Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Senders can stamp their own personalities on free, high-quality cards at an ad-free site Month2Month.com, a young e-card Web site, announced today it is launching the first e-cards that senders can completely personalize as their own rather than using an e-card company's name. This new service offers several important innovations and features that other e-card companies do not:
-- Cards can be easily personalized with the sender's own name or
brand instead of the commercial logo of the e-card company. All of the
company's Halloween cards now have this feature, which will be
rolled out to include all of Month2Month.com's cards in the coming
weeks.
-- The site has no advertising of any kind. Month2Month.com is convinced
that many people stopped sending e-cards because they either had to pay
for them or put up with annoying, intrusive advertising, on both the
sender and the recipient ends.
-- The cards themselves bear no company or site logo to commercialize them.
Senders can feel proud to stamp their own personalities and sign their
own names on these cards.
-- Senders can choose which cards they want to personalize from a wide
variety of cards. They can even change the card sentiment from
"Merry Christmas" to "Happy Holidays" or "You
Are Invited" to suit their needs.
-- All of the cards on the site are free, not just a limited group, and
there is no registration required or personal information gathered for
later use.
"We have focused all of our efforts to make sure that both senders and recipients of the card have the best possible experience," explained Month2Month.com CEO John Aslanian. "This includes everything from the size of the cards (ours are larger and fill more of the screen), to the design, to the Web site itself. We want to greet our site visitors with top-notch cards in one of the last few commercial spaces on the web free of annoying, intrusive advertising, which we feel takes away from the meaning and warmth of the card."
Aslanian said he created the Web site because he was appalled at the poor quality and unimaginative products he saw at other card sites, both paid and free, and thought there was a great need in the market for top-quality free cards. "One of my biggest pet peeves is being shown irrelevant ads while looking for cards, only to find they aren't worth the wait, or the best ones aren't free. Even if you pay, the quality is not great."
On any given weekday, animators manipulate images of haunted hayrides, garden scenes, or dancing cowboys in the sunny loft studio of the company's headquarters in quiet Port Chester, N.Y. Producing the cards can be laborious; each card can take up to six weeks to make, as opposed to just a few days at larger companies. And the rewards of taking such pains to create just one card are obvious: in an independently-conducted market research survey, 90% of users surveyed said the cards were better than well-known, paid, big-brand card sites.
The cards are all made in-house and never outsourced to freelancers. "This is an extremely rare practice that speaks to our conviction that the assembly line e-cards put out by large corporations have lost their spark," Aslanian said. "Our new site reflects our commitment to providing users with a better way to say 'Boo!,' 'I love you,' or 'Happy Holidays' on the Web. We want users to see our cards as good enough to deserve their own names."
To use the company's free e-cards, visit http://www.Month2Month.com .
About Month2Month.com
Founded by John Aslanian in 2006, Month2Month.com is an Internet company located in Port Chester, N.Y., 30 miles north of New York City. Its e-card Web site, http://www.Month2Month.com, provides a broad selection of creative, high-quality, full-animation greeting cards that are totally free, on a site that contains no advertising, and doesn't require anything on the part of senders except to personalize their cards with a warm message of cheer.
SOURCE Month2Month.com
http://www.Month2Month.com
Monday, October 13, 2008
Resurgens Bank has selected Dynamic Marketing Systems's web-enabled Micro Merchant to support the bank's marketing programs. Micro Merchant enables a financial institution to develop, customize and print marketing materials using a centralized web portal.
Resurgens' staff is now using Micro Merchant to execute the bank's marketing material design, production and print processes. Using Micro Merchant, the development of materials now takes only a few hours, as compared to the bank's traditional methods that involved multiple outside resources and took several weeks to complete. Banking employees can create customized messages and promotions for the branch or individual needs ensuring consistent brand identity throughout the organization, said Dynamic Marketing Systems.
Charles DeWitt, president and CEO of Resurgens Bank, said: "The implementation of Micro Merchant has been an extremely easy process for us. Having an online, automated marketing resource management solution saves us a tremendous amount of time and reduces costs when developing promotions. With the help of Dynamic Marketing Systems, we have been able to streamline our marketing processes while ensuring that our customers view Resurgens Bank as having a consistent brand in the marketplace."
