Direct Marketer to Share with the FDMA How He Generated 33% Response for Land O’Lakes.

(PRLEAP.COM) Fort Lauderdale, FL January 22, 2006, “How a Direct Mail Campaign Showed a Stellar 33% Response for Land O’Lakes” is the topic for the FDMA’s monthly luncheon on Thursday, February 16th at the Westin Hotel on Cypress Creek Road and I-95 in Fort Lauderdale from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. The meeting is open to the public with registration and networking beginning at 11:30 am.

Les Layton will share with the Florida Direct Marketing Association on February 16 at the Westin Hotel how his company got 33% direct mail response rate from 3,000 Land O’Lakes key prospects without giving away the farm.

Layton, president of Whitney Worldwide Inc. and Whitney Marketing, has been helping Fortune 500 and other leading companies produce exceptional response rates for 20 years. His company also acquired 3M’s Direct Response business. Clicking on Client Testimonials on his marketing division’s Web site (www.whitneymarketing.com) demonstrates the results his company has produced.

“I’ve always said that we don’t use the “J” word in our family,” Layton said, “but when I look at today’s direct mail being sent out I feel like calling it junk. I wonder if people are even measuring and tracking response rates.”

Over-sized postcards, #10 window envelopes with small fonts and no teasers and #10 closed-face envelopes with small white labels just don’t work very often in today’s hectic environment, Layton said.

“The world has changed and direct marketers need to change with it,” Layton said. “We’re all on information overload, and it’s not as easy to get our prospects’ attention as it was in years past.”

Layton said e-mail, cell phones, the Internet, more automobile gadgets and microwave ovens were supposed to make our lives easier, faster and give us more discretionary time.

“Despite these great conveniences, I don’t know many people who work shorter days and weeks,” Layton added. “People are hurried and stressed. It’s tough to get their attention. We all get more e-mails, phone calls, ads and direct mail directed to us than we would like.”

While the list is still the most-important part of direct mail, Layton says people aren’t spending enough time on the next most significant element – the offer.

Having spoken to many conventions about database marketing, customer retention and marketing measurability, Layton said he rarely has spoken to database marketing professionals who say they spend as much time on the offer and list as they do on creative.

“And the creative they are mailing out needs far more time,” Layton added.

Layton will show our Florida direct marketers how his company has used creative offers and packages to get response rates that have surprised many clients.

Advance registration for the February 16th meeting is $35- $45, including a FULL lunch. Register by contacting Laura Silverman, FDMA Executive Director at 954-724-3662 or info@fdma.org. You can also register online at www.fdma.org.

About the Florida Direct Marketing Association

The FDMA has nearly 200 members, including catalogers, Internet retailers, financial services providers, publishers, book and music clubs and retail stores. “Direct marketing” is the art and science of sending one-to-one promotional messages directly to consumers, which allows marketers to measure response rates and campaign effectiveness. The FDMA was a chapter of the national Direct Marketing Association from late 2002 until August 1, 2005, when it once again became an independent organization.

FDMA luncheon meetings are typically held on the third Thursday of each month at the Westin Hotel in Fort Lauderdale. New members get their first lunch free when they join. Special membership rates available for non-profit organizations as well.

Contact: Laura Silverman, 954.724.3662