Spotlight on 2012 Integrated Marketing Award Winner: TVO
	Posted by Mike Johnston at Oct 17, 2012 07:03 AM CDT

In August 2012, the Integrated Marketing Advisory Board announced three award winners for our first-ever Integrated Marketing Awards.  The awards are a way for us to recognize examples of the sector’s successful use of integrated, multi-channel marketing campaigns or programs.

TVO, Ontario's public education media organization, won in the category of The Practice for sharing its real world case study highlighting best practices in the field of integrated marketing. Here is a look at the program for which TVO won the award:

The Challenges

TVO had been experiencing a number of years of decline in numbers of donors and total revenues: 

• 2nd gift conversion dropped from 83% to 30%
• Net loss of donors since 2005
• Lifetime value of donors decreasing significantly since 2001
• The TVO magazine, which was the primary stewardship vehicle, stopped in 2007

The Campaign

TVO created an integrated plan from the ground up and saw it through to the end. Their plan represented true integration, involving: direct mail, email, web, television, telephone and face-to-face channels -- all with the same messaging, and all working together to retain current donors and acquire new ones. The organization now is building on the success of its integrated plan to continue integration in all fundraising and marketing activities.

Here’s how TVO integrated all aspects of its annual plan to create a seamless donor experience:

• The development of a quarterly Impact Report, which was integrated with a holiday ask
• Creation of a new fundraising microsite which
  was integrated with current direct mail, on-air,
  and on-line initiatives
• A pledge/email welcome/conversion cycle to acquire new donors
• A direct mail renewal cycle integrated with telemarketing and online activities
• New cultivation direct mail appeals focused on
  the holidays and 40th anniversary
• Integrated on-air and online spots promoting
  the new cultivation campaigns and renewal cycle
• Direct mail/online integration: timely pre-direct mail email, and then timely post-direct mail email both in three different versions
• The implementation of new fundraising acquisition vehicles such as face-to-face and on-air
• The introduction of an industry-leading fundraising database to track and maintain accurate records and new online relationship-management system

The Results

• Donor decline ended and stabilization was achieved
• Quarter-by-quarter, TVO’s income was up between 26-40% over the previous year
• TVO enjoyed its best quarter since 2006
• Achieved these results with a relative modest budget maximized through leveraging integration
• Integrated campaign has been used as a case study in fundraising conferences