Decor "At Home"

[lise]

Has anyone subscribed to the new Decor At Home magazine for your clients? What do they look like? Any feedback so far or is this a brand new idea?
Thanks

[RozR]

Lise, I just received an email about it. I think it looks very interesting. I would be interested but need more information, i.e. content, no. of pages, etc.

Roz

[AWG]

I spoke to LaTonia(sp?) at Decor this afternoon. It will be around 20 pgs - stories and ads. Stories will be on design, kids art, color and design, etc.

They were selling a similar version at Expo. It looks pretty good and the price is certainly very good.

Tony

[ 11-04-2003, 09:08 PM: Message edited by: AWG ]

[DTWDSM]

I am not sure but I think that Marc Bluestone tested it in St Louis this past spring before it was offered to the industry. Since it is now being offered I would guess that he had success with it but I would be interested in hearing about the results.

Marc, can you comment???

[Rob Markoff]

I'll jump in on this one. We were in the first group to participate...AND we received ZERO response. This was one of the worst promotions we ever participated in.

First, let me say that if Larson-Juhl were not involved, the entire experience would have been even more of a disaster and Tracy from Larson really came through for us to ease us through the process. The graphic arts department at DECOR was the least inspired group we have ever worked with and we were extremely disappointed with the entire experience. Perhaps Larson and DECOR learned from the first go around, but unless they have made significant improvements in the product, level of communication and efficiency, and production values, I would be very cautious.

We determined that a publication of this effort was best directed at NEW clients, because our existing client base already knew who we were, and this publication is EXPENSIVE any way you look at it. Why spend this kind of money marketing to a group of people who already know who you are?

We could have direct mailed the same coupon offer to our exising customer base for significantly less money. So, if you are considering using this publication with your EXISTING custoner base, consider how much an alternative mailing with a similar discount (a Larson Juhl postcard for example) would cost and compare. Those who had "success" with this program and mailed to their existing base need to analyze the ROI for a mailing of this cost compared to what kind of response they would have received with a less expensive mailing to the same group.

To test this mailing, we "bought" a list from DECOR for a mixed zip code mailing to homes well in excess of the "average" demographic in both income and cost of home. After all, this was an upscale, four color publication. We have four stores and mailed to the upper end of all zip codes surrounding our stores. As I said, we had NO respose, not even inquires or phone calls.

If you look at the publication (unless it has significantly changed since the first mailing), it really is a bunch of poorly written articles written around equally poor photographs of uninspired framing. The page YOU get for participating is in black and white (while the other pages are in color) and ours really looked bad. There was little effort on the production value of the coupon, and they didn't even print our address or phone number on the coupon, just our name and the offer.

I certainly expected more from Larson Juhl given the high production values of their own ads and Greg Perkins' outstanding design skills.

I'd give this one TWO THUMBS DOWN.

[AWG]

I received the email from Decor today, also.

According to the rep I spoke to, this version will not have the black and white "personalized" insert page. The customized-for-your-shop part is a simple white box on the front cover with your name, contact info, etc.

While the price is significantly less than the product I saw in Atlanta, after hearing Rob's experience I've got to second guess this idea. :confused: Anyone else tried it??

[B. Newman]

Originally posted by AWG:
this version will not have the black and white "personalized" insert page. The customized-for-your-shop part is a simple white box on the front cover with your name, contact info, etc.

I got the e-mail as well, and was just getting ready to start a thread about it when I saw that lise had already done that.

Reading Rob's post I was wondering how in the world they could customize a page for $149/1000? So the "white box" on the front makes much more sense. I actually expected a blank white box on the front for the framer to add the info.

The e-mail never said anything about a coupon. I DO NOT want a book with a coupon in it.

However, I didn't look at this as a "promotion" as much as an "education tool" or as a "keep my name in front of their faces" tool, and at .15 per copy, it didn't seem like a bad idea.

I guess a "tool" is only effective for certain purposes. (A butter knife makes a lousy screwdriver. Oh, it'll work, but not effectively.)

Betty

[JPete]

I decided to see how much freight would be so I went to the on-line site and went through the buy process but I would have had to register to go further and chose not to.

I would imagine distribution costs would amount to much more than a postcard.

[ 11-05-2003, 10:58 AM: Message edited by: JPete ]

[johntaff]

Well, I'll take a swing at this, too.

DECOR Home is our attempt to help retailers create an image for themselves in their local communities as wall art experts. Articles in the publication are designed to inspire consumers and motivate them to come back to the sponsoring retailer to buy product.

The first one we did was Spring of 2003, which actually came out in May. The first one, as Rob so vehemently points out, was not as successful as we would have liked, though not for the reasons Rob points out.

We discovered, after the first run, that the problems with this first format lay in four main areas.

1). It was too expensive for suppliers, like Larson and Tru Vue, to support on an ongoing basis.

