Tandberg's four boldly go forth; Video conferencing firm's multiple-mailer campaign launches with `Trek' theme.

Byline: CHRISTOPHER HOSFORD

With its recent, ambitious direct-mail marketing campaign, fueled by a "Star Trek'' kick-off theme, video-conferencing provider Tandberg did not exactly "boldly go where no man has gone before.'' But with four oversized, sequential mailings, whimsical themes and urgent calls to action, the Tandberg program certainly put the concept of direct mail into hyperdrive.

"We wanted a business-driven approach to get people to know who we are and, then, to raise their hands,'' said Tony Cook, VP-Americas marketing at Tandberg.

To do that, the company, along with marketing agency Goodman Marketing Partners, identified typical corporate pain points that could be solved with video conferencing, and addressed each one with eye-catching mailed pieces and themes that seemed more consumer-oriented than b-to-b. …