Prospecting

Charming Shoppes Turns to 'American Idol' Amid Earnings Drop
April 2, 2010

After a year of sales and profit declines, plus-size-apparel retailer Charming Shoppes Inc. said yesterday that it would turn to American Idol to draw customers to its Lane Bryant clothing shops. The Bensalem-based company, whose 2,121 stores also include Fashion Bug and Catherines outlets, said it planned to spend $4 million on Lane Bryant ads during the nationally televised talent competition in the coming weeks.

Prospecting - Dockers' All-Channel Kick in the Pants
April 1, 2010

Spend $3 million on a Super Bowl ad and it better drive viewers to more efficient marketing channels. Dockers' "Wear the Pants" Super Bowl blitz drove consumers into every communication channel available.

Climbing Out of the Foxhole
March 1, 2010

The past year was extremely difficult for catalog companies, and many firms elected to mail deeper to their housefiles instead of prospecting for new buyers. Catalogers, however, need to start prospecting again. File counts can’t continue to decrease, or sales will continue to decline. Catalogers should now cautiously increase prospecting levels to build for the future. As we emerge from the recession, companies that continue marketing and mining for new buyers will be in much better position to take advantage of the rebound.

Prognosis: Baby Steps
January 1, 2010

In late November, we surveyed the All About ROI editorial board members and other marketing insiders to gauge their views on the year ahead. At press time on the eve of the 2009 holiday homestretch, with their hopes for a better sales outcome than 2008 looking modest at best, few saw an especially bright light shining by December. Instead, many settled in to make the appropriate adjustments for reduced demand.

Focus on an Incremental Break-Even Point
December 1, 2009

There's a cost associated with acquiring new buyers through print media. Marketers who rely heavily on catalogs need to invest in converting prospects to buyers (one-time purchasers) and buyers to customers (two-time or more purchasers). How much you're willing to pay for new buyers depends on what you can afford, how fast you want to grow and the lifetime values of the buyers acquired.

Tailored Deals Bank Sales
September 1, 2009

With company-record net income of $58.4 million and sales gains of 15.2 percent (including comparable store sales rising 8.9 percent) for its fiscal year that ended Jan. 31, JoS. A. Bank was a rare 2008 success story.