Gordy Cain, CEO of Dynamic Marketing Systems, said: "Micro Merchant is an invaluable online marketing resource tool that financial institutions can rely on to develop and produce quality marketing materials in a minimal amount of time. We are thrilled to offer the solution that can assist Resurgens with delivering consistent messaging and product promotions to their customers at very low costs compared to the traditional way of doing things."
Thursday, October 02, 2008
As banking powerhouses collapse, their surviving competitors are tweaking their marketing messages in an effort to portray themselves as the safe and financially sound place for consumers to put their money.
Investment firm TIAA-CREF, for example, ran a print ad, created by Boston’s Modernista agency, with the line, “When Did Survival Become the Bar?”
Babson College associate marketing professor Glenn Kelley said the promotional strategy may not work for everyone.
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“All these banks and financial companies are trying to distance themselves from the market meltdown,” he said. “To just try and run out and do a reassuring ad might not be very successful.”
Nonetheless, various financial institutions have been promoting messages of prudence.
“We’ve been around here for 175 years and we are fiscally conservative and sound,” said James Briand, marketing director for Natick-based Middlesex Savings Bank, which created an ad for CDs featuring the statement, “Stability you can count on.”
“Washington Mutual went down because of its excessive use of (adjustable-rate) and subprime mortgages,” he said. “We never engaged in that, so we are not exposed to those kinds of things.”
A recent TD Banknorth radio spot aired in Boston touts the retail bank’s ties to a Toronto-based parent with a “long history of prudent and conservative lending.”
“There’s an opportunity for us in the market,” said executive vice president Thomas Dyck.
Times have changed, said Harry Chapin of Waltham’s Forge Worldwide, which handles ad work for Bangor Savings Bank in Maine.
Chapin said small banks have long worked to counter consumers’ view that larger banks were better choices because they offer more products.
But the economic collapse has altered that perception, he said.
“Things like being conservative and prudent - a year ago, that may have felt like a non-sexy idea. Now, it’s looking pretty hip.”
Saturday, September 27, 2008
On the surface, Washington Mutual's seizure and sale on Thursday didn't seem to hurt business at the failed thrift's 34 Sacramento-area branches.
Customers on Friday made deposits and took money from ATMs that spit out receipts bearing the failed bank's name. WaMu signs still hung on the buildings. At one Elk Grove branch, an early morning customer filled out forms for new accounts.
But local community and small regional banks and credit unions say the meltdown of Seattle-based WaMu, one of the nation's biggest mortgage lenders, has pushed more business their way. And some have seized on the crisis gripping Wall Street to sharpen their conservative, safe and service-oriented image.
"We've benefited," said Terry Halleck, president and chief executive of The Golden 1 Credit Union. "We've had new people coming in because of what's happened."
WaMu's seizure by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and subsequent $1.9 billion sale to JPMorgan Chase & Co. added to the troubled financial landscape and fed rhetoric on Capitol Hill about a multibillion-dollar plan to stem losses.
The federal government in recent weeks has seized mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and taken control of global insurance firm American International Group. Several large mortgage companies have been sold. The five largest independent investment banks have changed business models or shut down.
WaMu's failure, however, was the first during the current crisis for a large bank funded mostly by deposits.
Many customers at Washington Mutual's Kiefer Boulevard branch treated Friday as just another day, despite the news.
"As long as the money's there, I'm fine. I couldn't tell any difference," said Derrick Weaver, a tour bus driver from Elk Grove and a Washington Mutual customer for four years. "I go to this branch, Elk Grove and Carmichael, and it's no different."
Macellina Amonoo, a 23-year-old student at California State University, Sacramento, stopped at the Kiefer Boulevard branch to check on her account and deposit her paycheck.
"So far, everything's the same," she said. "I was afraid I'd have to rush over and pull my money out."
At the thrift's El Camino Avenue branch, customer Michelle Jenkins said she's worried less about her money's safety than about how service will change under the new ownership.
"It's too early to tell," she said.
The uncertainty in the banking industry will probably continue. Wachovia Corp. is reportedly in sales talks with several banks. The Charlotte, N.C.-based firm has 10 offices in the Sacramento area.
Unlike their bigger rivals, small banks didn't get into the kind of risky home lending and mortgage securities investments dragging down Wall Street, said Keith Leggett, chief economist for the American Bankers Association in Washington, D.C.
