THE BUSINESS NEWS
Serving Brown, Calumet, Door, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano & Winnebago counties
August 4, 2008 Vol. 6, No. 7  $1.00
Reprinted with permission of The Business News

Perhaps you haven’t heard about Silverlight yet. You will if you plan to watch the Olympics online this summer. But Silverlight is about far more than Web video. If the predictions of one local technology company are right, Silverlight is about to revolutionize the way we work.

Tim Miller is a project manager and developer at Skyline Technologies, based in Green Bay, and Patrick Deprey is the company CEO. Together they sat down and gave me a demo of this new Microsoft technology.

Deprey likened Silverlight to the advent of Microsoft office and desktop applications. “We really feel it is going to be changing the way people are working, one more time,” he said. What’s so special about Silverlight? It delivers a faster, more dynamic experience on the Web.

And to be clear, we’re not merely talking about Web sites — we’re talking about Web-based applications. Silverlight delivers a desktop quality experience over the Internet.

Today, companies are increasingly turning to Internet-based applications. Instead of downloading software — and storing it and keeping it updated — many applications are now delivered wholly online. That trend may explode, thanks to Silverlight.

“We get rich true applications,” said Miller. “Not a Web site with pages, but applications. You don’t have to have this on your desktop anymore. All you need is browser and broadband access.”

Silverlight is built with XAML (pronounced zammel), Microsoft’s proprietary mark-up language. This is the same presentation language used in Vista, Milller tells me, which helps explain the attractive demo applications — complete with shadows, animation, and Vista- esque page toggling.

“We’ve moving beyond usability,” said Miller. “What Microsoft talks about now is user experience.”

To back up a bit, I should explain that at a basic level Silverlight is a browser plug-in, similar to Adobe Flash. This is an add-on to your Internet browser that lets you view video content, play games, and see special site effects.

While Adobe is developing a product called Flex that will compete with Silverlight’s development features, its Flash player currently dominates the market for rich media. So, before developers start jumping into Silverlight, Microsoft must first get a toehold with users.

They’re doing fairly well, with more than 1.5 million Silverlight downloads per day in March. That number is expected to jump come August when NBC will offer all its Olympic video exclusively through Silverlight.

Once companies can expect that the Silverlight plug-in will already be installed on user computers, they’ll be more likely to create interactive Web applications that use it.

For now, Deprey says many of their customers are hesitant to use such a new technology.

Still, there are some that feel that Silverlight will give them a competitive advantage.

Such is the case at Fufillnet in Green Bay which will soon begin working with Skyline to develop an application built on Silverlight. The company will be creating a new module for its ShopDev brand management software already delivered over the Web.

President and CEO Kate Burgess said Silverlight will allow them to present data in new ways that enhance user productivity.

“Silverlight allows us to take that information and be more visual with it,” she said. “Being more visual with that data helps our users be more efficient with it.”

It’s not just efficiency alone that Fulfillnet is after, but a cutting edge user interface. Client services and IT manager Rob Czypinski said the enhanced visuals will help them stay ahead of the competition.

“A large part of our business is marketing based. They are very motivated by presentation and the looks of things,” he said. “Silverlight gives us the ability to present that information in a more integrated, rich environment.

At Carspot.com in Milwaukee, director of mobile technology Damon Payne said the company is developing a new interface for car dealers built on Silverlight. When ready, dealers will use the application to upload vehicle photos and other product information.

Payne believes that Silverlight will increase the amount of information dealers load to the site, simply by making that experience more enjoyable.

“If we can come up with something that is flashy, that people think is neat, we can get them to do more themselves rather than call in for support,” Payne said.

Plus, he believes it will help dealers understand their product better.

“It’s easier to show them a benefit if it looks cool,” he said. “It could be something very useful but we may not be able to sell them on the benefit. But if it looks cool, it’s a much easier sell for us.”

Silverlight 2.0 is available as a free download from www.microsoft.com/silverlight, where you can also view application demos.

In the next column, I’ll outline some of Silverlight’s distinct benefits.

For years, direct mail has been known as a very reliable tool in any marketing campaign toolbox.  The benefits have been touted numerously:

• Ability to reach new potential customers
• Highly targeted
• Cultivate customer loyalty
• Easily measured ROI

But other “hidden” strengths of direct mail need to be looked at as well.  Savvy marketers know that multiple touches are needed to gain a prospect’s business or develop a client’s loyalty.  Direct mail can work in tandem with any other marketing media.  It can be the reinforcement needed from TV and radio ads.  It can be the spark needed to fire up web traffic and internet sales.  It can be the special request inviting customers to your business.

Direct mail is also a very tangible item.  Customers and prospects physically have received a “gift” from you to them.  Since it resembles more of a gift, it evokes more favorable impressions of the sender.  Your message will be seen through the lens of a happier recipient.  Tangible items are also beneficial for memory recall.  The recipient is doing two actions upon receiving his/her mail—reading your message and turning it over, inspecting it or opening it.  In essence, two actions are recalled in a person’s memory easier than a single action.  As people remember receiving your mail piece, they will be more likely to act upon its request for action in the future.

