Increase direct mail, catalog and space advertising response rates.
Lower advertising expense. Increase profits!

StuartDM helps companies increase profits. We specialize in using advanced techniques like improved RFM segmentation and Customer Life Time Value (LTV) to help companies obtain a better return on investment of their marketing expenditures. We do this by identifying better customers and developing profitable marketing strategies to acquire and retain them.

We also provide advanced tools to increase response rates and manage profitability.

The Managing Director is Stephen J. Stuart, a direct marketing veteran with over 30 years experience as a Marketing Director, Catalog Manager, VP Marketing and company President.
Stuart and other expert consultants in their corporate careers created hundreds to thousands of campaigns from start to finish. Their responsibility was full scope for marketing strategy, creative direction, media and list selection, forecasting, response and financial results. Their experience covers direct marketing products and services from almost every industry.  We invite you to put this knowledge to work on increasing results of your direct marketing.

Stephen J.  Stuart Overview
Steve Stuart’s professional direct marketing experience spans over 35 years, beginning in 1969. His first DM position was mailing list and data processing manager for a 3 million name co-op mailing in New York. Direct mail, as direct marketing was known then, was not yet taught as a formal discipline. Stuart was one of the first members of legendary Nat Ross’s DMIX (Direct Marketing Idea Exchange), the predecessor to the NYU direct marketing program. As Stuart learned the power of direct marketing’s measurable, tangible results, he decided to really “learn” the fundamentals skills and practices of the industry.

In 1973, Stuart joined an upstate New York catalog company. For 3 years, he produced 10 catalogs annually and hundreds of solo mailings. As a catalog manager, Stuart selected merchandise, wrote copy, directed graphics, selected mailing lists, analyzed results and then repeated the process for the next issue.

In 1976, Stuart joined Franklin Mint as a Marketing Director, the pivotal P&L position for product development, marketing, and advertising for Franklin’s new product issues. Over the next 4 years, Stuart’s team developed hundreds of new products and marketing campaigns. During that period, sales grew rapidly from $160 Million to $440 Million with the fast paced, innovative strategies that made Franklin Mint the leading direct marketer of the decade. Stuart’s last position  was Franklin Vice President - New Venture before appointment as Managing Director of the United States 1984 Olympic Coin program.

Since 1986, Stuart has consulted for companies in both Business to Business and Consumer Products to improve sales growth using direct response marketing. With the adoption of the Internet and one-to-one communication with customers, using direct marketing principles based on customer life time values, is now a business imperative.

Stuart is the architect of Profit Smart^® DM Metrics Management Software, and actively consults. If you seek direct marketing improvements or development of a business strategy, please contact us. We will promptly respond with useful information.
 

The following partial summary of the solutions and strategies Steve Stuart has personally developed.

Stuart Consulting Projects

Demographic Targeting
For a prestige product sold in a multi-step sales cycle using direct marketing and telemarketing to better leverage advertising investments, Stuart analyzed customer Life Time Value by segment using the Claritas PRIZM system. Analysis confirmed the 80/20 rule, which allowed focusing advertising expenditures on the most productive targets to increase sales and profits.

Catalog Response Rate Solution
A 2,000,000-buyer consumer product catalog response rates decreased, and traditional RFM list selection techniques became unacceptable. Stuart headed the project team creating a response predictive scoring model. The mailing list selection by model score enabled mailing fewer catalogs (at less advertising expense) while generating greater sales and profits. The Equifax Microvision system and demographic appending was used in the model and selection system.  

Life Time Value Analysis
When a leading professional health publisher direct mail campaigns suffered unprofitable response rates, Stuart created a customer Life Time Value Analysis. This research on repeat purchase patterns among buyers identified a key problem making possible improvements in strategy.

New Product Development
A major direct marketing company engaged Stuart as a creative product development consultant to provide up to 12 new product concepts annually independent of client specifications. The objective was to produce creative “out of box” thinking versus internal staff developed work. Deliverables included product concept (reason for being and positioning), hand-drawn art renderings of the finished product, prototype advertising, product specifications, and working prototypes for production and purchasing.
 

