Valpak

Last updated
Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, LLC
Company type Subsidiary
Industry Direct marketing
Founded1968;56 years ago (1968)
Headquarters St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.
Area served
United States
Products Coupons, advertising postcards, customer data
Parent AmatoMartin

Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, LLC, commonly known as Valpak, is a North American direct marketing company owned by AmatoMartin. Valpak provides print, mobile and online advertising, customer data and coupons. Valpak mails coupons to 41 million demographically targeted households each month [1] and millions more consumers through its advertising postcards and website every year.

Contents

History

Terry Loebel, an unemployed autoworker, founded Valpak in 1968, using a $500 loan to start mailing coupons from his home to households in Clearwater, Florida. In 1972, Valpak established its first franchise in Orlando, Florida. A group of investors purchased Valpak from Terry Loebel in 1985. [2]

In September 1991, Cox Target Media, Inc. purchased Valpak and by 1997, Valpak was mailing out 11 billion coupons a year. [3] In 2005, Valpak opened a St. Petersburg, Florida headquarters with 50,000-square-foot space and had 310 employees. In January 2017, Platinum Equity acquired Valpak from Cox Target Media, Inc. [4] In November 2023, AmatoMartin acquired Valpak from Platinum Equity. [5]

Products

Coupon envelopes

Valpak prints, packages and ships coupon envelopes from the Valpak Manufacturing Center, a $200-million, 500,000-square-foot print production facility in St. Petersburg. [6] Print inserts in the envelope advertise local businesses and national brands with coupons for dining, health and beauty, entertainment, automotive, home services and more.

In each of its mailing cycles, Valpak sells the outside of its envelope to select national advertisers for promotions, marketing campaigns and sweepstakes. Advertisers include Tennis Channel, HGTV, Legoland, Shutterfly and Panera Bread. [1]

Advertising postcards

In October 2019, Valpak partnered with the United States Postal Service on a 2-year test of Plus One postcards. [7] These postcards became a permanent USPS product in January 2022. [8] Valpak also provides an automated postcard service to audiences like new movers as well as other targeted and saturation postcard products. [9]

Customer data

Valpak's data and analytics platform incorporates thousands of data points across billions of records (aggregated public, survey, behavioral, transactional and proprietary data) for brands to identify and advertise to specific audience segments. [7]

Marketers can also use its self-service mailing list platform to create their own mailing lists prioritized by rankings, deliverability and postal rates. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advertising</span> Form of communication for marketing

Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a specific good or service, but there are wide range of uses, the most common being the commercial advertisement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coupon</span> Document, paper or electronic, to provide a discount on goods or services

In marketing, a coupon is a ticket or document that can be redeemed for a financial discount or rebate when purchasing a product.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Direct marketing</span> Model of communicating discounts and other sales offers

Direct marketing is a form of communicating an offer, where organizations communicate directly to a pre-selected customer and supply a method for a direct response. Among practitioners, it is also known as direct response marketing. In contrast to direct marketing, advertising is more of a mass-message nature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advertising mail</span> Distribution of advertising by direct mail or letterbox drop

Advertising mail, also known as direct mail, junk mail, mailshot or admail, letterbox drop or letterboxing (Australia), is the delivery of advertising material to recipients of postal mail. The delivery of advertising mail forms a large and growing service for many postal services, and direct-mail marketing forms a significant portion of the direct marketing industry. Some organizations attempt to help people opt out of receiving advertising mail, in many cases motivated by a concern over its negative environmental impact.

Marketing communications refers to the use of different marketing channels and tools in combination. Marketing communication channels focus on how businesses communicate a message to its desired market, or the market in general. It is also in charge of the internal communications of the organization. Marketing communication tools include advertising, personal selling, direct marketing, sponsorship, communication, public relations, social media, customer journey and promotion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advertising management</span> Part of the advertising industry

Advertising management is a planned managerial process designed to oversee and control the various advertising activities involved in a program to communicate with a firm's target market and which is ultimately designed to influence the consumer's purchase decisions. Advertising is just one element in a company's promotional mix and as such, must be integrated with the overall marketing communications program. Advertising is, however, the most expensive of all the promotional elements and therefore must be managed with care and accountability. Advertising management process also helps in defining the outline of the media campaign and in deciding which type of advertising would be used before the launch of a product.

In marketing, promotion refers to any type of marketing communication used to inform target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or issue, persuasively. It helps marketers to create a distinctive place in customers' mind, it can be either a cognitive or emotional route. The aim of promotion is to increase brand awareness, create interest, generate sales or create brand loyalty. It is one of the basic elements of the market mix, which includes the four Ps, i.e., product, price, place, and promotion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advertising campaign</span> Advertisements based on a theme

An advertising campaign is a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme which make up an integrated marketing communication (IMC). An IMC is a platform in which a group of people can group their ideas, beliefs, and concepts into one large media base. Advertising campaigns utilize diverse media channels over a particular time frame and target identified audiences.

In marketing, the promotional mix describes a blend of promotional variables chosen by marketers to help a firm reach its goals. It has been identified as a subset of the marketing mix. It is believed that there is an optimal way of allocating budgets for the different elements within the promotional mix to achieve best marketing results, and the challenge for marketers is to find the right mix of them. Activities identified as elements of the promotional mix vary, but typically include the following:

The target audience is the intended audience or readership of a publication, advertisement, or other message catered specifically to the previously intended audience. In marketing and advertising, the target audience is a particular group of consumer within the predetermined target market, identified as the targets or recipients for a particular advertisement or message.