2) It was to expensive for retailers to buy into with any frequency.

3) The coupon that was run was too restrictive in terms of products and not enough of an incentive ($25) to get people to come back.

4) Those companies who did not have a working customer list and had to buy a list through us from a list broker did poorly, for obvious reasons. Even though the lists were chosen demographically within the retailers' areas, these were most probably people who hadn't even known about the retailer. Blind list purchases, which is what Rob did, didn't work.

So, since we believe the idea to still be a good one (and since the response from the 47 retailers who bought the first was split down the center, with as many loving it and wanting it do it again as not having had success, like Rob.

Like any good company with a good idea, we sat down with Larson and Tru Vue and hashed out the problems (see above) and restuctured the product to be more like a consumer magazine and less as a "personal" magazine.

Here are the differences:

New DECOR Home has a lower price point (Special is $149 per thousand; regularly $300 per thousand). And's it has nearly twice the pages as the old one.

New DECOR Home will feature more advertising from a variety of suppliers

New DECOR Home does not feature a coupon, unless the retailer pays extra for it

New DECOR Home is personalized for the retailer only on the front cover.

New DECOR Home will come out quarterly and will be seasonally focused. All editorial will still be directed at consumers, with an eye toward wall decor and home furnishing design and color trends.

New DECOR Home does not feature mailing. We ship the copies to you to let you decide how to distribute them. Mail some to your top customers. Make arrangements with local merchants to set them in their shops or at doctors' or dentists' offices. Insert them into local newspapers.

As to you, Rob, you are certainly entitled to your opinion of the project. However, let me say this. Your swipe at DECOR Home as poorly written and poorly designed is not only wrong--and I mean wrong in a big way as anyone who even took a casual look through DECOR Home has told us they love it--but it is also suspiciously like sour grapes. Everyone we have showed the piece to has been excited not only by the look of the magazine, but also by the articles. And as the copy and basic design of this first issue was set and out in the public in the sample copies we produced before you signed aboard, I wonder why you participated at all if you didn't like the look and thought the articles to be poorly written.

In fact, I would urge everyone on the Grumble to call LaTonya, our DECOR Home coordinator, (800-867-9285, ext. 5516) and ask to see a copy of the last issue.

We learned a lot from the first issue, and still believe strongly in the concept of reaching through to the consumer to help art & framing retailers generate store traffic. I think DECOR Home is a great product, and at the price it can't be beat by a simply flyer or a post card. We still think DECOR Home can help you elevate your store's image in the community and at a darn good price.

John

[Marc Lizer]

Attention all Grumblers.

THIS is the way to have a constructive Grumble Rumble and a constructive Grubmle response.

[JudyN]

We participated in about May. We had the inside cover with our store information. We mailed out about 1500-2000 I think.
It was sent to our exiting mailing list. We got back about 10 of the coupons.
Ok not a lot but it did have positive results. Many many of our customers commented on it and said "wow" they liked "our" new magazine.
I also am glad to hear it is bigger this time.
It would be good as just a handout in your store or to throw in the bag with a purchase.
If we get it again we will mail to different mailing list rather than our own customers.

[johntaff]

Thanks, Marc! And thanks, Judy, too!

[Marc Bluestone]

Marc, can you comment??? I’d be happy to.

We did try Décor Home at the same time Rob did.

We did it differently and chose to mail to existing customers. Our response rate was better than Rob quoted for himself and the effort, while not singularly spectacular, was not in any way negative.

I also believe that a review of any marketing effort should not be limited to $$$ alone. Presumably, we derived benefits related to image and branding even among consumers who did not make a purchase.

Lets talk about expectations…

There is simply no such thing as a guaranteed response from any ad vehicle. I have mailed postcards as Rob described and received nothing. I have mailed postcards and been deluged with money.

Variables like timing, weather, design, offer and message all play a part.

Perhaps most important, in marketing, consistency plays a part.

There is no one thing that I am aware of that will build your business. There is certainly no one thing done once that will build your business. Don’t look for magic from this or any other marketing vehicle.

Successful marketing results from consistent applied effort, consistently applied, in a constant, consistent manner, relentlessly and consistently and constantly. Over and over.

As a general rule, nothing done once ever works.

While I make it a point of not endorsing any product, I certainly would have nothing bad to say about Décor Home as a part of a well-conceived marketing effort.

Like anything else, you have to determine if it fits into your plan and if it reflects your style. Décor’s job is to ship you a box. It’s your job to deploy it in a way that will make you money.

[B. Newman]

I would definately be interested if I could purchase, say, 500. It's not the cost of the product, it's just the sheer numbers. 1000. Man, that's a bunch.

I did think about calling another framer and offer to split the order, but if they are personalized by Decor, that wouldn't work.

