2006 Press Releases
DMW Worldwide Honored with Coveted DMA Echo Awards
Agency wins awards with clients BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and Highmark BlueCross BlueShield
Wayne, PA - November 7, 2006 - Warren Hunter, president and CEO of DMW Worldwide LLC, announced that the agency was honored with the prestigious ECHO Award and an ECHO Leader Award given by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA). The awards presentation was made during the DMA06 Annual Conference and Exhibition, October 14-18, 2006, in San Francisco, California.
DMW and client BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina received an ECHO Award for their "Shades of Blue" campaign. The challenge was to develop a campaign that would generate interest in the Blue's Medicare Supplement product between two special enrollment periods - to build application leads for its sales representatives to follow up and close.
Without the benefit of guaranteed issue or a cost savings on the application fee, DMW was challenged by two strategic requirements: get the envelope opened and get the inquiry for sales follow-up. It was determined that the primary motivational factor for response was need for the product, followed by the differentiation of the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina product over other competitors.
The resulting Spring Interim campaign consisted of a direct mailing and a free-standing insert. Prospects received a free gift - a packet of seeds consisting of a special mix of Baby Blue Eyes, Blue Pimpernel, and Ageratum Blue Mink. The seeds were included to encourage envelope openability while emphasizing that BlueCross BlueShield is home-grown. A second gift, the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Guide to Medicare Changes, was sent as a component of the fulfillment package.
"Shades of Blue" was a clear success as it was nearly a 38% response winner, and drew almost 60% more leads than the two packages mailed the previous year, at one quarter of the cost per inquiry.
DMW and client Highmark BlueCross BlueShield earned a Leader Award for its "Significant Savings" effort, which positioned the product as proving significant savings to the prospect through both low premiums and tax incentives. "Significant Savings" took a complicated product - a Health Savings Account (HSA) - and presented it in an interesting, easy-to-understand way using direct mail. The results were well over the target set, establishing direct mail as a viable medium for Highmark's HSA product. Not only has the package been rolled out, but it has been expanded to other regions of the state as well.
"We are thrilled to be honored with two ECHO awards," commented Hunter. "Not only did the campaigns produce winning results for our clients, but generated a double win in that were recognized by a panel of esteemed industry peers."
About the DMA ECHO Awards
The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) annually honors brilliant strategy, revolutionary creative, breakthrough database technique, and astounding results with its coveted ECHO Awards. ECHO Award entries come in from more than 40 countries and honors are awarded across 12 fundamental business categories. Following tradition, eight premier awards are presented: the Diamond ECHO, the Gold ECHO, the Silver ECHO, the Bronze ECHO, the Henry Hoke Award, ECHO Digital, the USPS Gold Mailbox Award, and the Broadcast Award. Visit the DMA's Web site at www.the-dma.org.
About DMW Worldwide LLC
DMW Worldwide is a full-service direct response advertising agency with offices in Wayne, Pa., and Plymouth, Mass. The agency - which ranked 38th in the prestigious Advertising Age "Top 50 Direct Marketing Agencies" list and 6th in the Philadelphia Business Journal list of "Top 25 Advertising Agencies" - provides strategic planning, creative, database management, broadcast, media, production, fulfillment, and Internet marketing. Industries served include insurance, health care, financial services, consumer products, B2B, and non-profit. Warren Hunter, president and CEO of DMW, can be reached at
610-407-0407 or via e-mail at whunter@dmwdirect.com. Visit DMW's Website at www.dmwdirect.com.