Almost two years ago, L.L. Bean began to move investments from infrastructure and staffing to prospecting and advertising. The results are just now coming in

By Reported Donna Loyle

We have a very large prospecting file, but, you know, buying via direct mail basically is a leap of faith. You call a company and give it your credit card information and your address. Or you go online and key in that information into a Web site. And you trust that they will actually send you what you’ve ordered, and will protect your personal information and credit card number as well. CS: Tell me about your DRTV efforts. I’m seeing your ads frequently these days. How has the response been?