Avid Technology, Inc: Web Based Direct Mail Support System for Resellers

The Client
Avid Technology, Inc. delivers the solutions that Make, Manage and Move Media™. Avid's products are used to Make more television and news shows, commercials, music videos and CDs, corporate/industrial productions and major motion pictures combined than any other nonlinear editing manufacturer in the world. The company provides powerful servers, networks and media tools to help customers Manage: searching files, sharing media and collaborating on new productions, both locally and globally, and empowers users to easily Move media, whether on air, over cable or satellite or through the Internet.

The Challenge
Avid needed to streamline the work of their Field Marketing Representative (FMR) team in supporting some hundreds of US resellers. Key to this support was facilitating reseller investment of their coop funds in lead generation mailings. The challenge was to make implementing the mailings as efficient and painless as possible for the resellers and the FMR's.

The Arrow Direct Solution
A range of about a dozen 6 x 11 inch postcards with arresting graphics on one side, blank on the other side, suitable for imprinting, and stored in bulk in Arrow's warehouse. Arrow set up a web site accessible to Avid resellers and employees, and Arrow staff. The Home page carries notices such as announcing new cards in stock, and it is set up to make navigation around the site very quick and easy. The Templates page shows thumbnails of all the cards - a click opens an enlarged pdf view - the item name and quantity in stock. From this page the reseller or FMR can either link to and complete the online FMR Order Form for cards to be sent to them to execute the mailing, or link to an online Arrow Project Request form requesting Arrow to handle the entire direct mailing implementation from printing the required text on the cards, to processing the databases or renting outside lists, to addressing and mailing. Arrow provides Avid with regular reports on post card inventory and reseller activity that trigger card reorders and billing to resellers' coop accounts.

The Outcome
The system went live in early-2000 and has been used regularly ever since, to the satisfaction of resellers, Field Marketing Representatives, and Avid management.

Click below for screenshots
Download the Home Page PDF
Download the Order Form PDF
Download the Template Examples PDF