"Regional and community banks and credit unions in Sacramento and elsewhere are the bedrock of their communities," Leggett said. "Many have been around for a very long time, they've seen a number of cycles and they know their customers and cities intimately."
Personal service and safety are powerful marketing messages for small banks in good times, Leggett said, made stronger when consumers see some big banks in crisis.
"We've run some ads that address this situation," said Lani Hayward, spokeswoman for Portland, Ore.-based Umpqua Bank.
One example hung Friday in the window at Umpqua's Elk Grove office on Bruceville Road and Elk Grove Boulevard: "Safe and sound for over 50 years. It's time to change. Come by and talk to an associate today."
Hayward said Friday that the bank, which operates on the West Coast, has "had close to triple the account openings last week and into this week." Umpqua has eight branches in the Sacramento area.
Golden 1's Halleck said that the 600,000-member credit union is targeting consumers looking for a new home for their money with promotions like a free first check order with new checking accounts.
"We are definitely making an effort to capture more of the market," she said.
River City Bank, also based in Sacramento, is highlighting its stability. Visitors to its Web site, www.rcbank.com, can click on links to a government-produced video about federal deposit insurance and read specifics on the bank's stability.
"We're trying to inform the public of our strengths," River City President and Chief Executive Stephen Fleming said Friday, "so that they'll be comfortable moving their money to our bank."
Monday, September 08, 2008
Faced with competition from two of the country's largest banks, Harris Bank looks to attract customers in its local market of Chicago with a new advertising campaign playing off the company's "We're here to help" message, and its first television advertising in two years.
The campaign, from Element 79 in Chicago, extends the bank's year-old effort into television, marking the first time Harris has created such advertising in two years.
One television spot shows several situations in which Harris Bank helps people, and not just financially. As a woman searches through her purse for a ringing cell phone, a Harris Bank outdoor ad tells her: "Purse, side pocket." As a couple is haggling with a car dealer over the price of a new car, a Harris taxi-top ad says: "Dealer paid $1,000 less." As a woman is about to board Chicago's El train, a Harris outdoor board tells her: "Mr. Wonderful is one car down."
"We had to feel confident the message was going to carry over," Justine Fedak, senior vice president of marketing at Harris, tells Marketing Daily, about the extension into television. "It has all the power and energy of the print work. [Element 79] actually incorporated the print campaign as part of the television commercials."
The television campaign began airing in Chicago Sunday night during coverage of the Chicago Bears/Indianapolis Colts season-opening football game. The campaign will also air 60 to 90 times a week on CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox and WGN broadcasts, as well as on cable pods of national programming.
The bank expects to reach 95% of its core audience through the campaign, which will also include print, radio, outdoor and online advertising.
Harris Bank is the third-largest bank in the Chicago market, after Bank of America acquired LaSalle Bank last year. According to FDIC data from June 2007 (the most recent period for which information is available), Bank of America (when including LaSalle data) and JP Morgan Chase each have about a 14.5% market share in the Chicago metropolitan area, while Harris has an 11% market share.
Fedak says "market disruption" contributed to the bank's decision to expand into television. "[Consumers] are looking for a bank that's going to help them," she says. "We felt we had a strong positioning that could be expanded at this time."
While unable to comment on the specific campaign, Carol Kaplan, the director of public relations for the American Bankers Association, says the national banking market--with 8,500 banks and 97,000 locations--is "ultra-competitive," and banks look very hard to find a defining characteristic that will appeal to consumers.
"What some banks try to do is carve out a niche," Kaplan says. "The banks often try to segment themselves in order to service a particular category of customer."
Saturday, August 30, 2008
In the battle to win over customers and boost retail deposits, banks have upgraded their product promotions and specials.
In other words, they're tossing out the toasters and shipping in the iPods.
"Sometimes people need that incentive," said David Hanrahan, president and chief executive of Capital Bank of New Jersey in Vineland.
Hanrahan was on hand Friday for the bank's "Endless Summer Friday" promotion, during which the name of a new account holder was drawn randomly for a special prize. The bank has been raffling off electronic goods since the beginning of the year. This was the final month of the promotion.
For Ocean City Home Bank, one deal has been handing out Wawa gift cards for at least $10 each time current customers refer others as new business for the bank.
Given the economy, the thought behind the gift cards was simple: "It can be used for gas," said Tricia Ciliberto, the bank's vice president of marketing.
