Direct Marketing 2.0

Integrating Marketing and Sales.

Jeff — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:14:20 +0000

Why is it that within most companies "Marketing" and "Sales" are competing disciplines that seldom (if ever) work together? We don't believe in it. We believe, and have proven, that when Marketing and Sales join forces they can move prospects through awareness to consideration, and ultimately to the purchase decision.

What is the most effective method for finding great talent?

Mike Osborn, Managing Director — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:45:45 +0000

An edited version of this article recently appeared in the October 27 edition of DM News. Jeff and I are very fortunate that we have been so successful at recruiting and retaining the talented people here at Catalyst. Here’s how: Finding great talent can be a challenge, especially if you’re located in a smaller market like [...]

Catalyst Walks the Walk in B to B Magazine

John Brogan — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:53:26 +0000

The hard work and thought leadership of Catalyst Direct is hitting the industry press. Recently, Jeff Cleary, one of our managing partners, took part in a roundtable discussion in B to B Magazine discussing trends in direct marketing, ranging from use of BRC’s to offers, to prospect targeting and analytics. Frank Magnera, account director on our [...]

Catalyst Direct Hires Technology And Digital Expert Dustin McAdams As Chief Information Officer

Rui Da Costa — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:00:01 +0000

Media Contact: Janice Snook 1-650-400-4448 Catalyst Direct Hires Technology And Digital Expert Dustin McAdams As Chief Information Officer Rochester, NY—Catalyst Direct today announced the hiring of Dustin McAdams as Chief Information Officer, reporting to agency managing directors and founders, Mike Osborn and Jeff Cleary. In this new position, Mr. McAdams leads the agency’s technology team in the innovative [...]

Ambiance and Ubiquity: The Keys to Consumer Context

admin — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:01:37 +0000

I recently wrote an article on B2C digital marketing for B2B magazine (strange, I know). You can find it here, and the original unedited version (IMO: better?) is included below. Enjoy :-) Consumers crave intelligent marketing, and they love it when we get it right. That coupon arriving just when I was considering my purchase options? [...]

Dimensional mail works.

John Brogan — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:01:15 +0000

I contributed to an article for last weeks’ DM News, titled “Adding Dimension to DM Success”. You can read the entire article here. For the right target, and the right product or service, nothing works like getting a “present” in the mail. We recommend a dimensional piece for a number of our clients, because the engagement [...]

Marketing to Consumers – The New Reality

Mike Osborn, Managing Director — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 20:49:32 +0000

Consumers are in the driver’s seat today. And it is the Web that has put them there. Today’s savvy consumers engage with brands on their own terms – when they want and the way they want. They also connect with brands through multiple channels – researching, comparing, and buying as they choose – on the Web, [...]

Catalyst Direct included in the Inc. 5000.

admin — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:11:06 +0000

Catalyst Direct is pleased to have been selected as one of the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America.

Aligned Intention Marketing

admin — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:07:42 +0000

Search is a strange new animal in marketing landscape. Why? Because it represents the closest alignment ever achieved between the goals of consumers and the goals of marketers. In no other medium do consumers broadcast their intentions so clearly than in search – intentions to window shop, to buy, to refer, to rate. And in no [...]

Testing Matters

admin — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:35:42 +0000

We rely on research and testing to optimize the user experiences we build for our clients. Sometimes it’s big stuff, and sometimes it subtle stuff: What a difference a few pixels make (via CNET News) provides a great example of how granular these tests can be–and how much they can matter to the bottom line.

Effective Use of Mobile?

admin — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:22:35 +0000

Mobile marketing (cell phones, not cars with billboards attached :-) is probably the most exciting new frontier in direct marketing. With the cell phone being the most personal, the most context sensitive, and the most attended-to communications channel in the media landscape, it clearly represents a big opportunity to reach customers effectively. Mobile marketing is [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., hires four, promotes two

admin — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:16:07 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Diane Quinlisk August 4, 2008 585-453-8313 dquinlisk@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., hires four, promotes two ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., has added four new members to its staff and promoted two. Pat Scutella has been hired as teleservices representative. Scutella joins Catalyst from Concentrix Corporation, where he first gained experience in the teleservices industry. In his role at Catalyst, Scutella will [...]

What’s so Cuil remains to be seen.

