Long-distance phone fight;AT&T, MCI, Sprint battle for business
After she switched from MCI to AT&T in March, AT&T asked to use her name in its new national advertising campaign to show that customers who leave AT&T eventually come back. In return, AT&T promised to send her a framed copy of the full-page ad. Soon after the ad appeared in major newspapers this month, a Sprint representative called [Gladys H. Scesney] to see whether AT&T was trying to hoodwink the world with a phony testimonial. “I really feel as if I’m being reached out to and touched,” she says. – On the marketing front: As much as AT&T, MCI and Sprint might hate to admit it, a phone call is a phone call. As a result, the three are struggling to differentiate themselves from one another. Before the breakup, that was no problem for AT&T; it had a crucial edge. All that a customer did was dial the long-distance number. A Sprint or MCI customer was forced to dial a lengthy series of digits. Now Sprint and MCI customers have the same easy access to long-distance lines as AT&T customers. At the same time, all three are taking direct aim at one another. AT&T now runs comparative advertising to show where its prices are lower than the competition’s. That’s a big departure for AT&T, which had always tried to maintain the appearance that it was above the competitive fray. Once AT&T ignored or dismissed competitive backbiting. No more. It’s down in the trenches now. In recent months, AT&T has filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau against its rivals for misleading advertising (MCI and Sprint have done the same). Not to be outdone by AT&T, MCI and Sprint have been rolling out bolder, more pointed ads. In one MCI TV commercial, two people sitting side by side are using phones – one AT&T, the other MCI – as the bills tick off at the bottom of the screen like a taxi meter. Of course, the AT&T bill grows in size at a breathtaking pace, while the MCI bills grow at a gradual one.
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Mark Lewyn
Full text: [USA TODAY (pre-1997 Fulltext)] Jul 18, 1989
Cosmetics Heir Spends Millions on N.Y. Mayoral Bid; Campaign Bankroll Gives Lauder Visibility, but He Still Trails GOP Rival by 61 Points
After filling the airwaves with slashing attacks on his GOP rival, former U.S. attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani, [Ronald S. Lauder] still trails Giuliani 75 percent to 14 percent, according to the latest Daily News poll. Giuliani, who-unlike Lauder-will receive matching public funds, has spent $1.4 million. Other Lauder consultants include Multi Media of Alexandria, Va., a media buying firm ($2.2 million); Direct Marketing of Baltimore ($169,000); Murphy Powers Media ($330,000); Century Opinion Polls ($115,000); John Zagame of Alexandria ($41,000); Ottosen Associates of Washington ($27,000); Manhattan Conservative Party Chairman Howard Lim ($36,000); Russo, Marsh & Associates, a California direct-mail firm ($86,000), and campaign manager James E. Murphy of Rockville, Md. ($56,000). The spending report suggests a campaign with little need to economize, from the purchase of a $15,000 Lincoln Mercury to an $8,600 dinner at Le Cirque to $5,000 worth of bumper stickers. Lauder paid $81,000 to his mother’s company, Estee Lauder Inc., to rent his previous campaign headquarters, along with $108 for a beeper.
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Howard Kurtz
Full text: [The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext)] Jul 18, 1989
Marketing minutes … Los Angeles, Cal.
Great Western Bank (Beverly Hills) has acquired 63 branches from CenTrust Bank (FL), giving it the most branches of any thrift in the state. Great Western will use awareness print and outdoor ads and direct mail to customers to promote its expanded presence.
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Anonymous
Full text: [Bank Advertising News] Jul 24, 1989
Automotive Marketing: Direct Mail Becoming Hottest Incentive Conduit
US automobile manufacturers are putting more emphasis on or shifting money to direct mail. General Motors Corp. has probably tripled its direct marketing spending in the last year. The volume of automotive direct mail is estimated to have grown an average of about 20% annually over the past 8 years. Some of the most dramatic growth, in terms of dollars and sophistication, has been among makers of upscale cars. BMW of North America is increasing its direct marketing budget 25%-30% in 1989, with most of the increase reflected regionally and locally. Cadillac is reaching 3-6 million people annually through direct mail. Direct marketing benefits car dealers by allowing them to market only to those who are most likely to respond. One of the more innovative auto direct marketers is Buick, whose tools include a computer disk sales brochure called “Dimension Disks,” which is offered free through advertisements in computer magazines. Survey data show that 2,200 of the people who received the disk in 1988 purchased Buicks during the following 12 months.