Community banks aren't the only financial institutions that have been tailoring their giveaways to the times.
Cherry Hill-based Commerce Bank is offering iPod shuffles in target markets in Washington, D.C., and Florida when customers open checking accounts with direct deposit.
Earlier this year, customers of PNC Bank were eligible to win a Toyota Prius Hybrid when opening a personal or business checking account with a Visa check card.
PNC Bank spokesman Ed Kozmor said the bank's promotions - which have also included Pontiac G6s, flat-panel highdefinition TVs and iPods - are effective ways to "attract and retain the customers so we can build a relationship."
Julie Ruth, an associate professor of marketing at Rutgers University in Camden, said the question for banks is this: "How do you say to a 20-year-old or to a 30-year-old you're relevant?"
The lifeblood for banks wanting to grow their customer base is exactly that younger demographic looking to set down financial roots, she added.
"You want to use this extra item that draws attention to where you wouldn't have it otherwise," Ruth said. "And it makes something that's been around forever - banking - seem fresh and new and interesting."
But offering swag doesn't guarantee new customers - or retaining current ones.
Bank officials say it's still the little things such as giving rebates for ATM surcharges or providing extended service hours that are appealing.
"We don't really use (promotions) to try and buy business," said Ciliberto, of Ocean City Home Bank. "We're looking to build a long-term relationship with our customers."
Vineland resident Neolita Dijamco was looking for a better banking experience when she left her bank for Capital Bank of New Jersey, which opened in early 2007. To her delight, she won a Compaq laptop during a February prize drawing.
But the potential to win something didn't factor into her choosing the bank. She said it was about age-old customer service: "They're very accommodating to people. That's what's good."
Sunday, August 03, 2008
At a news conference in the Delaware County Council chambers, executives of Citizens Bank and council Chairman Linda Cartisano presented the annual report on the bank's $142 million community initiative that supports the county's Revitalization Program, noting that for the third consecutive year the bank's program has exceeded its goals.
Ralph Cicalese, Citizens Bank's market executive for Delaware County, reported that the program's goal for the third year was to provide $28.4 million in loans and program support. An analysis of the annual results shows that $40.1 million was delivered in loans and grants for projects and programs that foster affordable housing, home improvement, economic development, financial literacy, small business and commercial development.
"To exceed our goals by nearly $12 million is a sign that the program is working," Cicalese said. "Given the economic conditions, this program is more important than ever. As always, we thank the Delaware County Council for its unwavering commitment in making the program a success, along with the grassroots community agencies that have partnered with us as we revitalize the county's first-generation communities."
Cartisano spoke of the partnership between the bank and the county in noting that the program has been a "rousing" success largely in part to the tireless work of Citizens Bank.
"We have a lot of work still left to do, but we look forward to continuing this rewarding partnership and the revitalization of our municipalities in need of a helping hand," Cartisano said.
Figures presented at the news conference include $6.2 million in small business loans, $334,000 in commercial real estate loans and $24.4 million in other consumer and business loans throughout the five planning regions designated under the Delaware County Revitalization Program, as well as other low-to-moderate income census tracks in the county.
Citizens Bank Foundation also provided $85,000 in grants and program support for numerous projects, including a fuel assistance program offered through the Community Action Agency that helped 100 residents, and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance programs with PathwaysPA. In 2007, the foundation also provided funding to the Widener University Small Business Development Center and Community Capital Works/Chester Microenterprise Partnership to open a business training center in Upper Darby. The agencies have offered training, technical assistance and counseling to more than 100 local business owners and aspiring business owners from Renaissance Planning Area Five, assisting clients from Clifton Heights, Upper Darby, Haverford, Lansdowne and Yeadon.
Pete Ricci of Upper Darby, a small business owner, told those in the council chambers of the support and marketing services he received from the SBDC for his business called Solstice Media.
"Not enough people know the resources that are out there," Ricci said, adding that it was much more convenient for him to go to the business training center in Upper Darby rather than having to travel to the Widener campus in Chester.
The partnership, which was announced in June 2005, represents the largest community investment initiative Citizens Bank has made in the county in support of the revitalization efforts. The program has provided a total of $117.2 million in loans, investments and program support for the program. The new 14-home development in Marcus Hook is part of the initiative.
"The Revitalization Program in Delaware County is working because of the partnership we've developed," Cicalese said.
