Obama logo clear winner
A recent study by DesignBay found that Barack Obama's logo beats John McCain's, hands down.

Based on an analysis of presidential campaign logos from 1984-2004, Obama's logo includes all five of the "winning" elements:

• Use of surname
• Red stripes
• Use of red, white, and blue
• Inclusion of year
• Use of a serif font

Presidential contender John McCain uses only two of the five winning elements and includes items associated with losing campaigns in the past (such as his use of yellow, which no campaign has used successfully).

Can a logo win a presidential campaign? No—no more than it can sell a lackluster product. But a winning logo with a quality product create a combination that's tough to beat!

Anyone opening your email?
Do you have an email newsletter but wonder how your "open rate" (the percent of recipients who open your email) compares to industry standards?

Help is at hand with a new study by Mailchimp. While email is still more successful than print mail in catching people's attention, open rates vary widely by industry.

• Food, Photography, and Architecture have open rates of over 30%
• Entertainment, Music, and Software didn't even hit 20%

A study by Campaign Monitor shows that smaller, more targeted lists have higher open rates. This is likely due to a combination of personal relationships with the recipients and highly targeted content.

Want to be more successful? Break large lists into small ones and deliver content focused on the needs of your recipients.

Mandy Wright wins Lotus tix
Our client Mandy Wright of TitlePlus! was the winner of a pair of tickets to Lotus Festival this month. As part of our annual anniversary celebrations, we hold a drawing for Lotus tickets to help say "thank you" for helping make our business a success. Thanks to everyone who entered!

This month's winner: Drema Baker!
Our champ wins a digital print featuring this one-of-a-kind design. Have a favorite quote or saying? Send it in! If your quote is chosen, you'll receive a digital print of your custom design, suitable for framing! Check out your competition.

View this design's creative process.

Smart incentives in a tight economy
When money's tight, people take a little more convincing to part with their hard-earned cash. Incentives can smooth the way. But are you offering the right incentive?

• Offer incentives that relate to your product or service. Anyone can give away an iPod or matched luggage set, but if you're selling real estate, a limited-time cash rebate might go further with buyers.
• In B2B selling, make it easy for the buyer to convince their manager. In tight times, it's easy for a manager to say, "Sorry, it's not in our budget." They're more likely to be convinced if you're throwing in free training, a month's worth of free maintenance, or a similar incentive that affects the bottom line.
• Offer the incentive later in the buying cycle. This varies according to what you're trying to sell, but if a potential buyer is in the initial trust-building stage, they won't be as open to the incentive. Wait until you have their trust and then solidify it with an incentive that meets their needs.
• Make the incentive simple to articulate. If your prospect has to go through a 5-step process to know what they're getting, forget it! Keep it to one brief sentence, like "Buy now, pay later."
• Offer an incentive that builds trust. Marketing is all about persuading the customer that you offer the best fit for their needs. Back it up with a realistic guarantee to reduce the risk your customer feels. "If we solve your technical support issue in two business days, you receive a month's worth of service for free."

Looking for incentive ideas? Read 10 Great Incentive Ideas at MarketingProfs.