'Next Generation' Marketing Personalization to Differentiate Campaigns,

According to New Research

Going 'Beyond the Salutation' Key to Generating Response, Say Survey Results

to Be Released by Unique Cross-Discipline Panel at DMA06

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers' postal and e-mail boxes are stuffed with marketing messages. But how do recipients decide what merits attention -- and what gets tossed in the trash? Do "one-to-one" marketing efforts really cut through the clutter? And how are leading-edge marketers putting new personalization tools to work to bolster their response?

Those and other important questions will be addressed next week at DMA06 in San Francisco as a dynamic cross-discipline panel discusses preliminary results from their survey of leading marketers designed to determine "What's in the mailbox?" and identify real, actionable opportunities for others to stand apart in the crowded marketing landscape.

The panel, "What's in the ePostal Box: The Impact of 1:1 Marketing on Consumer Response -- Tales from the Field," is being held on Wednesday, October 18 at 11:30 a.m. at San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center.

Sponsored by four leading firms representing the direct mail, e-mail, integrated communications, market research and strategic consulting sectors, the panel's initial findings suggest that a growing cadre of marketers are embracing advanced customer data and analytics tactics for event-triggered marketing campaigns -- but many still struggle to provide more than a one-dimensional level of personalization to help differentiate their efforts. Analyzing the breadth of direct communications sent to consumers, their findings further show that:

-- 44 percent of marketers are introducing an element of personalization

in every e-mail campaign they send, yet over 80 percent only modify

salutation and a few basic content elements

-- 66 percent of direct mail is personalized, representing little change

over the past three years

-- 71 percent of consumers read direct mail from retailers -- more than

any other vertical market

-- 21 percent of direct mail responders visited a corresponding Web site

within 30 days of mail receipt, up from 14 percent in 2003.

"True 'relevance' lies in the content and context of a marketing message, not in the mere strategic placement of a recipient's name or other customer data in a marketing solicitation," says Bruce Biegel, senior managing director of Winterberry Group and moderator of the panel discussion. "If marketers expect results, they must tailor relevant messages by utilizing data and analytics programs that react to geo-, demo- and psychographic information to enhance behavioral targeting and measurement."

Further research results will be discussed on October 18, 11:30 a.m. at DMA06, the Annual Conference & Exhibition of the Direct Marketing Association, to be held at the Moscone Convention Center in Room C133. There, Mr. Biegel will be joined by a panel of leading industry observers including Susan Menke, vice president of finance reports for Mintel International Group; Scott Olrich, chief marketing officer of Responsys, Inc.; and Jim Litwin, vice president of market insights at Vertis Communications.

Complete research results will be released in the form of a white paper later this fall.

About Mintel International Group

Mintel is a leading global supplier of consumer, product and media intelligence. For more than 35 years, Mintel has provided insight into key worldwide trends, offering unique data that directly impacts client success. With offices in Chicago, London, Belfast and Sydney, Mintel has forged a unique reputation as a world-renowned business brand. For more information on Mintel, please contact Chanda Rowan at 312-628-7946 or visit www.mintel.com.

About Responsys, Inc.

Responsys is a premier provider of on-demand email and lifecycle marketing solutions. The company's industry-leading email marketing platform, Responsys Interact(R), empowers marketers to realize greater revenue and profitability gains through Individualized Lifecycle Marketing(TM) -- the automated, scalable process of delivering highly relevant email messages at perfectly timed moments in the customer lifecycle. Recognized as a market leader by both Forrester Research and JupiterKagan, Responsys is trusted by leading brands such as Avery Dennison, Avis Europe, Continental Airlines, Lufthansa, Lands' End, PETCO, Salesforce.com and The Sharper Image. Responsys, the world's largest private and profitable email service provider, is based in Redwood City, Calif., with offices across the U.S. and U.K . For more information on Responsys, please contact Carolyn Love at 650-801-7433 or visit www.responsys.com.

About Vertis Communications

Vertis Communications serves as marketing partner to many of today's Fortune 500 companies. Vertis Communications leverages its vast experience in managing large, complex, time-sensitive assignments to turn its clients' marketing ideas into realities. Headquartered in Baltimore, Md. with more than 100 locations nationwide, Vertis Communications offers world-class consulting, creative, research, direct, media, technology and production services. In 2005, Vertis was recognized as one of the "Most Admired Companies" in Marketing and Advertising by Fortune magazine. To learn more about Vertis, contact Grace Platon at 972-373-4199 or visit www.vertisinc.com.

About Winterberry Group

Winterberry Group is a unique strategic consulting firm that helps marketing industry companies build profits and propel shareholder value through business assessment & strategic planning, market intelligence & sector research and transaction support. The firm's global client roster includes service providers, technology developers, marketers and financial investors in every segment of the marketing industry. Winterberry Group's impact is further enhanced through its affiliation with Petsky Prunier LLC, a leading investment bank providing merger and acquisition advisory services to companies in the marketing sector. Working in close collaboration, the two firms offer a unique dual perspective on corporate growth grounded in market knowledge, value assessment and strategic insight. For more information on Winterberry Group, please contact Stephanie Im at 212-842-6034 or visit www.winterberrygroup.com. SOURCE Responsys, Inc.

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