Beltone

Needs

• Control of brand identity and messaging in all direct marketing materials
• An economical and easy-to-use system for providing branded direct marketing materials to a network of distributors

For more than 60 years, Beltone has marketed quality hearing instruments through a dedicated network of distributors. Problems arose when the 400 nationwide distributors each had his or her own system for direct marketing, and own ideas of how Beltone products should be portrayed. Although Beltone provided assistance, the system was paper-based, inefficient, expensive to execute, and lacked sufficient and consistent brand messaging. When it became apparent that an automated system for providing marketing materials was needed, Beltone turned to Darwill.

Ideas

• ForSite™ - Darwill's web-based marketing-on-demand workflow system

Using their propriety marketing-on-demand workflow tool, ForSite, Darwill built a robust, feature-rich online interface called Beltone Creative Solutions (BCS) for the distributors to customize and order direct mail and advertising. BCSs powerful features include campaign customization, real time proofing, data upload, radius or zip code selection on 26 million US households, multiple drop date selection, credit card processing, results tracking, telemarketing support lists and scripts, plus more.

Outcomes

• A highly effective marketing on demand system
• Enhanced brand identity
• Increased sales and decreased marketing expenses
• Better distributor/corporate relationships

As a result of this new system, BCS has controlled costs, saving Beltone marketing expenses, enhanced the brand, improved its relationship with distributors, and increased sales. Since its launch in 2002, BCS has managed more than 15,000 customized drops and distributed over twenty million pieces of direct mail.