John Brogan — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:23:06 +0000

A new search engine, Cuil (pronounced “Cool”), was launched on Monday. It was developed by some folks from google and was introduced with great press and fanfare. So far, the responses have been mixed and the search results spotty. Silicon Ally Insider called it the worst launch ever. That seems harsh. There are a number of interesting [...]

An Introduction to Lifestreaming for Brands (via ReadWriteWeb)

admin — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:45:13 +0000

The process of putting your life online, in aggregate, has been called “lifestreaming,” so it’s inevitable that brands (having personalities all their own) would join in: Here’s a good introductory article on lifestreaming for brands. An Excerpt: “It’s fairly obvious why companies want to get their brand out into social media sites like Flickr, Facebook, Twitter [...]

Report on Mobile Trends (via Mobile Life)

admin — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:55:00 +0000

Found this excellent review of mobile trends in the US and UK. Visit Mobile Life 2008 and download the full report (pdf).

Long Tail Debunking, Debunked?

admin — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:00:34 +0000

You may have read recently that the notion of “the Long Tail” (which is a guiding principle in interactive marketing) had been debunked by an article in the Harvard Business Review. I had been struggling with how to explain to my colleagues why the HBR article was, in my opinion, off base (it was, essentially, [...]

The urban living sports enthusiast

Justin Morelli — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:22:22 +0000

I’m proud to announce the new ParagonSports.com is live. If you live in the NYC area, chances are you’ve heard of Paragon Sports. If you’re not in the area (just like me) their newly redesigned site (designed by Catalyst) has 30,000 of their products and major brands available. The NEW ParagonSports.com Going to the physical store is a great experience… [...]

The cult of the bulleted list

Janine Yagielski — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:09:26 +0000

For years, I’ve talked about the importance of scannability in any online presentation. (My coworkers are definitely sick of hearing me talk about scannability AND exploration.) I’ve written and edited my share of thousand-word articles, don’t get me wrong. But the more I watched Web traffic reports and usability testing, the more I evangelized scannability [...]

Why CMOs Keep Getting Fired (via Belly of the Beast)

admin — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:38:58 +0000

An interesting post from Steve Feinberg (Belly of the Beast Blog) about Why CMOs Keep Getting Fired.

Monthly Bills = Marketing Opportunity? You bet!

admin — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:44:37 +0000

I’ve written before (on my other blog, etailology) about the power of “service communications” in the etail and direct marketing landscape. To put it simply, people pay more attention to shipping confirmations, bills, and other administrative communications than they do “marketing messages.” So… the real trick is ensuring that service communications do all of the [...]

Brand Beliefs Made Easy

Janine Yagielski — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:28:13 +0000

This morning I discovered an interesting experiment on crowdsourcing and brand. Brand Tags describes itself as "a collective experiment in brand perception." The home page presents a brand logo and asks users to "enter he first thing that pops into your head."

Online Display Advertising: Revolution Needed

admin — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:27:48 +0000

I attended the Advertising 2.0 conference in NYC on Wednesday. The keynote was Susan Decker, President of Yahoo. She talked about the state of online display advertising and compared it a bit to search. Search is King For the last five years, search advertising has worked well because it’s exceedingly simple to translate a search [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., hires Greg Huff

admin — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:13:33 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Diane Quinlisk May 30 2008 585-453-8313 dquinlisk@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., hires Greg Huff ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., has hired Greg Huff as infrastructure support specialist at its Marina Drive location. “Greg has a great personality—and a knack for fixing things. His innate ability to uncover a need for improvement and find a solution, especially regarding computers and programming [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., hires Colleen Merchant

admin — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:00:34 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Diane Quinlisk May 30, 2008 585-453-8313 dquinlisk@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., hires Colleen Merchant ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., has hired Colleen Merchant as account executive at its Marina Drive location. Merchant joins Catalyst from Roberts Communications, where she progressively moved up the ranks over the last 12 years. Her most recent position was as account executive supporting the [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., hires Rui Da Costa

admin — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:55:18 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Diane Quinlisk May 29, 2008 585-453-8313 dquinlisk@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., hires Rui Da Costa ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., has hired Rui Da Costa as junior user experience developer at its Village Gate location. Da Costa graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology with a bachelor of science degree in information technology, with a concentration in multimedia development [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., hires Anthony Lang

admin — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:42:20 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Diane Quinlisk May 29, 2008 585-453-8313 dquinlisk@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., hires Anthony Lang ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., has hired Anthony Lang as junior data analyst at its Marina Drive location. Lang, a graduate of Ithaca College, with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, joins Catalyst from Paychex, where he was a check signing support specialist. As junior [...]

