Smart marketing? A little dangerous in terms of upsetting fans who paid full price to get into the stadium, as well as season-ticket holders? A little desperate on the part of the Mets?

Maybe all three.

The Mets threw the pricing strategies of most sport organizations out the window, said Dr. Larry McCarthy of the Center for Sport Management at Seton Hall University. Most sport organizations would be of the opinion that you should never give away free tickets. One thinks back to Bill Veeck, who always said that even his mother paid to get into the ballpark — the rationale being that free tickets diminish the perception of the quality of the product, and people will be unwilling to pay in the future for something they get for free.

However, the risk that the Mets took may pay off. People got to see three wins over the weekend, an excellent pitching performance, so they may be more inclined to purchase a ticket to go and see another game. One shudders, however, to think about the consequence if they had been hammered and the performances were awful.

Dave Howard, Mets executive vice president for business operations, said about 1,600 people took advantage of the Sunday free offer and about 3,000 people took advantage of the $2.50 offer for Wednesday before those allotments sold out. The Mets announced midday Tuesday that tonights offer also had reached its limit.

Sunday was a challenge because of the holiday, and we just wanted to make an offer available. It also was geared with experimenting in the social-media space, Howard said. It was a Twitter-based promotion. We called it a lsquo;Twicket. It was one of those things where we had the inventory because of the holiday. We gave it a shot, and it was very successful. We want to do more things in the social-media space to engage our fans, especially our younger fans. Obviously they are very active in that space. Well be doing more things like that. They wont be necessarily free tickets, but other offers and promotional opportunities.

Wednesday, it turned out to be less of a challenge because of the pitching matchup. But it is our birthday. It is the 50^th anniversary of our first game, in the Polo Grounds. So we had been planning on doing a little promotion with WPIX. We announced it, and virtually within hours, we already had gone through the allocation. So we didnt have to disappoint too many of our fans, we decided to open up a few of the similar sections where there are no season-ticket holders for the Tuesday game beyond the allocation that we already had set aside for the Wednesday game.

Even if the sections offered are not season-ticket-holder sections, is there leeriness about undercutting loyal, paying customers by letting others enter Citi Field for free, or virtually free?

Its a balance, Howard acknowledged. Were trying to strike an appropriate balance to have people come out and experience Mets baseball in 2012, to realize what a great facility we have, realize what a great experience it is, and the fact that the team is going to be a fun team to watch. Were not going to overdo it. But, by the same token, especially early in April, we want to get people excited and have them come out and sample the product, because we think the product will be very compelling for them. We think it is a good marketing exercise to stimulate interest early on.

Howard said creating the optic for TV audiences of a full Citi Field was not a compelling motivation for trying to pack the stadium early with freebies and severely discounted tickets.

Asked if seeing an empty stadium early would cement in TV viewers minds that people were not attending Mets games, and therefore make it more likely for the TV viewers not to attend a future game themselves, Howard said: I dont think the views on television are all that relevant. I think the most important things will be how people perceive the team and how the team performs, than how things look on television in April. Midweek games in April, theyre some of the bigger challenges in terms of getting people into the building.

The Mets also introduced dynamic ticket pricing this season — meaning ticket prices fluctuate up and down based on market demand, with the floor on ticket prices set at what the season-ticket holder paid for a comparable seat.

The Customizo affiliate C-Store program provides online custom apparel and branded product solutions that help organizations promote their charity while redistributing a percentage of sales back to their cause.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) March 16, 2012

Customizo, a cutting edge apparel and product design website that offers state-of-the-art design software and a social networking platform unlike anything else on the web, announces its Shriners Hospitals for Children C-Store and the Customizo Cares initiative.

The Customizo C-Store program boasts a free fully hosted and managed online company store platform, as well as a stand-alone customizable website option for promotional outreach. In utilizing Customizos software, organizations can tailor an e-commerce solution to fit the needs of their employees, customers and supporters. For example, the Shriners Hospitals for Children C-Store provides employees, patients and even donors with easy access to anything from Shriners Hospital branded scrubs, to coffee mugs, to T-shirts, while providing unique customization options.

In addition to offering a solution that absorbs the otherwise burdensome costs that are involved in creating and managing an online store, the Customizo C-Store platform provides groups with control over their logo and brand identity, co-op pricing to help lower costs and set-up fees, and a dedicated account manager to handle questions and order fulfillment details.