Direct mail is also an effective dialogue tool. Direct mail allows you to open a conversation with a prospect that does not know your service offerings.  Conversations with current customers often ask to re-connect and build upon good experiences in the past.  Well crafted mail pieces create a story that the end user is being asked to participate in.  The reader is following along with the story in his/her own mind; it is not just being blared at them.  Your message is directly conveyed, without any filter, to your recipient.

Naysayers have been proclaiming the impending doom or downfall of direct mail for the past 5-10 years as the popularity of email and the internet has increased.  The truth is, though, that direct mail is a proven marketing technique that works.  (Skilled marketers think mailbox and inbox, not mailbox vs inbox in some sort of heavyweight boxing match.)  As long as businesses and organizations need to get their marketing message to their end users, direct mail will continue to thrive.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is changing their tabbing regulations for booklet mailers. The details of this change are outlined below. Download pdf of USPS mailing regulation changes.

Background
The USPS currently defines a booklet as:

• Multiple sheets permanently fastened with stitching or gluing
• Always required tabbing
• Sized 6.125″ x 11.5″ or smaller
• 3 oz maximum weight
• 0.25″ maximum thickness

Summary of Changes

• Effective Date: September 8, 2009
• The new booklet guidelines will affect the design of your future pieces
• Not following the USPS’ new regulations will result in a minimum surcharge of $0.22 per piece

The charts below show current versus new regulations. The key changes include smaller mail pieces, larger tabs, more tabs, and specific fold and tab locations.

Download pdf of USPS mailing regulation changes.
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Join our FulfillNet experts Jim Bott and David Townley and our guest speaker, Scott Petinga from Akquracy to learn why you should send direct mail and how new postal regulations could impact you! Wednesday, May 6th from 2:00-4:00 pm at the Bemis Center at St. Norbert College.

“We helped save a client over $5,900 on three mailings in one year.”

Scott will share information on the effectiveness of direct mail from his 15 years of experience developing integrated marketing and creative strategies. He will show why direct mail can be: targeted, personal, tangible, measurable and cost effective.

RSVP TODAY!
800-514-1119 or click here to email

Updated postal regulations
FulfillNet postal regulations experts Jim Bott and
David Townley will cover the following:

• new price increases
• intelligent mail barcode updates
• new tabbing requirements
• many more updates on general mailing requirements

Wednesday, May 6th
from 2:00-4:00 pm

Bemis Center at St. Norbert College
100 Grant Street, De Pere, WI 54115

Pictured: Tom Burgess, Allen Sirkin & Kate Burgess.

by David Moin
From WWD Issue 04/06/2009

NEW YORK — Although the mood in retail and fashion is dour, a sense of hope and a willingness to help prevailed at last Wednesday’s UJA-Federation of New York fashion division luncheon at The Plaza.

The event, which drew 500 guests and raised more than $700,000, honored Karen Katz, president and chief executive officer of Neiman Marcus Stores, and Allen Sirkin, president and chief operating officer of Phillips-Van Heusen Corp.

“I think people need help now more than ever,” Katz said. “I am delighted to help, and that we were able to raise that kind of money in this kind of economy. I am very fortunate to work with a company that believes in community support.”

Pamela Fiori, editor in chief of Town & Country, introduced Katz by saying that she rose to the top of the luxury chain “like cream — naturally. Not because she clawed her way through the ranks. Good things happen to Karen organically.”

Donald Trump introduced Sirkin, a friend whom he likes to kid. “When I got here, it didn’t seem like anybody cared to ask about Allen,” Trump said. “All they wanted to know about was why I fired Dennis Rodman” from his “Celebrity Apprentice” show on NBC. Turning serious, he called Sirkin “a great marketer, but he’s a better friend.” The two have collaborated on Trump merchandise that sells at Macy’s.

“This is a very amazing honor,” Sirkin said. “But, really, I represent a platform of friends and business associates that I can call upon. In these difficult times, a spokesperson with a platform can make a difference.”

He said the luncheon would help the UJA-supported Kaplan House in Manhattan, a home for troubled teenagers. “We recognized just how special the people working there are.” Sirkin cited the luncheon’s “ying-yang” character by highlighting the needy in the world and the ability to help those in need. “Somewhere in the middle is the UJA. It’s a perfect trifecta.”

The luncheon will help support the UJA’s network of 100-plus health and human service agencies in New York. UJA-Federation’s mission is to care for those in need, rescue those in harm’s way, and renew and strengthen Jewish people around the world.

Among those attending were Hal Rubenstein, In Style’s fashion director, who opened the event with a special tribute, and Roger Farah, John Pomerantz, Gilbert Harrison, Brendan Hoffman, Mallory Andrews, Abbey Doneger, Burt Tansky, Ann Stordahl, Vincent Ottomanelli and Paul Charron.

In an effort to show our commitment to our customers and the fulfillment & direct mailing industry, we have started this blog. We will be sharing with you industry insights that have given us at FulfillNet Inc. a competitive advantage, and which we provide to our satisfied customers every day. As a Fulfillment House, we also hope to share with you all the fulfillment services we do provide, and by doing so provide better service to you, the customer.