Our new site

John Brogan — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:49:50 +0000

It’s finally here! I can tell you from past experience that’s it’s a lot more difficult to create a website for your own company than it is to create a site for a client. But we made it. We’re still in semi-beta, because we’re doing some things differently. For starters, we built the site on a [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., announces the certification of Jeannette Plymale as project management professional

admin — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:00:04 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Diane Quinlisk May 1, 2008 585-453-8313 dquinlisk@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., announces the certification of Jeannette Plymale as project management professional ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., is proud to announce that Manager of Operations, Jeannette Plymale, earned the Project Management Professional (PMP®) credential on March 14, 2008. Plymale is responsible for supervising Catalyst’s project management group that plans and [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., promotes John Johnston

admin — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:43:46 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Diane Quinlisk April 30, 2008 585-453-8313 dquinlisk@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., promotes John Johnston ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., is pleased to announce the promotion of John Johnston to creative supervisor. Since joining the agency eight years ago, Johnston worked his way up from assistant studio director to art director to senior art director. He has established productive, long-standing [...]

What’s new at Catalyst

John Brogan — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:29:27 +0000

It’s been pretty busy here at Catalyst Direct recently, but not too busy to work on our new website. Here’s a sneak peek. We’re feverishly working away and look forward to the launch, coming soon.

Catalyst Direct in the news.

admin — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:45:46 +0000

Catalyst Direct was recently profiled by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle as one of the Rochester area’s Top 100 companies. The Rochester Top 100 annually recognizes the fastest-growing privately held companies in the nine-county region. It’s a great recognition of our team, our thinking, and of all our great clients who look to us to [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., announces acquisition of Auragen Communications

admin — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 13:00:12 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Diane Quinlisk November 13, 2007 585-453-8313 dquinlisk@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., announces acquisition of Auragen Communications Company Enhances Interactive Marketing Capabilities ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., a nationally recognized direct marketing agency, has purchased Auragen Communications, a leader in strategic interactive services. The acquisition brings together two top companies and enhances Catalyst’s capabilities, positioning the company as a truly [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., announces the certification of Lora Downie as email marketing professional

admin — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:32:28 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Diane Quinlisk March 31, 2008 585-453-8313 dquinlisk@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., announces the certification of Lora Downie as email marketing professional ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., is proud to announce that Email Marketing Manager, Lora Downie, is now certified as an email marketing professional by Marketing Experiments. Downie attended the Marketing Experiments’ Professional Certification Program while at the Marketing [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., promotes Natasha Hibbert

admin — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:31:01 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Diane Quinlisk March 31, 2008 585-453-8313 dquinlisk@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., promotes Natasha Hibbert ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., is pleased to announce the promotion of Natasha Hibbert to senior account executive. She will be responsible for development and implementation of projects for Catalyst’s HSBC and Valvoline Instant Oil Change business. “There is no doubt her work has been [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., promotes Meghan St. Onge

admin — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:28:10 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Diane Quinlisk March 31, 2008 585-453-8313 dquinlisk@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., promotes Meghan St. Onge ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., is pleased to announce the promotion of Meghan St. Onge to senior program manager. She will be responsible for managing activities on Catalyst’s Valvoline Instant Oil Change account—specializing in their franchise business and special corporate projects. St. Onge has [...]

Summary of Forrester’s Five Year Interactive Marketing Forecast

admin — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:58:33 +0000

Donna DeClemente has a nice summary of a recent webinar: Forrester’s Five Year Interactive Marketing Forecast. A taste: Search Marketing is expected to triple in 5 years to over $25 billion. Online Display ads will reach almost $14 billion. The ability to create rich media ads will help this growth. Email marketing spend will shift to [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., hires Wayne Drazek

admin — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:07:27 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Diane Quinlisk February 29, 2008 585-453-8313 dquinlisk@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., hires Wayne Drazek ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., has hired Wayne Drazek as management supervisor at its Marina Drive location. Drazek joins Catalyst from Midas International, where he was the senior manager, customer relationship management. He graduated from the University of Denver with a bachelor of science degree [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., hires Rachel Studley

admin — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:03:50 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Diane Quinlisk February 29, 2008 585-453-8313 dquinlisk@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., hires Rachel Studley ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., has hired Rachel Studley as copywriter at its Marina Drive location. Studley, a graduate of Syracuse University, with a bachelor of fine arts degree in advertising design, joins Catalyst from Sutherland Global, where she was a sales development manager. She [...]

