Direct Response Marketing

Easy as AAA

1 Aug, 2006 By: Doug McPherson Response

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When the California State Automobile Association, part of the famed AAA organization, wanted to tune up its insurance sales — and also add some shine to its brand — it hitched a ride with direct response to make it king of the road.

Granted, when some look at direct response, they may just see a Geo Metro or a small Hyundai. But if they peeked under the hood, they'd see DR is ready for NASCAR — revved up and purring with power.

And many are finding that DR has some serious payload capacity — not only for moving products off shelves and out of warehouses, not to mention measuring return on investment — it's also able to carry brand messaging along the way.

A good example? In 2005, when the California State Automobile Association (CSAA), a branch of the prominent Automobile Association of America (AAA), saw a convoy of competition for auto insurance in its rearview mirror, it looked no farther than DRTV, sprinkled with some branding, to rev up sales.

Alexandra Morehouse, chief marketing officer for CSAA, had little doubt from the very start that DR could bring in customers and build on AAA's 107-year-old brand at the same time. "I absolutely believe that," Morehouse said. "Any communication that drives results can also build brand."

Sites on Brand Management

That belief, Morehouse says, was reinforced by the campaign. "We learned for sure that it is possible to getA0a cost-effective brand boost from being creative in executing a direct response campaign," she contends. "You can stillA0keep a compelling call to action at the same time you'reA0communicating a brand message."

And what's more, she sees a trend ahead. "As consumers demand more personal service, and as mass mediaA0become less effective, I think you're going to see more emphasis onA0DR that builds brands."

Road Rage Resolved

Morehouse understands that statement can cause sparks in some marketing circles and that a road-rage feeling sometimes exists between brand and direct response marketers. "Yes, traditionally they've been rivalsA0who mutually look down on one another, but I think there's more synergy to be gained than most peopleA0think," Morehouse says.

That's something Doug Garnett and Wayne Buder will back up. Both men are in advertising, but Garnett is a direct response guy who heads Atomic Direct in Portland, Ore., (and is a member of the Response Editorial AdvisoryBoard) and Buder, a brand man, is founder and managing director of Buderengel and Friends in San Francisco.

To hear them talk is a mutual admiration society. Garnett calls Buderengel a "great agency" with "outstanding credentials." And Buder says Atomic knows how to get people to the phone and to Web sites, but does "it in a way that pays homage" to the brand.

It's a good thing they have that mutual respect because Buderengel was CSAA's brand agency but CSAA clearly wanted DR. So Buderengel brought in Atomic to help with a 60-second DRTV spot.

"It was an interesting approach in that the direct response component was conceived essentially at the same time we developed the branding portion of the campaign," Buder said. "So it wasn't as if we had a brand campaign and then we just added in DR."

The DR and Brand Road Trip

Nevertheless, the two firms had to first consider brand. Morehouse explains that CSAA's brand is about caring, convenience and reliability with a slogan ("And on you go") designed to reflect the ultimate value of AAA's well-known roadside service.

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