From a promotional standpoint, Shriners Hospital for Children is able to increase their brand awareness through the C-store platform. Kally Walsh, Director of Public and Community Relations for Chicagos Shriners Hospitals for Children, is enthused, stating, The C-Store platform provides a unique alternative to a traditional onsite gift shop. We are excited to offer this online retail solution to our patients, staff, and donors who want to support the Shriners Hospitals for Children mission and brand. The fact that Customizo donates a percentage of the proceeds back to our charity is an added benefit; its a win-win for all of us.

Redistributing a percentage of sales back to the Shriners Hospital for Children charity is a part of the Customizo Cares initiative. Ryan Saunders, CEO of Izo Brands, states, Its our moral responsibility as a company to help contribute to the success of charitable organizations and non-profits. Our affiliate program provides such organizations with free, marketable and highly visible alternatives for fundraising and promoting brand awareness.

As part of the C-Store platform, Customizo also offers use of their social design network Groupizo, where group members can log in and actively engage in the design process. Once online, group members can vote on their favorite product, create customized options with approved logos, and eventually purchase and ship individually.

About Customizo and Izo Brands: Izo is knitting the framework for the future of e-commerce with a multi-faceted set of innovative product customization and design tools, a unique group collaboration interface, and mobile media distribution applications. Its mission is to be the most customer-centric, creative, and innovative company in the custom apparel and promotional products industries.

About Shriners Hospitals for Children – Chicago: Shriners Hospitals for Children is a health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing pediatric specialty care, innovative research, and outstanding teaching programs for medical professionals. Children up to age 18 with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients ability to pay. Shriners Hospitals for Children relies on the generosity of donors to deliver this mission every day. For more information, please visit shrinershospitalsforchildren.org.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: www.prweb.com/releases/prwebShriners/C-Store/prweb9291176.htm

BioVest decided to pursue Canadian marketing approval after a formal pre-filing advisory meeting with a group from Health Canada.

Just about a month ago I told you about a marketing medium dinosaur that is not only quite relevant its also highly effective: direct mail.

In my article, aptly titled Direct Mail: Alive And Kicking, I tell of all the reasons that direct mail with all its negative and pricey connotations, should remain a very visible part of an integrated marketing campaign.

PARSIPPANY, NJ, Apr 10, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) –
Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide (
www.ogilvychww.com ), representing
the largest assembly of creative talent in the world of healthcare
communications, today announced Buddy Scalera, senior vice president
of the organization’s NJ-based, Ogilvy CommonHealth Interactive
Marketing, has been selected as a keynote speaker at DTC
Perspectives’ national conference. The conference will be held April
10 through 12 at the JW Marriott in Washington, DC.

Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide is a part of the Ogilvy & Mather
network (
www.ogilvy.com ) and a WPP company

/quotes/zigman/112659/quotes/nls/wppgy WPPGY
-0.89%

(
www.wpp.com ).

Mr. Scalera’s presentation will demonstrate a greater understanding
of social media, how it motivates people to take action, and the
challenges those in the pharmaceutical industry face.

This DTC Perspectives-sponsored event is focused on providing DTC
marketers with an opportunity to learn from industry experts and
discuss the latest innovations in direct-to-consumer marketing. The
two-day convention will feature a wide array of keynote speakers,
legislative experts and exclusive marketing case studies. For more
information about the conference, please visit:

www.dtcperspectives.com/conferences/dtc-national-2-2 .

Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide, with 65 offices across 36 countries,
provides marketing services including brand identity and development,
clinical trial recruitment, digital/interactive services,
direct-to-consumer, direct-to-patient, global integration, managed
care marketing, market research and analytics, media planning and
buying, medical advertising and promotion, medical education, public
affairs and relations, relationship marketing, and strategic
consulting. The network also offers scientific communications and
publications services through a wholly owned separate legal entity.
The organization houses and maintains individual Ogilvy CommonHealth
and Ogilvy Healthworld brand identities within the marketplace.

Contact:
Beth Paulino
Kerianne Slattery
Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide
973.352.1000 tel

SOURCE: Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide

Copyright 2012 Marketwire, Inc., All rights reserved.

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WPPGY

WPP PLC ADS

US

: U.S.: Nasdaq

$
67.87

-0.61
-0.89%

Volume: 56,546
April 20, 2012 4:00p

P/E RatioN/A
Dividend Yield1.75%

Market Cap$17.12 billion
Rev. per Employee$155,061

IDAs new dental marketing Web Portals provide a customizable HIPAA page that gives dentists options for easily posting their policy statements.

