Newton, MA
September 8, 2008

Multi-Channel Marketing Hits the Wall: New Neolane Whitepaper Defines the Evolution of Cross-Channel Marketing and Its Impact on the Customer Experience

Case Studies and Use of a Cross-Channel Maturity Model Map Out Successful Strategies to Achieve the Benefits of Coordinated and Consistent Marketing Communications

Neolane, Inc., the software company for new-generation marketing, today announced the availability of its whitepaper, "Multi-Channel Marketing Hits the Wall." The whitepaper provides practical advice and case studies to help organizations move beyond simple multi-channel marketing to achieve the customer experience benefits that can only be gained using a consistent, coordinated cross-channel marketing approach.

"Multi-Channel Marketing Hits the Wall" differentiates between multi-channel and cross-channel marketing and provides the building blocks organizations need to create more valuable customer relationships, while maximizing the use of traditional and emerging communications channels such as direct mail, email and mobile. Neolane and featured guest Forrester Research will present highlights from the whitepaper in a webcast on September 23, 2008.

Multi-Channel vs. Cross-Channel: What's the Difference?
Marketers who are testing emerging communication channels or launching new campaigns using expanded mobile or social media-driven techniques need to know the difference between multi-channel and cross-channel. Why? Because the customer experience and marketing return on investment demand it.

Multi-channel marketing tends to be simplistic – merely defining the ability to reach customers via multiple channels. Cross-channel marketing actually denotes the ability to drive coordinated, consistent campaigns across channels – such as email, direct mail, phone and SMS/text messaging. In order to establish a foundation for effective cross-channel marketing, organizations must start by building a single view of each customer or prospect in order to support more centralized campaigns that can span traditional and emerging channels. By continuing to view communication channels as independent and uncoordinated silos, marketers risk decreased response rates and weakened customer relationships.

The benefits of cross-channel marketing include lower costs due to standardization across channels; faster marketing cycles; more targeted campaigns; better relevance and timeliness; and improved customer satisfaction based on clear rules of engagement and a demonstrated respect for customer preferences. The whitepaper describes the maturity model for cross-channel marketing and provides steps for achieving results like the following companies that have moved from multi-channel to true cross-channel marketing:

• AXA Bank doubled its conversion rates;
• Packard Bell increased average customer value by 50 percent; and
• Beauty retailer Sephora doubled response rates without increasing spend.

"Marketers can no longer rely on a siloed communications approach without coordination among channels. Customers won't accept it, and companies shouldn't perpetuate a broken process that puts consumer relationships in peril," said Stephan Dietrich, president, Neolane, Inc. "By creating single campaigns that are executed across various channels, marketers can ensure consistency of message and maximize the impact of their customer programs."

Attend the Cross-Channel Evolution Webcast
Neolane will be participating in a webcast based on core themes of its cross-channel whitepaper, "Four Steps to Creating a Cross-Channel View of Customers," on Tuesday, September 23, 2008 at 10 a.m. PDT/1:00 p.m. EDT. Hosted by DM News, the event will highlight key take-a-ways from the whitepaper. Featured guest Suresh Vittal, principal analyst, Forrester Research will discuss four critical steps to breaking down the organizational and technology barriers that are blocking marketers from achieving a comprehensive view of the customer, which impacts their ability to deliver productive customer experiences, support marketing measurement, and drive new business opportunities.

To download the "Multi-Channel Marketing Hits the Wall" whitepaper, visit Neolane's online resource center.

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