Direct Mail

A category that has remained fairly constant over the past six years is Direct Mail. The group average, although it has slightly declined over the years, hasn’t varied much, and Strategic Marketing, Triple Diamond winner, has won the Diamond Award every year since the Awards began in 2005. This year, Strategic Marketing’s score spiked over nine points compared to the company’s showing last year, creating a 21.7-point spread between the company’s score and the 2010 group average—the largest point spread between the top provider and the group average ever.

President Todd Strause said, “It feels great to be acknowledged for so many years. This past year we produced some of the best products in our company’s history and helped dealers sell vehicles in the most difficult economy in recent history. To assist these clients during this time and help them accomplish certain goals was very rewarding.”

The Platinum Award winner this year, @utoRevenue (a marketing company that specializes in the service department), is now a Triple Platinum award winner, maintaining its post with a slight increase in score year-over-year. “The foundation (and 2010 slogan) of @utoRevenue is very simple: keep your customers close!  For dealers, the benefit is customer retention, likely the most significant challenge they face over the next three to five years,” said Trista Hevey, @utoRevenue’s direct mail product manager.

This year’s Gold Award Winner, Force Marketing, is a newcomer to the Dealers’ Choice Awards. However, the company is an established direct mail provider, founded in 2004.