Any chance of making the minimum 500 next time?

Betty

[GUMBY, GCF]

Betty you might ask for 500 none customized just the blank box. The printing cost probably goes up for under 1000. Just a thought.

[Rob Markoff]

Well John,

I am pleased to see that after reviewing the responses from participants, positive changes have been made to the both the publication and level of participation. As Marc said, this could be an excellent part of a marketing program.

I like the possibility of leaving this publication in waiting rooms, and I can see a very cost effective “guerilla” type marketing effort by leaving imprinted copies in the waiting areas of hospitals and clinics, especially with the increased size and cost of $149/1000.

I am disappointed, however, that I (or my company) never received a response from DECOR regarding your "after mailing survey", nor were we ever contacted by e-mail or other means regarding the new, improved quarterly product. I only learned about it when I read the inquiry from this thread. This is symptomatic of the poor level of communication from DECOR that we experienced during our participation.

As an initial participant, we felt we at least deserved an acknowledgement of our response and a “head’s up” regarding the new product. And, had we been contacted, perhaps our opinion/response to a thread of this type would have been more positive.

Re: your “sour grapes” analogy-

We jumped into this program with both feet on BLIND FAITH based on my long history with DECOR (as a subscriber since the early 70’s, as a winner of an Award of Excellence and an Award of Recognition, and my relationship with DECOR as a Contributing Editor for many years), and because of the partnership/sponsorship of Larson Juhl and Tru-Vue who have been very supportive of the framing community and who have demonstrated a strong sense of leadership and outstanding visual presence in print media.

We were asked by our Territory Manager and Sales Rep from Larson Juhl to help launch this program and we said yes. They didn’t even have a copy of the product for us to see, they didn’t have all of the specifics regarding the “limitations” of the coupon, and they raised as many questions about the program as they answered.

I don’t feel we need to quibble publicly about the process of getting the first issue out, but the “sample” product you produced was significantly different from the “mailed” product. The mailed product was much improved, but I worked closely with Tracey from Larson Juhl to implement copy changes because several aspects of the initial copy were seriously flawed.

From my perspective, the editorial copy in the first issue appeared to have been written around some “existing” photographs that were not the most inspired, well planned or best examples of framing available. I would have hoped to have had copy written and then an assignment to create images that would best illustrate the concept.

This isn’t intended as a “swipe” at your publication because I have long been a proponent of your Art Direction (and Art Director). I just expected that between Larson Juhl and DECOR, the imagery used would have been more inspiring.

I am also pleased to hear that half of the participants had a positive experience and relieved to also learn that we were not alone in our disappointment in the response we received. If this had been a perfect program, the changes you have made would not be necessary.

In short, because I know your capabilities, I expected more…and in this next go around it appears that the next participants will get it.

I only wish that DECOR would have included us in the analyzed results of the first effort and your plans for the next phase so I could have been more positive in my initial response to this thread.

[John Ranes II, CPF, GCF]

I find this discussion VERY interesting!

From a previous thread entitled The "Michael's" subject, I posted an image of a FramerSelect postcard mailing that we did recently.....

The "Michael's subject (http://thegrumble.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=005673)

It generated a valid question....

Originally posted by Alan Sturgess:
For John and Sarah Ranes regarding your promotion to 8000 potential customers.

Would you mind sharing the feedback on the results? It may get some people wanting to join Framers Select.The answer is that the feedback has been very positive but with a marketing idea/mailing like this, you don't necessarily establish a quantifiable reponse. It's really not the issue. We are getting our name out to "key and potential" customers in a direct and in their face manner.

Even veteran framers and business owners make the common mistake of thinking that every marketing effort has to have a direct measurable response and return. Good entrepreneurs realize that it doesn't work this way. Think about this........ How many times, has a customer said to you, "I heard your ad on the radio", and you smile politely and say "Great", knowing that you haven't placed an ad on the radio in over 5 years! This is simply how it works.

So along comes Decor Magazine providing us with a much needed tool to reach out and touch our potential customers, and we question the viability of the offering due to poor measureable response? We're missing the point.

In other threads on the Grumble, folks like Bob Carter have clearly identified the Big Boxes strengths. Decor has laid down a tool right in front of you to pick up and take a swing at these "Giants". You may not hit him on the first swing, but if you do it often enough, you might wear him down. ;)

John

[ 11-07-2003, 12:23 PM: Message edited by: John Ranes II, CPF, GCF ]

[johntaff]

Thanks John! I appreciate the support. And you're right. DECOR Home is just a tool. For it to be successful, you have to make it work for you.

I just wanted to let everyone know that, as of this morning, we've pre-sold 80,000 copies of the Spring 2004 issues. So, if you're interested in taking advantage of this offer, I'd suggest you call LaTonya today at 800-867-9285, ext. 5516. Space is filling up fast!

John