(PRWEB) April 10, 2012

The new dental marketing Web Portals from Internet Dental Alliance, Inc. (IDA) include an easy-to-edit page doctors can use for posting their current HIPAA policy statement. The page is accessible from the Control Panel, and provides suggested language that can be quickly changed to reflect the practices policy. Changes appear immediately on the dental website.

If making changes to a live web page sounds like a daunting task for a non-programmer, theres no need for concern. IDAs online help videos show doctors exactly how to customize the page with their practices information in minutes so that the HIPAA Policy page retains its professional appearance on their Portal.

For dentists who want to provide their patients with a downloadable HIPAA Policy, theres an option to include a PDF version in the Patient Forms section of the Control Panel.

The HIPAA Policy page is just one of the many convenient features IDA provides via its dental marketing Control Panel.

Every IDA New Patient Marketing Portal includes hundreds of options that can be customized for each dental office in a practice, said Jim Du Molin, dental practice marketing guru and founder of Internet Dental Alliance, Inc. Thanks to IDAs new LeadFire technology, dentists can completely customize their websites from the Control Panel – from editing a single HIPAA Policy page, to optimizing hundreds of web pages that attract high-value leads — within minutes!

From IDAs Control Panel, dentists can choose from among dozens of dental website design options, or skins, which come in a variety of color schemes and layouts. There are hundreds of stock images and articles dentists can use as-is, or edit to personalize with their practices information.

In addition to the HIPAA Policy statement, theres a library of other forms patients can read online, or download, sign and bring into the office with them on their initial visit.

With over 20 years of dedicated dental marketing and management experience, we included everything a dentist marketing website could possibly need in IDAs Web Portals – and then some! adds Du Molin.

About Internet Dental Alliance, Inc.

IDA is the largest provider of dental directories, websites for dentists and email patient newsletters in North America. In 2012, it completed its unique Lead Fire lead generation system, which automates dental SEO and content marketing. Internet Dental Alliance provides dental practices with online dental marketing services such as dental website design, marketing newsletters, and other dental management advice and resources.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: www.prweb.com/releases/prwebdental-marketing/dental-websites/prweb9386485.htm

AUSTIN, TX, Mar 26, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) –
Harte-Hanks, Inc.

/quotes/zigman/133185/quotes/nls/hhs HHS
+3.19%

, a worldwide multichannel, direct and
targeted marketing company, today announced that Jonathan Sander,
director of planning and social media at Mason Zimbler, has been
named a 2012 Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF) Rising
Star, and is among five other Rising Star recipients to be honored at
a dinner and awards ceremony on Tuesday, June 5 in New York City.

The DMEF Rising Stars Award acknowledges individuals 40 years or
younger who are recognized as leaders in the direct/interactive
marketing field. The award focuses on industry professionals who
demonstrate both a high level of success in business and also exhibit
a strong commitment to giving back to the direct marketing field
through education, mentoring, and other forms of support.

“As we are honored to have Jon recognized on our team, we also see
the bigger picture of how we develop and employ new skill sets as
marketers,” said Spencer Joyner, corporate officer and vice
president, direct marketing, Harte-Hanks. “Millennials are changing
the way we work, and they are motivated to serve in the community in
innovative ways. Jon leads here by example — and we are all better
for it.”

“Jon is a rising star,” said Kevin Kerner, managing director, Mason
Zimbler U.S. “Since Jon first joined our agency in 2010, he has been
a tireless advocate and educator for the use of social media across
the enterprise. As a result of his efforts, many clients are quickly
integrating social media in all areas of their business including
sales, marketing, services, product development and brand. But that’s
just part of the story — Jon also gives back by mentoring others,
recruiting top-notch graduates as digital marketers in an integrated
environment, and working in the community for positive outcomes.”

According to Kerner, Sander serves as a mentor to recent grads and
college students looking to start a career in social media. He
frequently participates in career events at local universities and
contributes time to AD2TX, an Austin, TX-based group dedicated to
supporting student marketers who are looking to network among
professionals in the marketing space. Sander also assists in the
planning and strategy of Mason Zimbler’s pro-bono work with the
Austin Children’s Shelter.

The DMEF Rising Stars Awards will be presented at the Rising Stars
Awards Dinner on Tuesday, June 5, from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m., at Gotham
Hall in New York City. The Rising Stars is the only event in the
nation dedicated to recognizing young professional leaders in
direct/interactive marketing while supporting programs in higher
education that attract the best and brightest students to the field.
Ticket information is available here: Rising Stars Awards Dinner

About the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation
Headquartered in
New York City and founded in 1966, the Direct Marketing Educational
Foundation (DMEF) works to attract, educate, and place college
students in direct/interactive marketing careers, and, thereby,
expanding and enriching the talent pool of trained, market-ready
marketers. For additional information about the DMEF, its mission,
and its programs, visit
www.directworks.org .