Web Site
 

Web Site (Name on request)
Developed new brand name, matching website URL, and transactional website for an existing jewelry product. Created national space advertising (concept, copy, art, media placement) that drove new buyers to website at profitable cost per order.

Utility Company Facing A Competitive Marketplace
For a large utility company preparing for de-regulation, Stuart created the situation analysis, marketing objectives and strategic summary for a comprehensive customer contact plan to build a brand image and increase customer loyalty.

Retail Joint Venture Problem
A promising joint venture between a direct sales organization and national retail store chain produced display kiosks that did not produce sales. A first-hand, in the field examination of the problem quickly identified the cause. The solution was in using a different sales process model after consumers initiated contact with the kiosks.

Marketing Planning Strategist
As a consultant, Stuart acted as Marketing Planning Director for a B-to-B health care publisher for all campaigns for 1-½ years. Two major catalog issues and approximately 100 solo campaigns were launched annually. Stuart also installed a more precise method for forecasting sales and prioritized advertising expenditures based on profit contribution and ROI.

Marketing Organizational Structure
A Wall Street private bank/ trading organization engaged Stuart to re-organized the marketing department structure, staffing and methods. A campaign based system with P&L results measurement and accountability was installed. The engagement scope was enlarged with Stuart being appointed ad hoc VP MIS to upgrade all MIS operations, staffing, hardware and software.

New Technology
Engaged as Consultant and acting Marketing Vice President for a California pre-IPO technology company, Stuart created the new product branding, advertising positioning and the initial product launch and marketing strategy. The product, “VCR Voice” was the first battery operated, hand-held voice recognition electronic product to control devices by voice. The brand sold nationally by direct marketing from radio spots driving inbound telemarketing, catalogs, and at retail until acquired by a larger company.

Telemarketing
Stuart conducted the needs assessment, vendor selection, installation and training for a 45-person telemarketing system supporting inbound and outbound customer contact.

Software and Channel Marketing
Stuart created a direct mail campaign to generate sales leads for new software – hardware solution for internal package tracking. Stuart also created strategy for trade shows and managing channel marketing, branding and relationship partnering.

Stuart Corporate Summary

Since 1986, Stuart has served multiple companies as Consultant and/or interim corporate officer. Some of the work is listed above.

Managing Director
1984 U.S. Olympic Coin Program
Head of North American business operations, marketing and advertising of company responsible for distribution of the 1984 United States Olympic coins.

 Vice President
The Franklin Mint - Franklin Center, PA
Headed up a Franklin Mint strategic business venture.

President - Direct Marketing Division
Hunt Corp. - Philadelphia, PA
Stuart started new direct response division to diversify this manufacturing company into the consumer direct response business. As first division employee, Stuart created mission identification and successfully integrated the acquisition of the House of Miniatures - X-Acto knife business from Columbia House. Stuart rapidly developing new advertising positioning, direct mail campaigns, and launched a 48 page, 400-item catalog to support product line. The venture was well founded and growing successfully when Franklin Mint invited Stuart to return as VP of a strategic new venture.

Marketing Director
Franklin Mint - Franklin Center, PA
Stuart developed over 150 new product programs over 4 year period from initial concept formation through product development, advertising development, manufacturing and fulfillment. Managed all product forms and materials: art graphics, porcelains, pewter, precious metals, long play records, and special ventures.

Marketing Manager
Amsterdam Company, Amsterdam, NY
Created one new catalog per month for 3 years, managing in-house manufactured products and outside sourced. Selected merchandise, wrote copy, creative directed graphics, and selected mailing lists. Products were B to B and B to C. Performed back-end profitability analysis.

Speaker: DM Days in New York, Acxiom Direct Media Co-Op, Philadelphia DM and other direct marketing conferences.