Direct Brand Marketing

admin — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 22:20:09 +0000

The Railroads Did It The need for brands was initially spawned by national companies who wished to compete with local manufacturers — an opportunity brought on by mass production and Rail’s ability to distribute products more widely. Brands have since evolved from a “logo and mark” to complete personalities which capture the essence of how businesses [...]

Microsoft + Yahoo! = SEM

Janine Yagielski — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 13:00:41 +0000

We all heard the headline last week. “Microsoft makes a bid for Yahoo!” (an unsolicited $44.5 billion bid to be exact). Yahoo! has many great assets — e-mail, the portal site, flickr, del.icio.us. — but this offer is all about search advertising. A “Micro-Hoo,” as some writers are calling the potential combination, “will have the second-largest ad network and [...]

Who says direct mail can’t be art?

djones — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:00:38 +0000

Artist Aurora Robson, that’s who. Among her other remarkable works of art, Robson has created a series of junk mail collages. (I have forwarded an e-mail to her — hoping she’ll consider changing it to “direct mail” collages.) ;-)

The art and science of reviewing creative.

John Brogan — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 13:00:34 +0000

It’s no secret that we’re in a very competitive communications environment out there. We don’t just compete with other DM or online materials. It’s everything that people look at…television, outdoor boards, point-of-purchase materials, newspapers, magazines, Web sites, YouTube and other forms of alternative media. An article in The New York Times last year stated that “a [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., promotes Lora Downie

admin — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 13:00:16 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Diane Quinlisk January 21, 2008 585-453-8313 dquinlisk@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., promotes Lora Downie ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., is pleased to announce that Lora Downie has been promoted to Manager, E-mail Marketing Programs. In her new role, Downie will be responsible for supporting Catalyst clients’ e-mail marketing needs, managing the development and implementation of e-mail marketing campaigns, [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., hires Kristina Faller

admin — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 13:00:57 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Diane Quinlisk January 18, 2008 585-453-8313 dquinlisk@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., hires Kristina Faller ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., has hired Kristina Faller as E-mail Marketing Specialist. Faller, a graduate of Utica College of Syracuse University, with a bachelor of arts degree in English, joins Catalyst after building a successful freelance marketing copywriting business. As E-mail Marketing Specialist, she [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., hires Shawnda Urie

admin — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:00:28 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Diane Quinlisk January 17, 2008 585-453-8313 dquinlisk@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., hires Shawnda Urie ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., has hired Shawnda Urie as administrative assistant at its Village Gate location. Urie, a graduate of SUNY Geneseo and Villanova University, with a Master of Arts in Theatre, joins Catalyst from Tevebaugh Associates in Philadelphia, where she was an administrative assistant. [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., hires Lakeia Williams

admin — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:00:37 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Diane Quinlisk January 15, 2008 585-453-8313 dquinlisk@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., hires Lakeia Williams ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., has hired Lakeia Williams as receptionist at its Marina Drive location. Williams joins Catalyst from the University of Rochester, where she was an Outpatient Representative. As receptionist, she will be greeting visitors and assisting with various in-house and client projects. [...]

Creative in B2B Programs

Jeff — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:00:50 +0000

We’ve been having some interesting discussions about creative execution with a number of new clients. They are very interested in design and formats. Should we do postcards or dimensional mail? E-mail or PURLs? On and on it goes. I could answer that targeting and offer ought to be considered first, but that’s not what clients want to [...]

iPlot: The End of the End of Marketing?

admin — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 22:34:07 +0000

Tim Leberecht at iPlot has an excellent post which points at some of the ideas in Direct Marketing 2.0. Included is a distillation of some thoughts from Seth Godin and and a few excellent links. Blogroll material for sure. Enjoy: The End of the End of Marketing?

