper collateral is printed and that response to this campaign is collected in the appropriate manner.

Summary
In summary, The New Direct Marketing Executive Workshop takes a step by step approach about how to implement all the marketing components you require to survive in this new competitive landscape. We’ll cover topics such CRM, data sources and integration, analytics & data mining, web tools & services and more using practical real life examples.

• Learn how to build, design and implement the most effective 1:1 marketing campaigns.
• Understand how to leverage various marketing databases to achieve maximum ROI for your campaigns.
• Have seen how marketing sciences coupled together with creative imagery within a structured CRM program will deliver un-paralleled ROI on your marketing dollar.

Market Segmentation: Approaches and New Directions

Dr. Chuck Chakrapani MA, MSc., PhD., CMRP, CSC, CIM, FSS, Fellow MRIA, chuckchakrapani.com

Dr. Tony Hernandez Director, Centre for the Study of Commercial Activity – Ryerson University

Dr. Tony Lea Senior Vice President, Environics Analytics Group

Can we make market segmentation pay? Can we make them usable? There are many approaches to market segmentation: geographic, demographic, geo-demographic, usage, benefit and psychographic, just to name a few. Yet in practice the results of the analysis using many of these systems tend to be murky and unusable from a business perspective. While marketers are getting disillusioned by segmentation systems, a number of experts have been working to make these systems usable. Chakrapani, Hernandez and Lea’s talk review the systems currently in place and discuss where these systems succeed and where systems fail. They will further show why attitude-based segments which provide powerful insights are difficult to use in practice. They will then discuss the approaches we can adapt to make them usable. They will demonstrate how, by skillfully combining, geo-demographics with attitudinal and psychographic variables we can precisely target consumers to increase advertising ROI.

• Have an up-to date overview and summary of the 10 plus types that exist today.
• Understand how the traditional systems have now morphed into new types of systems with new applications.
• Learn at least 10 things that are new and relevant for the common practice of developing market segmentation schemas.

Do Not Call Registry: Is it one of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse for Direct Marketing?

Tim Rainville Vice President Canadian Premier Life

Lisa DeFalco Chief Executive Officer TPG Telemanagement Inc.

As a North American direct marketer of group insurance programs, AEGON Direct Marketing Services has extensive experience in adapting business to the U.S. Do Not Call Registry. Our participation with the American Teleservices Assocation (ATA) throughout the implementation period provided an industry-wide perspective. We believe that experience allows us to provide valuable insights to Canadian Direct Marketers facing similar legislation. It is our intention to cover this subject in the following manner:

• Background to the U.S. DNC legislation.
• Detailed explanation of the new rules
• Business definitions behind the rules
• Operational issues in administering the list
• Identification of business impacts and statistics
• How to prepare before and after the implementation of a Canadian list
• Costs to consider
• Methods to overcome the impacts
• Discussion of alternative distribution
• Generic case studies

The primary objectives of the presentation are to inform CMA members of the U.S. experience, provide detailed information on the practical implications of a DNC list, assist in preparing for a Canadian implementation and offer alternative methods to mitigate the impacts.

• Be prepared to identify your business’ potential impacts.
• Be able to prepare your business for the impact of DNC regulations.
• Have methods for your business to overcome a national DNC.

Online Objectives: How to Achieve your Marketing Objectives in the Online Space

Owen Sagness
Vice President, Microsoft OSG Canada

Internet marketing has widened the spectrum for marketers to develop insightful, personalized campaigns that are tailor-made for their brand’s ideal customer. Effective online marketing requires unique strategies and tactics in order to maximize ROI on marketing spend. The session will guide marketers through best practices within the online environment, including: launching effective display campaigns, the power of response marketing, balancing the holistic relationship between display advertising and response marketing, and how to evolve with the quickly changing online advertising landscape.

Display advertisements leveraging today’s broadband connectivity through video and rich media are a powerful medium in the Canadian online market. Learn how to launch innovative display campaigns that will trump the competition and turn clicks into connections with your target audience. Direct marketers have greater arsenal at their disposal - email, search and online direct response are effective platforms for launching personalized campaigns and measuring ROI. Traditional direct marketing campaigns can require significant product and design costs, with few mechanisms for ROI measurement in real-time. By implementing online response marketing campaigns, marketers can significantly decrease production costs by leveraging display, email and search – technologies that allow marketers to reduce distribution and production fees and to generate significant ROI. Establishing synergy between display advertisements and response marketing is critical to the success of your online campaign.

