MDI Lists Helps Haiti

The screams in Haiti are being heard around the World and the World is responding. The 7.0 earthquake that rocked Port Au Prince on Tuesday brought the already impoverished city of nearly three million people to its collective knees and the far reaching impact is devastating the rest of the country. Hospitals, homes, schools and buildings lay in ruin. There are bodies piled knee deep in the streets. There are literally hundreds of thousands of people are still missing in the wreckage, their fates unknown. There are still parts of Haiti rescue workers have not been able to reach. There is no food, water or electricity. The emergency crews fight to get to the scene; people are digging through rubble using their hands to unearth survivors. Out of the houses and buildings left standing most are structurally unsound and are potential disasters. People who were lucky enough to escape with their lives are huddling together in open fields too afraid to enter the still standing buildings.

The devastation is unthinkable and unimaginable. The sheer amount of destruction is seemingly insurmountable. One news blog that I read a little while ago ended with the sentiment that “Any thoughts of full recovery during this generation is unrealistic.”. The more news, videos and photos that reach us from Haiti, the more we begin to realize how true that small statement is. For up to date information you can always click on CNN, as they are giving updates from Port Au Prince often

Those of us who are not in Haiti are scrambling, trying to figure out how can we help, how can we lend a hand and make a difference. What we can do often leads us to do nothing at all. In my opinion, this is not an option right now. The devastation caused by this earthquake is being compared to losing an entire war in just a few short moments.

There are many trustworthy organizations who are already on the scene, and many more that are gathering together resources to aid the victims of this awful tragedy. We have come up with a list of some of the ways that you can help. Please remember that every penny – literally – counts. If you are in a situation where you cannot send money or supplies, do not feel as though you are worthless. Your thoughts and support are needed by the people in Haiti, as much as the physical donations are.

• American Red Cross – There are three ways you can contribute via the Red Cross: monetary donations, blood donations, and signing up as volunteers.

• Text to Donate – If you want to donate money but are a little short right now, the State Dept. has set up a way to donate via text message. Text “Haiti” to 90999 and a donation of ten dollars will be added to your next phone bill and forwarded to the Red Cross.

• Doctors Without Borders – The Doctors Without Borders program has been stationed in Haiti for a long time already. Their facilities were destroyed by the earthquake, along with much of their supplies. They are rushing to attempt to care for the injured people who need them, but they need your help.

• National Nurses United – The nation’s largest organization of registered nurses tonight activated its nationwide disaster relief program to recruit nurse volunteers to provide assistance to residents of earthquake devastated Haiti.

• UNICEF –is dedicated to helping children. Before Tuesday, there were already thousands of children who were orphans living below the poverty level. Today, there are many thousands more.

• Operation USA – Operation USA has been rated as a four-star charity for the past six years. Every penny that goes in to the organization goes right back out to the places that need it.

• Mercy Corps – Mercy Corps allows you to send a flat donation of your own, or can help you organize your own fundraising team. They also accept donations other than money, such as clothing and building materials.

• World Food Bank – The WFP has already pledged more than two million dollars to help feed the people of Haiti. It is expected that the amount needed will far exceed this.

• T-shirts – Emerald City Fashion Week is raising money to support the relief effort with a Fashion4Haiti T-shirts which are available for immediate purchase! Net proceeds will be donated to World Vision to help children and families affected by the 7.0 earthquake.

Our hearts go out to everyone in Haiti, as well as to the people around the World waiting for news of loved ones. MDI Lists and David M Raff have asked all of their list owners and friends to help with this cause. To this end, David M Raff (Weston Florida) and MDI Lists plan on donating a portion of all commissions earned in February to Help Haitti Relief Causes

International Mailing is on the rise

Savvy US direct marketers recognize the growth potential in international markets, where an uptick in ad spending is expected this year. However, even the most successful international marketers recognize that reaching consumers in other countries isn't without its challenges — such as the need to address local languages and regulations.

"Any marketer that is building its business plan and has the ability to deliver outside the US is looking to see where the opportunities are internationally," says John Greco, president and CEO of the Direct Marketing Association.

Kevin Smith, president of international at TBWA, agrees. "I think a lot of people have woken up to how important some of the international markets are" as they grow and prosper, he says.

Consumer marketplaces in certain corners of the world are growing particularly fast, such as China and Australia. Many marketers in those regions have skipped over traditional tactics such as direct mail, opting instead for sophisticated digital, mobile and social media initiatives.

