Marketing & Consulting Solutions
Exceptional Results by Applying Unconventional Wisdom
At The Kessler Group, we believe that you cannot achieve extraordinary results by applying conventional thinking. For example, we question a worship of “brand” that fails to generate measurable return on investment. We believe that acquiring volumes of data is useless – unless you have intelligent ways to access, aggregate, interpret and leverage it. And the loyalty of relationship customers? In our mind, it’s only as strong as your ability to continually deliver competitive products and offers.
When you turn to us for consulting and/or marketing solutions in the Financial Services, Affinity, or Co-Brand marketplaces, you can expect innovative approaches that deliver speed, efficiency and, most important, results.
Consulting Solutions
Rooted in over three decades of financial services and payment card experience, and leveraging our deep analytic capabilities, our consulting solutions help clients evaluate their current situation, diagnose performance issues, and develop strategies for improving results and efficiency. Services include:
- Market Entry Strategy Development
- De Novo Payment Card Issuance Infrastructure Creation
- Payment Network Strategy
- Product Development
- Loyalty/Rewards Program Enhancement/Development
- Customer Acquisition & Retention Strategy & Planning
- Product/Program Analysis & Improvement
- Strategic Sourcing & Supply-Chain Management
- Direct Marketing Strategy & Tactics
Marketing Solutions
Should you wish to have us not only advise on what to do but also execute our recommendations, The Kessler Group provides state-of-the-art direct marketing program design, implementation, management and oversight in which we assume full responsibility for strategy and execution. With over 20 years of experience in direct marketing, in which we have managed and delivered billions of customer contacts, The Kessler Group can help drive the most value from your customer acquisition and customer loyalty campaigns. Our compensation is typically tied to the results we achieve and paid out of the value we help create – this ensures that our goals are aligned with those of our clients. Simply put, we cannot reach our goals without fulfilling yours. Services include:
- Strategy Development
- Data-Driven Segmentation & Modeling
- Creative Strategy Development
- Channel Optimization
- Campaign Planning & Forecasting
- Database Build & Maintenance
- Reporting & Analysis
- Program Execution
Case Studies
Top Regional Bank Assumes Control of Card Program
Challenge
After years of outsourcing its card program, a top regional bank decided to reassume responsibility and recapture its customers.
Solution
- Negotiated an amicable separation and smooth transition between the regional bank and the top-10 national bank that had operated the regional bank’s card program
- Conducted comprehensive market research with customers, field staff and executives to define customer segments and product positioning
- Created comprehensive product strategy and an integrated marketing program, including channel strategies and field incentives
- Created a holistic communications platform incorporating direct mail, field follow-up communications, call center scripting and an online platform
Results
- Launch executed in less than 120 days
- 800,000 accounts and $1.2 billion in receivables recaptured in the first nine months of marketing
Response Rates and Marketable Universe Increased
Challenge
Reverse the decline of response rates and marketable universe for a top-10 bank.
Solution
- Tested various alternatives until optimum product configuration was established
- Built a relational customer database housing 24 months of campaign results, with back-end performance data on each new customer by segment
- Created the ability to evaluate marketing results by customer segments and to evaluate performance on a real-time basis
Results
- Increased speed-to-market by six to nine months with rapid test/learn cycle
- Increased profitable segments to mail by more than 20%
Cost and Cycle Time Significantly Decreased
Challenge
Re-engineer the internal and external consumer marketing processes of a top-10 bank’s credit card program to improve costs, productivity and speed to market.
Solution
- Performed comprehensive diagnostic of the current state with short-term and long-term action plans to drive change
- Developed and implemented standard processes across personnel and business units to commoditize the buy
- Redefined job descriptions and staff responsibilities, and led training and development
- Developed and implemented new supporting tools and practices
- Sourced new supply chain and implemented supplier development strategy
Results
- Reduced cost by 17%
- Reduced cycle time by more than five days
- Improved internal productivity more than 30%
Program Rapidly Optimized
Challenge
Build a successful program for a small bank from the ground up in a highly competitive marketplace.
Solution
- Collaborated with the bank to design and create a prescreen process
- Developed an initial segmentation scheme
- Built a custom model to enhance segmentation
- Designed and established control creative – then busted the control with new creative that increased response by over 15%
- Developed and launched telemarketing channel, both outbound and inbound
- Introduced a triggers program to target hot prospects
- Built program P&Ls to understand key profitability drivers of the Year 1 vintage
Results
- Exceeded the bank’s account acquisition goals
- Lowered CPA by more than 30% in Year 1
- Balances that were generated are “sticking” and remain profitable
Challenge
Revitalize a failing DM program for one of the largest for-profit secondary educators.
Solution
- Developed a sophisticated optimization process to select the best names to market at 100 individual campus locations in the US and Canada
- Built custom response and conversion models to target the best prospects
- Created, tested and rolled a series of breakthrough creative packages
- Launched a telemarketing channel, which has generated a 35% lower acquisition cost
Results
- Significantly reduced cost per new student via these channels over a three-year period