Marketing effectiveness is the measure of how effective a given marketer's go to market strategy is toward meeting the goal of maximizing their spending to achieve positive results in both the short- and long-term. It is also related to marketing ROI and return on marketing investment (ROMI). In today's competitive business environment, effective marketing strategies play a pivotal role in promoting products or services to target audiences. The advent of digital platforms has further intensified competition among businesses, making it imperative for companies to employ innovative and impactful marketing techniques. This essay examines how various types of advertising methods can be utilized effectively to reach out to potential consumers

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital marketing</span> Marketing of products or services using digital technologies or digital tools

Digital marketing is the component of marketing that uses the Internet and online-based digital technologies such as desktop computers, mobile phones, and other digital media and platforms to promote products and services. Its development during the 1990s and 2000s changed the way brands and businesses use technology for marketing. As digital platforms became increasingly incorporated into marketing plans and everyday life, and as people increasingly used digital devices instead of visiting physical shops, digital marketing campaigns have become prevalent, employing combinations of search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), content marketing, influencer marketing, content automation, campaign marketing, data-driven marketing, e-commerce marketing, social media marketing, social media optimization, e-mail direct marketing, display advertising, e-books, and optical disks and games have become commonplace. Digital marketing extends to non-Internet channels that provide digital media, such as television, mobile phones, callbacks, and on-hold mobile ringtones. The extension to non-Internet channels differentiates digital marketing from online marketing.

Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) is statistical analysis such as multivariate regressions on sales and marketing time series data to estimate the impact of various marketing tactics on sales and then forecast the impact of future sets of tactics. It is often used to optimize advertising mix and promotional tactics with respect to sales revenue or profit.

Location-based advertising (LBA) is a form of advertising that integrates mobile advertising with location-based services. The technology is used to pinpoint consumers location and provide location-specific advertisements on their mobile devices.

A target market, also known as serviceable obtainable market (SOM), is a group of customers within a business's serviceable available market at which a business aims its marketing efforts and resources. A target market is a subset of the total market for a product or service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Targeted advertising</span> Form of advertising

Targeted advertising is a form of advertising, including online advertising, that is directed towards an audience with certain traits, based on the product or person the advertiser is promoting.

Performance-based advertising, also known as pay for performance advertising, is a form of advertising in which the purchaser pays only when there are measurable results. Its objective is to drive a specific action, and advertisers only pay when that action, such as an acquisition or sale, is completed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social media marketing</span> Promotion of products or services on social media

Social media marketing is the use of social media platforms and websites to promote a product or service. Although the terms e-marketing and digital marketing are still dominant in academia, social media marketing is becoming more popular for both practitioners and researchers. Most social media platforms have built-in data analytics tools, enabling companies to track the progress, success, and engagement of social media marketing campaigns. Companies address a range of stakeholders through social media marketing, including current and potential customers, current and potential employees, journalists, bloggers, and the general public. On a strategic level, social media marketing includes the management of a marketing campaign, governance, setting the scope and the establishment of a firm's desired social media "culture" and "tone".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cox Media Group</span> American media company

CMG Media Corporation is an American media conglomerate principally owned by Apollo Global Management in conjunction with Cox Enterprises, which maintains a 29% minority stake in the company. The company primarily owns radio and television stations—many of which are located in the South, Pacific Northwest, Eastern Midwest, and Northeast, and the regional cable news network Pittsburgh Cable News Channel (PCNC).

The United States food and beverage industry has increased the amount of advertising that intensively and aggressively targets children through multiple channels. Food marketers know that the youth consumers have equal if not more spending power than adults, they hold purchasing influence, and have the potential to be lifelong consumers. The advertisements for products predominantly high in sugar and fat have increased and have had an effect on the major health epidemic in the US of Childhood obesity, and as such are inconsistent with national dietary recommendations. Food advertisements have moved from the television into the classroom. Marketing companies are exploring new creative techniques to reach their target audience, young children, through promotions, contests, and incentive programs. As a result, the US has progressively been placing regulations on how much advertising is allowed during children's programming.

References

  1. 1 2 "Valpak Introduction of Premier Plus Strengthens Appeal of Direct Mail for Retailers". The Wise Marketer. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  2. Harrington, Jeff (31 July 2012). "Valpak pioneer Terry Loebel dies at 71". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  3. Glover, Charles E. (1998). Journey Through Our Years: The Story of Cox Enterprises, Inc . Atlanta, Georgia, USA: LONGSTREET. pp.  197–199. ISBN   1-56352-570-4.
  4. Manning, Margie (January 3, 2017). "Valpak gets a new owner". Tampa Bay Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  5. "Platinum Equity Sells Valpak to AmatoMartin". Platinum Equity. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  6. Chmura, Chris. "ValPak ventures from direct mail to digital coupons". Fox 13. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  7. 1 2 "Valpak's PlusOne Product Solidifies Reputation as Direct Mail Innovator". MarTech Series. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  8. "Plus One Permanent Product". The Office of the Federal Register. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  9. "Postcard Advertising". Company website. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  10. "Direct Mail Mailing Lists". Audience Solutions Group. Retrieved 10 May 2023.