"These are wonderful places to learn some of the techniques being used in order to bring those 'learnings' back to the US market," says Greco.

Understanding how much to invest in marketing within a specific country and deciding which media channel to use isn't always easy, but it is crucial for successful direct marketing.

"Getting clients over the hurdle of the idea that international direct mail is significantly more expensive is tough," says Stacy Berver, president of DM360, which works with direct marketers to convert their direct mail programs for international markets. While postage, lists and data processing all increase the cost of direct mail outside the US by up to 30%, Berver insists it's still worth it.

"There is far less competition around the world, plus consumers aren't typically receiving as much mail, so they respond at a higher rate," she explains, adding that the average response rate for an international direct mail campaign is 30% to 70% higher than in the US.

"Marketers have to make a serious investment in international markets," says Smith. It's no longer sufficient to divert extra cash into international markets hoping for a hit, he notes.

Language is also an issue. E4X Inc.'s FiftyOne global e-commerce solution helps US online retailers create and optimize international landing pages.

"The level of comfort created by this experience helps retailers monetize any international traffic they may have already had" and drives repeat business, says Michael DeSimone, CEO at E4X.

Other issues US marketers face when trying to expand internationally are a scarcity of mailing lists and the need to understand local regulations and practices. With so much to consider, many marketers partner with third parties with international knowledge. Many marketers are contacting MDI Lists of Weston Florida. According to David M Raff, Managing Director, 'we are seeing a significant increase in mailers using our services'. Raff states this might be due to MDI being a market leader in International lists for several years now. According to Raff, 'our clients are seeing an up turn mailing internationally. We are seeing increased mailings into Canada, France and Germany plus a few Pacific Rim countries.'

ACQUISITION: ClickBank

ClickBank is an online retailer of e-books, software and games. With much of its business coming in through affiliates and the number of international affiliates growing, the company recently embarked on a strategy to create a global platform, says Dush Ramachandran, VP business development, sales and marketing at ClickBank.

ClickBank has a network of 120,000 affiliates in 220 countries worldwide helping to sell its 35,000 products. The ClickBank Web site started accepting payment in 13 currencies in addition to the US dollar.

The fastest growth for the company is coming from Western European countries such as France, Germany and Spain. French, German and Spanish language items added to the product selection, and all of the messaging on the site was translated into those languages. More languages will be added in the future.

"People are more comfortable with their own currencies and buying a product in their own language," says Ramachandran.

The company also pays attention to regional differences in online shopping.

"In Germany, people aren't comfortable using credit cards to spend online, so [we]focus more on alternative payment methods there," says Ramachandran.

When a new language becomes available on the site, ClickBank sends out an e-mail to existing affiliates and vendors in the appropriate geographies to make them aware of the changes.

In 2010, the company will expand its efforts to recruit new affiliates and vendors in several international markets by attending conferences and other events in those markets. Germany will com first on that initiative.

Three years ago, 78% of ClickBank's business came from North American and, today, 66% originates there. The company expects the international portion of its business to grow even further as it continues to roll out its global strategy.

ACQUISITION: Goldshield

Goldshield Direct Inc. has been selling healthcare products direct to consumers since 1993. The division of pharmaceutical and healthcare company Goldshield Healthcare International wanted to expand into Canada in order to generate incremental revenue.

"We have always viewed Canada as a very viable region, especially considering our years of success there with our other Goldshield businesses," says Michael Neal Swift, president at Goldshield Direct.

Goldshield launched a direct mail program for its Prostate Health Complex in Canada in 2009. Marketing services agency DM360 Inc. worked with Goldshield to use its existing direct mail creative that it was sending to US customers as a base to develop a mailpiece for the Canadian market.

Prices were converted into Canadian dollars, and the address block was reformatted to include a postal code instead of a ZIP code. Most importantly, US slang was toned down. However, other than that, the piece was fundamentally similar to its US counterpart.

"Normally, we like to keep the creative for the English-speaking parts of the world as close to what's working in the US," says Stacy Berver, president at DM360.

The effort launched with a 50,000 piece, 16-page mailer featuring information about prostate health and several offers to try Prostate Health Complex. The mailer pulled four times the response rate as a US campaign launched at the same time.

"Critical to Goldshield's success was a Canadian return address, Canadian dollar pricing and a Canadian response envelope," says Berver.

The healthcare company has since expanded the program to include three products in Canada. As a result of its Canadian direct mail program, Goldshield Direct has increased its overall mail volume by 45% and its customer acquisition by 55% or more.