The session will include specific case studies that support the above topics and provide valuable perspectives on effective consumer and business-to-business marketing in the online space.

• Understand how to develop tailor-made marketing plans for the online space.
• How to leverage emerging technologies to identify and impact target audiences that are unique to your brand’s value proposition, resulting in streamlined campaigns and higher ROI on marketing spend.
• Obtain knowledge and skills to effectively market in the online spectrum and out-strategize the competition.

Beyond the Chit-Chat: The Potential of Wireless Communications in Canada

Peter Barnes
President and CEO
Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA)

Wireless telecommunications is one of the fastest growing industries in Canada. This presentation will bring you up to date on the technological and commercial aspects of wireless. After a review of the latest facts and figures, you will hear about recent trends, emerging opportunities and future directions of this dynamic industry.

On the business side, service providers continue to offer consumers world-class service, and savvy Canadian entrepreneurs continue to use the potential of wireless to communicate with their audience like never before.

On the technological side, service providers and consumers alike benefit from the “smart follower” approach Canada takes in regard to the U.S., and content developers and distributors are paving the way for a whole new breed of products that meet the needs of an increasingly sophisticated clientele.

• Be able to identify the proven success factors of the Canadian wireless industry.
• Know how wireless telecommunications can help you reach your audience.
• Have a better understanding of the multimedia potential of wireless networks and devices.

Be Amazed at the Creative Ways Media can be Used

Luke Moore
Senior VP, Director of Business Development, M2 Universal
MacLaren McCann / M2 Universal / IPG Media

A catchphrase in the industry lately has been, “Media is the new creative.” What exactly does this mean? Is media, indeed, the new creative; or is it really a matter of creative departments thinking more about the media? We are in an unprecedented time that really does allow media to become very creative and to produce results, it is more important than ever to get there. This session explores the notion of creative uses of media that result in truly unique expressions of a central idea. Through the use of interesting and dynamic case studies, this session promises to enlighten and delight. This session focuses on promotions, branding, internet and how to make very limited budgets go a long, long way.

• Be amazed at the creative ways media can be used.
• Feel how something new and impactful can leave a strong, lasting and results-oriented impression.
• Give much more weight to the idea of creative and media collaboration.

You’ve Got Mail: Targeting Direct vs Online to Increase ROI

Bruno Jauernig Director Marketing Strategy Walt Disney World

Catherine Pearson Vice President, Environics Analytics Group

The average consumer is bombarded with over 3,000 different messages in a day. As the lines between marketing channels continue to blur, the need to measure, test, understand and optimize cross channel purchase behaviour has become a critical requirement for businesses. No longer is targeting just sending the right piece to the right person at the right time. Marketers need to send the right message through the right channel to reach the increasingly time-starved Canadian consumer.

In this insightful session learn how Disney Parks & Resorts used new email technology from ThinData and MSN/Sympatico together with traditional techniques to turn marketing into magic. Bruno Jauernig will talk about how Disney’s theme park business integrated marketing and analytics to diversify its target market across multiple generations and then tested and tailored their marketing communications by channel preference to double their response rates.

• Understand how to improve multi-channel ROI.
• See how traditional metrics can be applied to online technology to increase response rates.
• Know which prospects to target, what to say to them and how to reach them.

Unlocking Cool for Advantage

Jeremy Gutsche
CEO/Chief Trend Hunter, Trend Hunter Magazine

Innovation and strategic advantage hinge on the ability to anticipate trends and identify the next big thing. By tracking the evolution of cool, Trend Hunters generate ideas, stimulate creativity, and ultimately shape our social context.

Jeremy Gutsche is the founder of Trend Hunter.com, an explosion of cool fueled by a global network of several thousand trend spotters and cool hunters. He is dedicated to the science of identifying social inertia, disruptive technologies, and the discovery of the next big thing.

