Campaign-level Measurement

Campaign-level measurement focuses on the performance of a single email or marketing message. You send a promotion, watch the open and click-through rates roll in, and make judgments based on those results. This approach is fast, easy to understand, and great for testing specific subject lines, offers, or designs. It’s particularly useful when you want quick feedback or are running short-term campaigns, like a weekend sale or an event reminder.

But there’s a limitation. Campaign metrics only show you what happened at one moment in time. They don’t tell you how engaged your customer is over the course of several interactions, or whether they’re building a stronger connection with your brand. That’s where relationship-based marketing comes in.

Relationship-based Marketing

Relationship-level tracking takes a broader view. Instead of judging each email in isolation, it looks at customer behavior over time—how often they engage, what kinds of messages they respond to, whether their activity is increasing or dropping off. This long-term perspective helps businesses understand which customers are truly engaged, which ones might be slipping away, and how to personalize future communications based on real behavior rather than assumptions.

One study by Hasouneh and Alqeed, examining Sony Ericsson’s loyalty program, showed that even basic behaviors like clicking on an email were strongly connected to deeper forms of engagement. Customers who clicked on emails were more likely to register products, interact with support, and remain involved with the brand. The research also pointed out that while many customers may initially respond to a campaign, only a small portion continue to do so over time. That’s why it’s important not just to look at what happened during your last send, but to track how a customer’s engagement evolves—or disappears.

Both approaches have value, but they serve different purposes. Campaign-level metrics help you fine-tune the message. Relationship-level tracking helps you understand the person receiving it.

The Best of Both Worlds

At Kennickell, we believe effective marketing—whether in print, digital, or a mix of both—should be about more than just moments. It should be about building connections that last. While we offer print services that help you make an impact right away, we also recognize the importance of long-term strategy. As more businesses look to blend direct mail with digital efforts like email and retargeting, understanding how to track the full customer journey becomes essential.

Short-term clicks are great, but long-term loyalty is better. And knowing how to measure both can make all the difference.