Do your remember when the lights (and just about everything else) went out back in 2003? At the time nobody knew what was going on or what caused it. Everything simply stopped. I was walking up John St. in Toronto on my way to the Skydome to watch the Toronto…
York Region is a great place to work and an even better place to live. A few years back one of the local TV channels even used the tongue-in-cheek tagline “just above Toronto” in one of its campaigns. And while it’s a geographic fact that we are slightly to the…
Prime Data’s recent “BreadTalks” at AFP Congress in Toronto offered a select group of fundraisers a seat at the table with three fundraisers with unique experiences and insights. We’re big supporters of giving young people a chance to network and learn, so we reached out to the fundraising program at…
I would like to personally thank every conference attendee who stopped by the Prime Data booth and took a spin at the Rotate to Donate Wheel.As a result of your participation, our #AFPCongress Scholarship Game was a fundraising success. Each participant spun the wheel and the amount shown was added…
I goofed! – My ironic (moronic) use of digital to promote direct mail fundraising Mea culpa. I’m guilty of being a bit blind to the obvious last week. In my excitement to share a catchy marketing pitch, I forgot the very principles that were expounded in the nifty short video…
Last week I went through the AFP Congress schedule of sessions and picked out my top five related to donor retention. It was a tough job. But looking through the session choices is one of my favourite parts of attending a conference. It use to be that you had to…
One of the most challenging aspects of fundraising is donor retention. And that’s a big part of our focus at this year’s AFP Congress in Toronto. Having attended AFP in the past, I know there are a lot of fantastic sessions to choose from. But if donor retention is your…
Dear Mr. DECEASED OR MOVED, We appreciate your ongoing support. The last time we were in CITY FIELD BLANK, I had a chance to speak to your friends and neighbours about NOTE: DOG CAMPAIGN TO BE NAMED LATER. Please consider donating again this year. Thanks, That’s the kind of relationship-busting…
This summer Prime Data’s designation as a Canada Post Expert Partner was renewed for the third straight year. We were pretty excited. But I don’t really expect you to be. If you are not in the direct mail business, it’s just another industry term that you don’t need to know….
Last Friday morning’s Globe and Mail greeted me with an interesting juxtaposition of content in their print version of the business section. As I scanned this week’s “Persuasion” article for marketing tips, Susan Krashinsky’s column about the threat Ad Blockers pose to digital advertising was positioned over a half-page Ad…
Two weeks ago I was attending the Graph Expo convention in Chicago. My primary reason for being their was to talk about Prime Data’s experience using Delphax’s new Elan printer technology. Obviously I think it’s great; propelling us way ahead of just about everyone else in the market by helping…
Do you know the difference between the Machinable Rate and the Special Handling Rate at Canada Post? If you don’t you better read on. Because the difference could cost your next campaign big time. You may not even know that Canada Post has renamed the category to Personalized Mail ™ instead…
We live in an interconnected world. When I buy a car, the muffler may come from Kentucky and the transmission from somewhere in Ontario. And as US companies take note of the falling Canadian dollar exporters like Prime Data are likely to see even more cross border transactions. From a…
I love Europe at this time of year. The warm sun and gorgeous countryside imbued with a history stretching back centuries before the oldest cities of North America. It’s really something to experience. Of course European innovation is also the envy of the world. So last week as I making…
Somebody once told me that half their marketing budget is wasted. They just wished they knew which half it was. It’s an old joke. But with the rise of data driven marketing campaigns it’s becoming easier than ever to target your marketing dollars more effectively – and eliminate a lot…
On the face of it, the very thought of print being as interactive as variable online marketing efforts seems ridiculous. The vast data piles gathered up by Google, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook are the stuff of legend. Just think about how customized each interaction you have with Google truly is….
The first real Windows-based computer I owned was an Intel 286 IBM clone. It cost me $2500 in 1988. To put things in perspective that’s $5086.91 in today’s money according to the Dollartimes.com site. That’s a big chunk of change for what is actually a really primitive machine compared to…
When it comes to marketing and fundraising campaigns, every penny counts. And if you apply that penny to thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of individual admail pieces, then we’re suddenly talking about a significant chunk of change. With advances in digital print technology the cost of creation and production…
How much time do you spend looking at email during a typical day? Now think about how often you actually go to the mailbox and pick up the mail? Are you following me? It’s way more effective to reach out to your audience with an actual print piece through the…
It’s the dog days of summer. And while account reps, suppliers and vendors are frolicking on beaches and dancing through dandelion-covered meadows, fundraisers are busy planning for the fall. To the rest of the world magic just happens. A campaign is pitched, accepted and executed. No problem. If that were…
When my kids were younger they loved Mighty Machines. It’s a kids show that gave voice to the machines that make everything we do possible. They even had an episode dedicated to a printing press. Be careful. The show is addictive and you could spend hours watching it. Why am…
Information is important. And we love sharing news. That’s why we try to get at least one news story posted each week related to direct mail, printing and other topics our visitors are likely to find both helpful AND interesting. But if rumours are true and the internet is actually really…
It’s a fact of our modern life. When a natural or man made disaster strikes anywhere in the world images and videos are instantly broadcast for everyone to see. Long gone are the days of waiting for reporters with cameras to fly in from New York. With the advent of…
Joanne Black, a top sales guru out of San Francisco, once said buyers don’t care about your technology. They only care about what it will do for their business. I agree 100%. So I know you probably don’t care that Prime Data is having our brand new elan printer delivered…
Considered an evangelist for the power of mail to move hearts Canada Post Corporation has recognized Aurora-based Prime Data with a Top Performer Award for Excellence in Direct Mail Growth. Deepak Chopra, CEO of Canada Post, stated that Prime Data is “one of the best, if not the best, evangelist…