This presentation will cover the core patterns of cool which have been derived from over 10,000 trends submitted to TrendHunter.com. These topics will be featured in Jeremy’s upcoming book, “Trend Hunter: Unlocking Cool for Advantage”

• Unlocking Cool for Advantage.
• Creating a Culture of Innovation.
• The 40 Patterns of Cool.
• Viral Marketing in the Blogosphere.

• Enhance your definition of cool and be driven to create a culture of innovation.
• Become inspired about the science of identifying social inertia, disruptive technologies, and the discovery of the next big thing.
• Be relentlessly obsessed about your product’s story.

Engage! How Social Media can Build Brands through consumer connection

David Jones
Senior Vice President, Fleishman-Hillard Canada Inc.

Blogs, podcasts and video sharing services have given consumers the ability to create, share and connect with each other like never before. Are these participants in social media and social networks early adopters and taste makers? Are they citizen journalists or content creators? However you define this group, there is no doubt that they will continue to have influence over news, trends, product and corporate image.

• Learn how to find them.
• Learn how to contact them.
• How to become one yourself.

Market Smarter: The Numbers Behind Ethnic Marketing

Don Penfold Co-founder RSI Research Solutions Inc.

Deepta Rayner Co-founder RSI Research Solutions Inc.

As Canada experiences a shift in demographics, the ethnic diversity of this country will increase to 1 in 2 visible minorities in urban areas within 10 years. Many organizations that employ ethnic marketing to groups such as Chinese and South Asians, often assume that these groups are homogeneous. In fact, they are as diverse as the rest of Canada. This session will demonstrate that diversity exists within ethnic groups. For example, Chinese living in Vancouver have different shopping and spending habits from those in Toronto. In this session we will highlight differences in spending habits, generational differences as well as cultural highlights by way of numbers, colours and beliefs that marketers should be aware of while connecting with these households. Awareness of such diversity within ethnic groups can help marketers target their products and services more effectively.

• Have an understanding of the size and landscape of Canada’s ethnic market.
• Have gained some understanding of how different ethnic groups have quantifiably different spending habits.
• Have gained some understanding of how different generations within an ethnic group can have quantifiably different consumer behaviour.

Stop Guessing and Start Testing: New Analytical Techniques to Improve Response & Profits

Kent Groves
BSc, MSc, PhD, Senior Analytics Consultant, ICOM

Test and learn is ingrained in our vocabulary and is the traditional way we embark on our marketing and direct response initiatives. It works without question, but what if there was a better way to optimize results before going to market?

In this information-packed session, we’ll reveal a proprietary new testing methodology that allows you to test whether you have the right creative, messaging platform, and target audience, before you invest your dollars in a roll out. Discover a new approach that uses analytical methodology and modeling to drive higher return on investment while reducing marketing costs. Ultimately, you’ll walk away inspired by the possibilities.

• Discover a new pre-market testing methodology that will help ensure that you are optimizing your messaging, creative or audience selection criteria to improve bottom line results.
• Learn to use analytical methodology and modeling to drive higher return on investment while reducing marketing costs.
• See real-world examples and results from a variety of industries.

Does Your Advertising Work?

Bill Siegel
Chairman & Founder, Longwoods International

“Does it work? How do you know? Can you prove that it will pay back?” These questions were raised by Maine Governor Angus King at a 2001 press conference where he announced the results of a major piece of accountability research evaluating the state’s branding campaign. These very same issues are regularly echoed by CEOs and CFOs, as they increasingly demand credible performance measurement from their marketing departments and advertising agencies.

For Governor King, the campaign report card was very positive indeed. “It worked, and we know because we have the scientific basis and proven technique to see that it worked,” he told the assembled news media. “This is an incredible success story. As a businessman who found himself Governor, I’ll take an 11-to-one return any day!” These were not just idle words, as he subsequently approved a substantial increase to the state’s marketing budget based on the demonstrated ROI.

Does Your Advertising Work? is based on a new book, written by Dr. Bill Siegel of Longwoods International, and published by the Association of National Advertisers (NY), that documents 28 years of advertising research in the Americas, Europe, and the Pacific Rim. The book contains ‘lessons learned’ gleaned from hundreds of research studies measuring the impact of billions of dollars of advertising for some of the largest brands in the world - - - as well as for few little guys with award-winning campaigns that paid back despite tiny marketing budgets. Does Your Advertising Work? brings accountability to life with real marketing case histories demonstrating what works, what doesn’t and why.

