IQ News: Sudden Impact: E-mail Firm Breaks Campaigns

Digital Impact, one of a growing number of companies focusing on managing e-mail direct marketing campaigns, is launching Father’s Day efforts for Omaha Steaks and The Sharper Image this week.
Founded in 1997, the San Mateo, Calif.-based company has a roster of about 40 clients, including Tower Records, Macys.com, and eToys.
Omaha Steaks is sending special offers to its opt-in list of 260,000 people, while on- and offline retailer The Sharper Image plans to test five different combinations of offers and lists.
Omaha Steaks has engaged in e-commerce since 1991, opening a Web store in 1995. It has been working with Digital Impact since February and has used e-mail as a marketing tool since 1997. “Hands down, e-mail marketing is our strongest tool by far,” said Stephanie Healy, interactive sales manager at Omaha-based Omaha Steaks. Two different offers will be sent before Father’s Day, with clickable text leading back to the company’s Web site.
“We don’t do missile launches,” said Ray Kaupp, vice president of marketing for Digital Impact, referring to one-shot campaigns. “We do ongoing communications with our clients’ customers.”
The Sharper Image director of global Internet marketing Meredith Medland said her company is “pumped” about the possibilities for rich e-mail. The retailer will test its own list against 15,000 purchased names with a variety of offers including an electronic tie-rack, Personal Cooling System 2.0, and the Ionic Breather. The messages will be in both HTML-allowing recipients to click on the HTML link and be connected to an offer on the Web-and text. Digital Impact’s technology can distinguish not only whether a recipient can read HTML e-mail, but which of 40 different e-mail applications he or she uses, formatting the message correctly for each.
“HTML is the perfect way to show how great the products are,” Medland said. The Sharper Image’s online ad plan includes banners, rich media created with the Enliven technology, broadband and tenancies on Yahoo!, MSN and PCWorld.