ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES

An advertiser's guide to what's new at The Seattle Times Company

Posted January 2006

Baby Boom - How an integrated portfolio helped one children's store really go

Merry Go Round, the original one-stop children's shop that provides everything from furniture to clothing, has been in business for more than 50 years. Three years ago owners Molly and Bob Pressey phoned The Seattle Times Company looking for a solution to one of their biggest problems - January. Coping with the slump after high holiday sales is a hurdle for many retailers.

To combat this, an experienced direct marketing specialist for The Seattle Times Company together with the owners conceptualized an eight-page flyer, known as a flexi, which promoted discounted merchandise that commanded attention from the holiday season's weary shoppers. This piece, designed and written as a service of The Seattle Times Company, was then mailed to Merry Go Round's existing customer list. The company further elected to insert the flexi into east side copies of The Seattle Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer to publicize the event.

The "Everything But The Baby Sale" was an immense success that set 10 consecutive days of record sales for the established business. Excited by the results, the owners called daily to report the staggering results. Knowing their exclusive line of products has wide appeal beyond east King County, the next campaign added Seattle-area distribution. When another sale shattered January's impressive numbers, the company decided it would template that year's advertising plan for the coming year. Merry Go Round has been a close partner with The Seattle Times Company ever since.

The Presseys were wise to what made their marketing efforts work - a great customer list and first-rate products. Mailings and inserts included enter-to-win promotions and giveaway contests that aided the company in building its list of customers. Those same promotions enabled the company to track results and clearly illustrate the return-on-investment across their various campaigns.

With the increase in sales came more questions. In looking into how to better serve its growing customer base, Merry Go Round resolved to open a new location with nearly twice the total square feet and much more parking in Bellevue's Design Market Center.

Aggressively marketing the new location was mission-critical. Having witnessed the explosion in business that direct mail and targeted ZIP code distribution of inserts brought, Merry Go Round queried its direct marketing specialist at The Seattle Times Company for new promotional ideas. With that, the Pressey's collaborative relationship with The Seattle Times Company was expanded to include a veteran advertising representative that could expertly explain the myriad of solutions available to in-paper advertisers.

With everyone working in tandem, the team sought a match for company's high-end product offering. Pacific Northwest magazine, appearing in the widely-read Sunday Seattle Times and Seattle P-I's, was selected. Additionally, two new products for 2005 proved to be the perfect match. Saturday's digs and SEATTLE@home, new sections targeting the home improvement and gardening sectors, allow for advertising targeted to geographical areas that match client needs.

Adding more fuel to their marketing efforts, Merry Go Round employed The Seattle Times Company's (STC) Kiosk Program that works especially well at targeting a select group of individuals. With this sponsorship program, the Presseys paid a discounted rate for copies of The Seattle Times or the Seattle P-I. The STC's skilled staff then offered those attending the Kirkland Performing Arts Series and the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce luncheon a fresh copy of the newspaper that had been inserted in a flexi announcing Merry Go Round's grand opening. The seven weeks of sponsored newspapers at the performing arts series was particularly beneficial with a steady stream of mothers and children in attendance.

Next steps for the burgeoning children's store include a close examination of the customers who shop at Merry Go Round. Called lifestyle segmentation, this powerful service analyzes a business' customer list and then sends direct mailings to additional households that are most likely to be interested in the store's offerings. To do this, The Seattle Times Company utilizes business and consumer data analysis and target marketing tools from Claritas Inc. and data from Equifax Marketing Services.

For more information about this and other advertising options, please contact your account executive or call 206/464-2400.