e-Mail composes the bulk of all corporate communications today, with South African traffic typically clocking in at more than 250 000 messages a day in a large organisation.
This traffic carries significant branding potential for these organisations, yet most e-mail is sent generically and without any form of corporate identity.
In a world first, recognising the potential of e-mail for corporate branding, JSE Securities Exchange-listed Global Technology in a joint venture with Latitude Blue have developed Rocketseed, a software product that hitches branded, customised HTML marketing messages onto legitimate corporate e-mail.
Rocketseed converts unused spaces on corporate e-mail into visually attractive, relevant branded marketing messages, which is the electronic equivalent corporate correspondence on blank paper.
The branded and marketing missives, say Rocketseed, do not irritate recipients as the messages are inserted into normal, solicited one-on-one emails and therefore constitute a form of permission-based marketing.
At the same time, the process relies on a "layered information" approach which allows viewers to choose whether they want to see more information rather than be hit with the whole lot up front whether they like it or not. How well these principles are working is reflected in the fact that to date, out of the thousands who have already received email containing insert messages, no recipient has communicated a negative response.
Rocketseed CEO Cameron Hulett says, "Rocketseed arose from our spotting the gap a year ago in two aspects: the huge volumes of e-mail in companies, along with the growing acceptance of HTML-based e-mail as an emerging standard."
Rocketseed is being snapped up by South African companies, with clients ranging from the insurance giants to smaller corporates such as hotel groups. Says Hulett, "The response has been universally positive, with nine clients already using the platform. Our experience is that marketing and CRM specialists immediately see the potential of Rocketseed, and in many cases, rapidly think up fantastic new ways of using the platform."
Based on this response, the young start-up is actively looking at opening international offices to take the system abroad and has registered a patent pending in anticipation of potential competition.
"While 85% of all communication in corporates today is done by e-mail, most of it is not branded or even standardised," notes Hulett. "This means companies send out as their main form of communication the monthly equivalent of millions of blank letters, with no company visuals, messages or branding on them.
"Rocketseed, which uses our patented Insert Messaging( system, turns an organisation`s outgoing and internal e-mail into a new marketing channel alongside print, TV and radio."
Dale Williams, head of Global Technology`s e-business unit comments, "In contrast with other existing e-mail marketing techniques, our departure point is to leverage legitimate outgoing corporate e-mail. It is solicited and value-driven and therefore not tarnished by the negative backlash against so-called invasive marketing, such as spam or bulk mailing. Our thinking was that if a company`s staff are emailing clients, suppliers, friends and shareholders as part of their normal every-day business, then surely that e-mail could be used as a channel for carrying a marketing message?"
Williams says Rocketseed is centrally controllable, being browser based, and manageable by the client`s marketing (or other elected) department - and there is no change to normal emailing protocol, if management desires, the user remains unaware of the insert going out with their e-mail. In addition, the system`s impact on client bandwidth is reported as zero to negligible. Messages and responses are managed and tracked in real time.
"Our clients can segment and target messages easily. For instance, different messages could be sent out to a company`s clients as opposed to shareholders. Responses are comprehensively tracked and logged."
The inserted messages are "fully clickable" through to websites and other online destinations, Williams points out. "Our clients` marketing and public relations departments have reported excellent levels of success by combining their own innovative strategies with the Rocketseed channel. Recently, one of our clients inserted a link to a publication carrying a story of interest to shareholders: this insert message elicited a click-through response of over 50%. Rocketseed is an ideal fast action, fast reaction new marketing channel. As tracking is done in real-time, reaction can be monitored instantaneously."
Share
Editorial contacts