Direct Marketing articles from April 1999

Direct Marketing archives from April 1999

Federated acquires fingerhut.(Federated Department Stores Inc., Fingerhut Companies Inc.)
April 1, 1999... Federated Department Stores, Inc. and Fingerhut Companies, Inc. have jointly announced a definitive merger agreement under which Federated will acquire Fingerhut. Fingerhut will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Federated, with its...

Direct marketing transactions reach record number.
April 1, 1999... The number of direct marketing strategic transactions reached a record level during 1998, totaling 1,846 transactions valued at $29.4 billion, according to investment bank Gruppo, Levey & Co.'s (GLC) annual DM Strategic Transaction Index. ...

John Yeck, direct marketing statesman, dies.(Obituary)
April 1, 1999... John Yeck, founder of the direct mail firm Yeck Brothers Company, a longtime Direct Marketing Association (The DMA) board member, and an advertising legend who helped build the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF) and educate...

Media pioneer Cecil C. Hoge passes away.(Obituary)
April 1, 1999... Cecil C. Hoge, Sr., chairman of Harrison-Hoge Industries, Inc. and of Huber Hoge and Sons Advertising, Inc., died on February 13th, due to heart failure. He was 85. Hoge was the author of four books on directing, and had lectured at...

Reader's Digest says Internet key to its future.
April 1, 1999... Publisher and direct marketer Reader's Digest Association Inc. unveiled plans to expand several areas of its business, stressing that it plans to make the Internet central to its future. In a recent statement, the company said it plans to...

A cup, a card, and a checkbook cover, or "harnessing the power of kindness.".(marketing strategy)
April 1, 1999... You should put yourself in your customers' shoes and consider what they care about. Instead of always asking yourself, "How can I get more money from people?" occasionally ask yourself, "How can I help people?" As a businessman, I support...

Should you sell or compete?(part 1)(Panel Discussion)
April 1, 1999... The panel of roundtable participants assembled by Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. to discuss M&A activity in direct marketing services. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. As America's leading private bank, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co....

Publishers Clearing House: diabolical scheming or unintended consequences?
April 1, 1999... Every sweepstakes mailing should have a box clearly stating that a purchase has no impact on your chance to win, as well as stating the odds. They just won't go away, will they? I'm talking about those pesky litigation issues involving...

The USPS has excellent Internet opportunities.(United States Postal Service)
April 1, 1999... Excellent companies earn their reputations over time by reinforcing success before they engage in esoteric targets of opportunity. The United States Postal Service (USPS) has the opportunity to create new products for the electronic market...

Cure a sick ad or mail piece with a new headline.
April 1, 1999... I agree. It's an old, exhausting topic, but I think we should review the writing of headlines. Wait! Stay with me. I'm counting on you being able to leave this column with a peppering of ideas to use today or tomorrow when you're writing...

Managing the privacy revolution.(Internet privacy)
April 1, 1999... (This article is based on a speech delivered to the Privacy and American Business Conference, Arlington, VA., December 1, 1998.) The international community understands the fact that e-commerce is a global issue - one that transcends...

Let's hold a focus group!(marketing strategy)
April 1, 1999... If you think focus groups are a good idea, but are not sure how to get started, here's a do-it-yourself guide to successful focus group research. If a direct marketing manager, or, for that matter, any manager, wants to know what his...

Factors influencing data quality.(mailing lists)
April 1, 1999... For companies that collect household and individual level data, ensuring quality is an important issue. How does a company perform a data audit and what are the telling factors that influence the quality of the data? Companies collect...

The art of a direct mail letter.
April 1, 1999... A letter is a self-portrait of the sender in a direct mail campaign. Here's how to design one that makes you look like Sharon Stone. A letter is the most effective you can be in marketing for 33 cents. A letter is the most effective you...

Up against the Wal-Mart.(Wal-Mart Stores Inc.)
April 1, 1999... "Half of all the U.S. retail companies now in existence will be out of business by the year 2000" - David Glass, CEO, Wal-Mart, 1990. (Years later, when Glass was asked by a reporter if he still stood by that prediction he answered: "I was too...

The evolution of relationship marketing: reaching an audience of one.
April 1, 1999... The technology exists today to leverage customer data to create messages that reach customers as individuals and adapt to their constantly changing needs and understandings. The author explains how to use the technology for truly one-to-one...

The "Marshall" plan - or, customer aftercare: how to spend less and sell more.
April 1, 1999... There is little reason for any company not to have a well-thought-out, consistent and clearly defined "Customer Aftercare Program." The author offers advice on how to create one. My wife likes to shop at the local Safeway. Is it because of...

Direct marketing on the Web: industry strategies driving e-commerce growth.
April 1, 1999... Direct marketers have made aggressive and long-term commitments to electronic commerce. This recently released report reveals that their commitment is starting to pay off with nearly one-third of respondents predicting a triple-digit increase...