Web 2.0 = Dangerous? Expensive?

admin — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 00:24:42 +0000

Jakob Nielsen has posted two articles of note to direct marketers: Why Web 2.0 Can Be Dangerous. Nielsen is right on the money here — literally — for once taking the economically prudent path of ROI and aligning it with the user-centered path of UI. This post is not to be missed. (Though, in truth, the [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., announces new board member

admin — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 13:00:56 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Diane Quinlisk December 17, 2007 585-453-8313 dquinlisk@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., announces new board member ROCHESTER, NY—Jim Hammer, president and CEO of Hammer Packaging Corporation, has joined Catalyst Direct, Inc.’s board of directors. As a board member, Hammer will play an integral role in developing long-term goals and strategies for the company as it seeks to expand [...]

Using PURLs, offline learnings in an online world

Karen Menachof, Director, Client Services — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 13:00:19 +0000

The PURL is all the rage. As a long-time DMer, this makes me smile. After all, it’s reassuring to know that the things we have spent decades learning in the offline world continue to be relevant and impactful in the online arena.Way back when, we always said that customers scan mailings for their name…the address [...]

Karen Menachof promoted at Catalyst Direct, Inc.

admin — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 13:00:46 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Diane Quinlisk December 13, 2007 585-453-8313 dquinlisk@catdir.com Karen Menachof promoted at Catalyst Direct, Inc. ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., is pleased to announce that Karen Menachof has been promoted to director, client services. In her new role, Karen will be responsible for the entire account management team and the organic growth of the account base. In addition, she’ll [...]

How Web writing has impacted print

John Brogan — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:00:41 +0000

Copywriting is copywriting, right? Not exactly. As the Web assumes greater dominance over how we gather and obtain information, it’s had a significant impact on how read content in print mail, as well. It’s part of what makes up DM 2.0. I started out as a direct marketing copywriter in the early ‘80s. Long copy was [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., wins top honors for data analytics

admin — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 17:05:47 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Diane Quinlisk December 11, 2007 585-453-8313 dquinlisk@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., wins top honors for data analytics Company competed among most well-known companies in the nation ROCHESTER, NY-Catalyst Direct, Inc., a Rochester-based direct marketing agency, has received top honors in the Direct Marketing Association’s Analytics Council’s Analytic Challenge, which was cosponsored by the CAC Group. Competing against 26 [...]

Web sites are dead

Karen Menachof, Director, Client Services — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:00:05 +0000

That’s what I learned at the DMA in Chicago last month. The whole idea of the Web site as a static environment…one that delivers information in an organized way and enables visitors to find information due to its “structure”…is a thing of the past. We no longer make our Web site available to our customers [...]

Spending $4.5 billion to focus on the customer

Janine Yagielski — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 13:00:12 +0000

Dell may have lost its top spot in PC sales, but Sunday it took a $4.5 billion step to lead its industry into integrated marketing. The Texas-based computer company announced a partnership with WPP “to create a new global integrated marketing and communications agency” with both “the creative horsepower and ability to measure the [...]

Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group embraces DM 2.0

Diane Quinlisk — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 14:00:58 +0000

At the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA’s) annual meeting (October 13-17 in Chicago) I participated in a number of sessions that addressed marketers’ growing desire to integrate interactive and traditional direct marketing methods into cohesive and tightly coordinated campaigns. A new form of direct marketing is afoot. Clearly, marketers who embrace multi-channel communication strategies quickly realize [...]

Traditional ad agencies don’t get it

admin — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 20:20:20 +0000

Time and again, general advertising and marketing communications agencies have invested, purchased, persuaded, cajoled their way into Web work – without ever really understanding it. I remember one such example vividly: an agency director muscled his way into a meeting about a Web platform redesign and commandeered the first twenty minutes to highlight the many [...]

A new way of looking at things

John Brogan — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 14:05:56 +0000

As you can see, we have a new look…but it’s not our final look. Let me take a moment to explain. We began the process of redesigning the Catalyst Web site a few months ago (with help from Auragen). It’s a very thorough process of determining what you, our clients, and other interested parties would [...]

The Impact of the Web on DM

Jeff Cleary and Mike Osborn — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 22:00:33 +0000

As you may know by now, Catalyst Direct recently purchased the interactive agency, Auragen Communications. Auragen began in 1995, as one of the first organizations of its kind, and built an impressive record delivering strategic brand experiences online to leading national companies such as Russell Investments and Eastman Kodak Company. Now we are integrating this [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., promotes Elizabeth Mertz; hires Lauren Taylor

admin — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 15:05:07 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mike Osborn October 19, 2007 585-453-8331 mosborn@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., promotes Elizabeth Mertz; hires Lauren Taylor ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., is pleased to announce the promotion of Elizabeth Mertz to account director. She will be responsible for managing all activities on Catalyst’s HSBC account and Valvoline Instant Oil Change corporate business. She has been with the agency since April [...]