About Harte-Hanks(R)
Harte-Hanks, Inc. is a worldwide, direct and
targeted marketing company that provides direct marketing services
and shopper advertising opportunities to local, regional, national
and international consumer and business-to-business marketers. Visit
the Harte-Hanks Website at
http://www.harte-hanks.com or call (800)
456-9748.

This document may contain trademarks that are owned or licensed by
Harte-Hanks, Inc. and its subsidiaries, including, without
limitation, Harte-Hanks(R) Mason Zimbler and other names and marks.
All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their
respective holders.

Media Contact:
Andrew Hansen
(215) 944-9712
Email Contact

SOURCE: Harte-Hanks

http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/emailprcntct?id=2A70CBB5E50F326C

Copyright 2012 Marketwire, Inc., All rights reserved.

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HHS

Harte-Hanks Inc.

US

: U.S.: NYSE

$
8.42

+0.26
+3.19%

Volume: 111,096
April 20, 2012 4:02p

P/E Ratio12.11
Dividend Yield4.04%

Market Cap$535.57 million
Rev. per Employee$135,905

ATLANTA, GA, Apr 10, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) –
Infor, a leading provider of business application software serving
more than 70,000 customers, today announced that Navy Federal Credit
Union, the largest credit union in the world, has expanded its CRM
footprint with Infor by selecting Infor10 CRM Enterprise Marketing
(Epiphany) and Infor10 CRM Enterprise Email Advisor (Epiphany) to
accompany its existing Infor10 CRM Enterprise Interaction Advisor
(Epiphany) solution, which Navy Federal credits for already helping
to generate more than $1 billion in annual revenue. CRM Enterprise
Marketing replaces Navy Federal’s existing outbound marketing
platform.

News Points

— An existing CRM Epiphany Enterprise Suite customer, Navy Federal will
implement CRM Enterprise Marketing and Email Advisor to optimize its
customer-centric multichannel marketing campaigns and communications.
— Navy Federal has seen a 10 percent revenue increase in its lending
portfolio since the implementation of CRM Enterprise Interaction
Advisor, originally selected for its flexibility.
— Adding CRM Enterprise Marketing and Email Advisor helps Navy Federal
ensure that each member touch is focused on building a lifetime
relationship with the member and their family.
— The benefits that Navy Federal expects to receive from the Infor10 CRM
Suite include:
— Generating more member responses from fewer touches by taking a
member’s individual preferences into account, across all channels
and types of communications
— Easy-to-use but powerful analytical tools which give marketer’s
access to consolidated member data, previous campaign results and
what if capabilities, to aid in the targeting process and ensure
that the right members are targeted by the right initiatives at
the right time and with the correct messaging vehicle
— Completely individualized, intelligent emails driven from the
industry-leading Infor E-mail Advisor predictive engine to respond
to contextual data and generate real-time content upon email
opening
— Tracking opened emails and click-through responses to maintain the
continual learning cycle and automatically adjust targeting to
generate higher email click-through and response rates as well as
member satisfaction with communications
— Ad hoc reporting and analysis so decision makers can analyze the
data, plus determine and replicate the most successful promotions

Navy Federal Credit Union Quote
"We can attribute more than $1 billion
in revenue to the Infor Interaction Advisor product, which is the
primary reason we have chosen to replace our current systems and
expand our relationship with Infor," said Maritza DiSciullo, vice
president, Member Research and Intelligence, Navy Federal Credit
Union. "Personalizing our communications and marketing campaigns so
that each member receives communications that are relevant and
applicable to their current needs will not only help generate
revenue, but allow us to continue to build stronger relationships
with our members so that they remain with Navy Federal for life."

Infor Quote
"Infor's CRM Enterprise Epiphany enables companies to
treat each customer as an individual on a broad scale. The in-depth
360 degree view of customers' data and campaign history, combined
with the ease of use of the analytical and campaign management
functionality, allow Marketers to manage highly strategic,
customer-centric marketing and communications programs across all of
their customer facing platforms," said MJ Crabbe-Barberis, director
of Global Product Marketing, CRM, Infor. "It's important in any
industry to have a high level of customer satisfaction, but never
more so than in a member-based business. Infor CRM ensures that
companies are equipped with the sophisticated capabilities they need
to attract and maintain those lifetime customers."

