Alumni Dennis Lacognata '76, the CEO of Prompt Mailers (PM), is in the process of rebranding his company and has sought the assistance of SFC Marketing students. 
The student with the best marketing plan will have an opportunity to intern with Prompt Mailers.

Prompt Mailers is a Staten Island based company which specializes in the distribution of mail for private corporations and companies to all of their target markets.

Earlier this semester students visited Prompt Mailers' business premises to get a firsthand view of daily operations at the company, which enabled them to develop a thorough and relevant marketing plan. 

Lacognata provided a presentation about the impact that possible changes within the United States Postal Service will have on Prompt Mailers.

He explained that USPS is their primary competition in direct mail marketing to residents. If the price of postage rises within the USPS system Prompt Mailers will have to raise the price of their services.

Suppose that Saturday delivery is eliminated, or express mail is changed to 2-3 day shipping, this will adversely affect retailers because they require that their mail is sent out on specific dates. Consequently, Prompt Mailers must operate as a cross media company in order to keep their clientele.

Cross media marketing is the use of data for more personal and relevant messaging to an individual across mulltimedia, such as text messages. Target markets would be able to respond to messages online.

Another important tool is smartphone applications. Almost every business uses applications as an alternative way to stay connected to customers; PM should take advantage of this technology. 

Lacognata also discussed personalized marketing for customers, such as personalizing letters with their name and personal url. In this way retailers build rapport with their customers and promote customer loyalty. PM serves as the mailer of all of coupons for brands such as Bloomingdales, NY&C, and Dress Barn.

They also send out subscriptions to daily newspapers, invite people to test drive a Maserati on behalf of that dealer, distribute discounts for Broadway, invite people to donate to non-profit organizations, or membership for particular associations.

PM emphasized the effective results of cold calling for making appointments as opposed to distributing brochures because it is a more effective method in terms of explaining new services. 

PM's printing process is carried out within a single building, and the company utilizes a digital printing press and a toner printer. Clients are also provided with storage space because it is more cost effective to print in bulk and often necessary to store material at the premises.

Although PM has a variety of clients, one of its goals is to acquire more clients and increase revenue from a larger demographic of companies. The company is currently working toward providing more services to their clientele because it is harder to replace a company that is the source of numerous and various functions.

It would be beneficial for PM to promote their new services to both new and old clients in order to ensure that they are demonstrating what their capabilites are. The company may also distribute promotional material via direct mail, attend shows, and facilitate seminars once a year with their clients and strategic partners.  

Although Prompt Mailers has achieved much success, the company hopes to continue to create new strategies and grow as a progressive national company.