Diane Quinlisk returns to Catalyst Direct, Inc.

admin — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 15:05:50 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mike Osborn September 13, 2007 585-453-8331 mosborn@catdir.com Diane Quinlisk returns to Catalyst Direct, Inc. ROCHESTER, NY—After three years at Kodak, Diane Quinlisk has returned to Catalyst Direct, Inc., as director of business development. Quinlisk previously served as Catalyst’s director of business development from February 2000 to September 2004. Mike Osborn, managing director of Catalyst Direct, said, “We are thrilled [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., hires two

admin — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:00:17 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mike Osborn May 30, 2007 585-453-8331 mosborn@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., hires two ROCHESTER, NY— Catalyst Direct, Inc., has added two members to its staff. Brenda Pitoni has been hired as infrastructure support specialist. Pitoni, a graduate of Potsdam College, with a master’s in information technology from Rochester Institute of Technology, joins Catalyst with nearly a decade of information technology [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., promotes Angela Johnson to manager, business development

admin — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 15:04:02 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mike Osborn February 19, 2007 585-453-8331 mosborn@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., promotes Angela Johnson to manager, business development ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., is pleased to announce that Angela Johnson has been promoted to manager, business development. Johnson’s responsibilities will include directing and managing all of Catalyst’s new business development initiatives for business-to-business and business-to-consumer opportunities. As a business development specialist with [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., announces new hire

admin — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 15:40:50 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mike Osborn December 8, 2006 585-453-8331 mosborn@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., announces new hire ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., is pleased to announce that Ellen Russell has joined the company as teleservices supervisor. In her new position, Russell is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day activities and workflow of the Teleservices department, including staffing and daily results reporting. She will [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., announces new hire

admin — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 15:29:25 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mike Osborn December 1, 2006 585-453-8331 mosborn@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., announces new hire ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., is pleased to announce that Jill Hamman has joined the company as account director for Valvoline Instant Oil Change account. Hamman will work with the company’s national network of franchisees to set direct marketing strategies, manage existing direct marketing campaigns, [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., adds account director

admin — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 15:18:54 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mike Osborn September 6, 2006 585-453-8331 mosborn@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., adds account director ROCHESTER, NY— Catalyst Direct, Inc., is pleased to announce that Michele Gennarino has joined the agency as account director on business-to-business accounts. Michele will be responsible for all direct marketing initiatives, as well as building and maintaining agency relationships with a variety of clients, [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., adds new business development specialist

admin — Fri, 07 Jul 2006 15:26:59 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mike Osborn July 7, 2006 585-453-8331 mosborn@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., adds new business development specialist ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., is pleased to announce that Nancy Lee Drum has joined the agency as business development specialist. In her new role, Drum will be responsible for originating and developing prospective client relationships in the business-to-business and business-to-consumer markets. Drum brings [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., adds director of data & analytical services to its management team

admin — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 15:23:54 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mike Osborn June 29, 2006 585-453-8331 mosborn@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., adds director of data & analytical services to its management team ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., is pleased to announce that Kevin Seaman has joined the agency as director of data & analytical services. The newly created position is a direct result of the recent acquisition of Equient, [...]

Catalyst Direct Inc., honored with two community service awards

admin — Thu, 08 Jun 2006 19:08:12 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mike Osborn June 8, 2006 585-453-8331 mosborn@catdir.com Catalyst Direct Inc., honored with two community service awards ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct Inc., a local direct marketing agency, was recently honored with two community service awards. Mary Cariola Children’s Center presented Catalyst with the “Special Friend of the Children Award” and the Ad Council of Rochester acknowledged the company with [...]

Catalyst Direct, Inc., revs up its business

admin — Fri, 12 May 2006 15:18:06 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mike Osborn May 12, 2006 585-453-8331 mosborn@catdir.com Catalyst Direct, Inc., revs up its business ROCHESTER, NY—Catalyst Direct, Inc., a direct marketing agency in Rochester, NY with a client roster that includes Bank of America, Citigroup, Eastman Kodak Company, HSBC, Sage Software, and Valvoline Instant Oil Change, has added more horsepower to its business by acquiring marketing [...]