Additional Resources
Note: registration may be required to access
online content

www.infor.com/solutions/crm/ -- CRM Product Demos -

www.infor.com/company/solutiondemos/solutiondemos-crm/
www.infor.com/company/socialmedia/

About Navy Federal Credit Union

Navy Federal Credit Union is the world's largest credit union with
more than 3.9 million members, 220 branch offices, $47 billion in
assets, and more than 8,500 employees worldwide. The credit union
serves all Department of Defense military and civilian personnel and
their families. To learn more about Navy Federal Credit Union, visit

www.navyfederal.org/ .

About Infor

Infor is the world's third-largest supplier of enterprise
applications and services, helping more than 70,000 large and
mid-size companies improve operations and drive growth across
numerous industry sectors. To learn more about Infor, please visit

www.infor.com .

SOURCE: Infor

Copyright 2012 Marketwire, Inc., All rights reserved.

“I love teaching,” said the 32-year-old South Ozone Park, Queens, resident. “I truly believe it was my destiny to teach.”

Count venerated Queens piano makers Steinway Sons among those beneficiaries, and in a big way.

Over the last few months Bhika enlisted more than 160 LaGuardia students in a range of disciplines and a number of professors to tap into the Steinway archives housed at LaGuardia. The idea was to design a next generation marketing program promoting business and arts education while creating new potential markets for the Astoria company.

Then they added music.

You can hear and see the results of the massive effort on Wednesday, March 28, from 2:15 pm to 3:15 pm in the college’s Little Theater as the college presents “Business Arts in Harmony: Steinway Sons Concert.”

Under the theme, “Steinway Sons — Past, Present and Future,” the program will include student vocal and or instrumental performances of the music that was popular during several periods, from the company’s creation in 1853 through its growth into one of the world’s most recognized and celebrated piano makers.

The performance will include a synopsis, given by a student, of major events in Queens, New York City and the country during each of the periods: 1850′s to 1860s’, 1870′s to 1880s’, the 1920s, 1970s, and present to the future.

A multi-media presentation on the periods will be shown during each performance, and the hallway to the Little Theater will be lined with exhibits and pictures from the Steinway archives.

The project involved 10 LaGuardia departments and divisions, including the President’s office, the school Performing Arts Center, the English department, Marketing and Communications department, and WLGCC, the college’s web radio station.

The faculty helping out for the event was too numerous to list here.

MILFORD, Conn., Apr 10, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) –
Thinklogical, the leading provider of fiber optic video routing and KVM
extension systems, today announced that Ken Fitzpatrick has joined the
company as the new vice president of marketing. Ken has held the
position of Chief Marketing Officer at leading high-tech companies such
as Computer Associates and Check Point Software, as well as multiple
start-up companies, such as Persystent Technologies. Ken’s early career
included a variety of marketing positions at IBM Corporation. In his new
role at Thinklogical, Ken will report to Joe Pajer, chief executive
officer.

“Thinklogical is the technology and market leader in high-end
fiber-based video routing equipment and has experienced significant
growth during the past few years, most recently achieving record
revenues in the second half of 2011,” said Mr Pajer. “As Thinklogical
continues to expand, Ken will help to accelerate our efforts to convey
the benefits of our solutions to more and more customers worldwide. I am
very pleased to have Ken join the team.”

“It’s incredibly exciting to join a company that is playing such a
distinctive leadership role in this industry,” said Mr. Fitzpatrick.
“Thinklogical is an innovative company with an amazing product line and
a strong value proposition that delivers meaningful and tangible
benefits to a broad spectrum of customers. I look forward to working
with the team to build customer awareness and bring to market our unique
value proposition as the trusted provider of diverse fiber-based
solutions.”

About Thinklogical

Thinklogical is the leading manufacturer and provider of fiber optic
KVM, video, audio, and peripheral extension and routing solutions, as
well as NATO Information Assurance (Common Criteria, EAL4) accredited
fiber matrix routers. Entertainment, government, scientific and
industrial customers worldwide rely on Thinklogical’s products and
solutions for optimal performance in secure visual computing
environments. Thinklogical helps customers reduce overall cost and
dramatically enhance workflow dynamics within complex computing,
broadcast, post production and AV infrastructures. Thinklogical sells
primarily through integrator and VAR channels, and is privately held and
headquartered in Milford, Connecticut.

For information about Thinklogical products, please visit
www.thinklogical.com

SOURCE: Thinklogical

Thinklogical
Cindy Caserta, 203-647-8700
Marketing

Copyright Business Wire 2012