Gunderson Direct partners with Respond Fast, a new voice technology that drives direct mail response rates & improves attribution

Gunderson Direct Inc.
Hayward, CA
Release: September 17, 2019

Gunderson Direct, a leading national direct mail marketing agency, announces its partnership with Respond Fast, a smart speaker-based Voice Activated Call to Action (VACTA) technology, to provide clients the latest innovation in response.

Gunderson Direct, a leading national direct mail marketing agency, announces its partnership with Respond Fast to provide clients the latest innovation in response. Repond Fast, a smart speaker-based Voice Activated Call to Action (VACTA) technology, allows prospects to use any Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant smart speaker to easily access direct mail offers. And it enables marketers to seamlessly launch, track, and optimize campaigns.

With the explosive growth of voice-activated smart speakers, Respond Fast is primed to revolutionize direct mail marketing. According to an eMarketer.com report published in mid-2018, smart speakers have been adopted more quickly in the US than any other technology since the smartphone. “With 43 million Americans owning a smart speaker,” says Mike Gunderson, Founder and CEO of Gunderson Direct, “VACTA technology is a natural and exciting next step in direct mail marketing call to action.”

Respond Fast uses a unique phrase or code printed on direct mail pieces providing recipients a convenient and easy way to act on offers. Using the prompt, “[Alexa/Google], Launch Respond Fast,” a prospect is asked to provide the phrase or code tied to the campaign they’re responding to. The smart speaker can fulfill the request, or gather information needed to follow up via phone, shipping, or digital communication (e.g., text, email, website).

Ease of Use = Clear Attribution
“Attribution is a constant challenge in direct mail because the usual response paths can be cumbersome and inconvenient for prospects,” notes Alexa Sundberg, Gunderson Direct Vice President of Data. “Now, a prospect can be reading a piece of mail in their kitchen or living room and take advantage of an offer by simply speaking to their smart speaker. It removes the barrier of searching for a URL, typing in a code, or dialing the phone. With Respond Fast, marketers are able to get 100% attribution because it eliminates a prospect’s tendency to access an offer outside of the CTA.”

For Gunderson Direct clients, the Respond Fast dashboard provides real-time campaign tracking and analytics, satisfying a marketer’s need for rapid results and optimization. A voice campaign’s offer, creative, format, and audience is accurately charted as a part of a marketing campaign’s performance. In addition, other information recorded includes which device is used by the respondent, the time the offer is acted upon, and the prospect’s mobile phone information. Gunderson adds, “It’s frictionless. Prospects see the code, speak it, and voila, they’re connected to a fulfillment protocol. This type of immediacy and ease, over time, will skyrocket marketing response rates. And, as the technology continues to gain traction, this will ultimately become the first line of response in direct mail.”