Swift, silent and deadly is the best way to describe MacLaren MRM. Perhaps not as high-profile as other agencies in the direct industry, MRM seems to work most successfully in a stealthy sort of way with the clients of its mother agency, Toronto-based MacLaren McCann.
It helps that that client roster is a veritable who’s who of blue-chip brands, including General Motors of Canada, Rogers Communications, Microsoft Canada, McNeil/Johnson & Johnson, and The Loyalty Group (Air Miles).
While many make the claim, Mark Wright, MacLaren MRM president, says the agency has achieved true integration. When he goes into the marketplace, he’s part of MacLaren, a company of 750 people – he’s not representing only one advertising discipline.
‘Most clients come to MacLaren for the integrated product and we make sure the divisions, the channels all have access to the clients. We operate on one P&L. That allows you to sit in the boardroom with the client to understand their business objectives, their challenges – and you don’t have a series of hired guns in there from each channel trying to win revenue. You’re actually in there trying to solve a business problem.’
MRM handles direct and interactive only, although many other D&I shops do promotions as well. Those two disciplines account for about $23 million of MacLaren McCann’s total revenue. When Wright joined MacLaren to head MRM in 1999, D&I revenue accounted for only $2 million.
This past September, Wright added responsibility for MacLaren Interactive to his duties. But rather than simply merging the two divisions, account management and creative leadership were blended, while maintaining the distinctiveness of the two creative and production processes. MRM now has an overall staff of 150, including 50 creatives.
There has been very little staff turnover during Wright’s five-year tenure, and not a single client has left the agency. MacLaren’s blue-chip group of clients attracts some of the best talent in the business, but it also limits new business opportunities because most major client categories are already filled. Instead, MRM has grown by increasing business from existing clients and, in the past year, by taking on some project work from The Sony Store, the Toronto Blue Jays and The Shaw Festival.
When it comes to award shows, the competitive nature of marquee clients such as General Motors of Canada means it’s difficult to showcase results and work. Still, MRM manages to pick up five or six RSVPs at The CMA Awards each year.
MRM clients not only invest large chunks of their budgets into direct marketing, they also tend to be on the leading edge of CRM, examples of which include GM’s Interchange program, McNeil’s Living Well initiatives and Microsoft’s multi-channel education and lead qualification strategies.
McNeil/Johnson & Johnson has been working with MacLaren McCann for about a decade, and with MacLaren MRM for the past three years.
During that time, Richard Marcil, VP of new marketing for Guelph, Ont.-based McNeil (which markets brands such as Imodium, Motrin and Tylenol), says he has developed a deep appreciation for MRM’s collaborative skills and business acumen.
‘We consider these guys true partners in our business and we engage them both strategically and tactically. They have very strong senior personnel, who we involve in our own strategic development on an ongoing basis.’
But Marcil says MRM’s main strength is its concentration on business results and revenue generation.
‘While they are part of a big advertising agency, their focus is extremely narrow. Does it drive the business; does it meet consumer needs; and, how does it enhance the relationship with the consumer? That’s a pretty powerful driver.’
Rogers Digital Cable ‘Guy on Demand’
The challenge was to create an infomercial for the Rogers On Demand (ROD) video-on-demand service designed to win over customers by showcasing a revolutionary but technical product offering. The call to action was simple and direct: Go to ROD Channel 350 right now to try it for yourself.
Scheduled to run on Rogers promotional channels and on Rogers Video in-store kiosks, the infomercials needed to grab viewers and keep their attention while educating them about something as mundane as how to use the VCR-functionality.
The solution was a humorous seven-minute TV show spoof called The Telerevolution starring SCTV’s Joe Flaherty as Guy Caballero.
The results? Weekly orders for ROD have more than doubled since the infomercial launch. Rogers was hoping for a 10% lift in ROD orders – and the infomercial produced a lift of 100%.
Microsoft MSN lead generation program
Designed to sell ad space on the Canadian International Auto Show Web site (a sub-site of the MSN.CA Autos channel), this campaign offered a unique incentive to convince planners and buyers to book an appointment with a MSN.CA sales rep.
The target is frequently solicited by media suppliers seeking face-to-face meetings, so the effort broke through with a locked toolbox mailer inviting recipients to call an MSN.CA sales rep to obtain the key. The sales rep scheduled the meeting and presented the key, toolbox contents, and the advertising proposal. The toolbox included a Microsoft cordless mouse, branded and personalized shirt, MSN.CA tire pressure gauge, a gearshift pen and more.
The effort generated an amazing 95% response rate from highly qualified leads accustomed to a barrage of incentives. Of those who responded, 86% converted and met with an MSN sales rep.
General Motors Canada ‘Interchange’ CRM program
The automotive market is particularly crowded and lacks differentiation, so this effort aimed to stand out by communicating GM’s one-stop-shopping solution.
To do this, GM sought to evolve its Interchange CRM program to manage a vehicle buyer’s lifecycle. The unique program focused on sales leads defined as current and competitor-inclined customers 12 months away from purchasing or leasing.
A customer-driven program was created using data from the GM Enterprise Data Warehouse. Communication platforms included interactive and out-bound telemarketing centred on core print initiatives, as well as custom-tailored print-on-demand brochures. Materials included an URL linking to GM’s Web site, where a test drive offer promoted dealer visits.
Most recent indicators show a sales lift of 70% among competitive customers; a sales lift of 68% among leads generated through in-market surveys; and a sales lift of 21% among GM defectors.