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Steinberg, Janice
Full text: [Advertising Age] Jul 24, 1989
Kaypro Corp. Selects The WestCom Group to Handle Marketing Communications
The WestCom Group, a marketing communications firm, was selected to handle public relations, advertising and direct mail programs for Solana Beach-based Kaypro Corp. WestCom will also produce product brochures, catalogs, packaging and flyers for the well-known manufacturer of computer systems. According to Andrew F. Kay, president of Kaypro, WestCom was chosen because of its strong background in — and intimate understanding of –the computer industry. “I have a very high regard for Geoff Soule’, president of WestCom, because of his extensive knowledge and enthusiasm,” said Kay. (excerpt)
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Casey, Nancy
Full text: [Business Wire] Jul 25, 1989
Automated clearing house: direct deposit takes center stage
Ten local ACH associations have joined the National Automated Clearing House Association in a national campaign to encourage the direct deposit of payrolls. The program is made up of public relations, employer ads, and consumer ads. Various organizations such as the Credit Union National Association, Federal Reserve Banks, and the Financial Management Service have already begun promoting direct deposit via statement stuffers and other marketing materials.
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Anonymous
Full text: [Corporate EFT Report] Jul 26, 1989
Secret of Success: Don’t Forget Lesson of the Prayer Doll
It’s not the first thing he mentions in an interview. But Rod Kilpatrick has won nearly every prestigious award in advertising, including Clios, One Show Awards, a Cannes Lion and citations in Communication Arts, advertising’s showcase publication for cutting-edge creativity. He also has basked in the creative glow of Fallon McElligott, one of the nation’s advertising hot houses, where in six years he went from creative director of an ill-fated direct-marketing department to rising star and writer for some of the agency’s most visible accounts, including The Wall Street Journal. (excerpt)
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Updike, Robin
Full text: [Seattle Times] Jul 31, 1989
Advertisers brace for possible rush to refi’s
Falling interest rates have led some institutions, including Fleet Mortgage Corp., Security Federal Savings (Columbia, SC), and Apple Bank for Savings (New York City) to promote mortgage refinancings. Fleet has been using print, direct mail, and telemarketing; Security Federal is using print; and Apple is relying on statement stuffers. Hospital Trust (Providence, RI) is promoting only first mortgages, expecting refinancings to occur without its prompting. First National Bank in Albuquerque and First American Bank Corp. (Elk Grove Village, IL) are considering setting up refinancing campaigns.
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Anonymous
Full text: [Bank Advertising News] Jul 31, 1989
The Manager as Target Marketing Consultant
Typically, insurance agents who try to learn target marketing get to a certain point and then do not know what to do next. Frustration sets in, and the agents see only the need to sell some insurance policies right away. Astute managers listen for an agent’s call for help, because it will not be made loudly or often before the agent gives up trying to learn how to target market effectively. A manager must meet with the agent and ask specific questions to find out the real nature of the problem. With a manager’s guidance, agents will learn to write down their strategies or list their tactics until the target marketing process becomes ingrained and second nature to them. Managers should encourage agents to be creative and to recognize their own personal marketing opportunities. Both agents and managers should not limit themselves to doing things the way others do them, but should open their minds to tasteful, honest methods of attracting potential customers.
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Norwood, Grover C.
Full text: [Manager's Magazine] Aug 1989
We’ll Listen. And We’ll Do Something.
Insurers are hoping a nationwide commercial campaign will show how complex insurance is. Additionally, the advertisements convey that property and casualty insurers are concerned with increasing rates and want to do something about them. Insurers want to give consumers the opportunity to become part of the process. The campaign’s overall target audience is adults age 35 to 64 who are college-educated managers, professionals, and executives with household incomes of at least $40,000. The advertisements are designed to inform as well as appeal to people’s emotions. The campaign hopes to raise the level of credibility and the general reputation of the insurance industry. A direct marketing campaign, addressed to highway safety groups, consumer groups, and political activists, will be used to support the advertisements. Materials also will be sent to people who either respond to a direct mailing or who call the 800 telephone number advertised.
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Weinstein, Fannie
Full text: [Insurance Review] Aug 1989
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February 16, 2007 12:00 am | 
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