• Have a clear ROI definition.
• Learn three proven lessons to overcome common ROI challenges.
• Be equipped with 10 principles of fact-based advertising success.

Feeding the Beast: Funding & Developing Appropriate Content for New Media

Mark Zwicker
Vice President, Business Development, St. Joseph Content

Technology is available today that allows us to affordably produce compelling, content-rich, targeted marketing pieces that build and reinforce our brands. However, many are still struggling just to get our online channel working effectively, never mind getting out there to explore “the beast”: the emerging multitude of complex new media opportunities.

Wouldn’t you like to get up-to-speed quickly and test market advances in digital signage, blogs, direct mail personalization, mobile marketing, or other new media? Because if you don’t experiment, your competitors will. And niche players will innovate, taking away market share you didn’t even know was at risk.

But where do you find the budget? And how do you build appropriate content?

Join Mark as he takes you through the process of optimizing your current budget to fund experimentation. Using best-of-breed examples from his own experiences working at the highest level for such clients as Canadian Tire, Eaton’s, Nissan, Toyota, Ash City, and Kraft Canada, he will show you how to exploit the content assets you already have to build compelling, channel-appropriate campaigns.

It’s not about spending more. It’s about planning better. Mark will show you how to feed “the beast” the right food, affordably.

• Understand the importance of adding planning and process to your multi-channel marketing strategy.
• Know how to achieve efficiencies by producing your current marketing as resourcefully as possible, while making sure the content you develop for each new channel, is appropriate for that channel.

Integrating Word of Mouth into Your Marketing Mix

David Balter
Founder and CEO, BzzAgent Inc.

Word of mouth is one of the most frequently discussed topics in marketing. Almost daily a recognized journalist, analyst or blogger publishes an article that explores the indelible mark word of mouth promises to leave on the marketing industry. But as industry observers continue to ponder the word-of-mouth theories, successful brands are integrating proven word-of-mouth practices into their marketing mix.

This presentation will draw from real world word-of-mouth campaigns to provide audience members with practical strategies and tactics for organizing, accelerating and measuring honest consumer conversations.

• Learn best practices for word-of-mouth marketing as well as how to avoid common ethical pitfalls.
• Learn how effective word of mouth can enhance the performance of traditional marketing and advertising spends.

Successful Brand Building in Quebec: Knowing When to Adopt, Adapt or Create

Eric Blais
President, Headspace Marketing Inc.

Knowing when to adopt, adapt or create is the key to successful brand building in Quebec. This presentation will outline a five step process to help guide decision making. Each step will be discussed and illustrated with either quantitative or qualitative data, examples from cases or anecdotal evidence.

The process begins with 1) understanding the differences and similarities in terms of market dynamics, the consumer, the brand’s equity and the distribution landscape. Once the brand strategy for Quebec 2) has been identified, the next step requires 3) an assessment of the marketing-communications tools available in Quebec to achieve the objectives – this step helps determine whether the national/global programs can be implemented in Quebec while being culturally sensitive or if a made for Quebec solution is required. Steps 4) leads to the development and implementation of the plan. Finally, step 5) ensures that performance is constantly monitored and improvements made.

• Have an actionable process to guide your marketing-communications decision-making for your brand in Quebec.
• Gain deeper insights into Quebec consumers and how they affect brand-building strategies.
• Look at Quebec as an opportunity for growth rather than a challenge on your limited resources.

Content Is Still King

Louise Clements
Vice-President, Digital and Interactive, Rogers Consumer Publishing

“The power of content, advertorials and leveraging new channels of content to build your marketing mix”

In this session, Louise Clements will guide marketers through the power of content. In this new democratized world, more and more advertisers are looking for ways to integrate their products and services into the editorial. Whether this is by creating a Blog, online forum or sponsoring a section of a print magazine. The lines between content and advertising have been blurring over the past little while. Louise will guide you through the power of content and how Rogers Consumer Publishing stays ahead of the pack by creating compelling and creative content that resides in both their print and online publications.