Direct Marketing articles from April 2001

Direct Marketing archives from April 2001

London Direct Marketing Fair Makes Big Changes.
April 1, 2001... Another year has come and gone and my annual trek across the puddle to this year's International London Direct Marketing Fair came with some anticipation. I couldn't stay for the entire conference for the first time in 10 years. We are in the...

The Eleven Percent Solution.(number of at-home Internet users with broadband connections)
April 1, 2001... Why aren't advertisers stampeding into bandwidth--intensive broadband advertising! Two reasons: cost and efficiency. Eleven percent. All the hype, all the buzz. All the over-promises, all the underdelivery. All for eleven percent of the...

The Song Remains The Same.(protection of privacy in the United States)
April 1, 2001... * "Privacy" remains today as it has always been, a trend du jour. In part 2, of a two-part series, the author claims that such "privacy debates" will soon be considered "quaint." Last month we reviewed how some of those who fostered...

E-Commerce Revenues For Direct Marketers To Grow 136% In 2001.(electronic commerce)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2001... E-commerce revenues among direct marketers with offline brick-and-mortar operations are expected to grow by 136 percent in 2001 while the rest of the Web will expand at 115 percent, according to a new study conducted by the Millard Group...

FCC To Examine Interactive TV.(Federal Communications Commission)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Triggered by the federal review of the AOL Time Warner merger, the Federal Communications Commission will determine if regulations are needed to shape the emerging market for interactive television. The combined company is expected to greatly...

E-Commerce Leaders Launch Anti-Fraud Site.(electronic commerce)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... The Worldwide E-Commerce Fraud Prevention Network, whose members include American Express, Amazon.com, Buy.com and Expedia.com, have launched a new Web site dedicated to combating online fraud. The site, MerchantFraudSquad.com, is the first...

Consumer Acceptance of Web-Based Financial Services Sluggish.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Most Web-based financial services have yet to win acceptance among consumers, according to a new Mercer Management Consulting study. Entitled "Digital Business Designs in Financial Services," the study examines the impact of the Internet across...

Postmaster General to Retire.(William Henderson)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2001... Postmaster General William Henderson will retire on May 31, 2001 after three years on the job. Henderson, a 29-year veteran of the Postal Service, will pursue work in the private sector. During his tenure as Postmaster General and CEO, the...

Study Examines E-Commerce/Internet Use in Latin America.(electronic commerce)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2001... Overall e-commerce revenues in Latin America, fueled by advances in the B2B segment, will increase substantially to $67 billion by 2004, according to a new eMarketer Report. In 2000, total e-commerce revenues reached $3.6 billion, B2B...

Survey Profiles Catalogers' Views On Inbound and Outbound Logistics.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2001... A new Winterberry Group Leader Perspectives survey has profiled catalogers' views on inbound and outbound logistics, paying special attention to third-party supplier usage and activity. Entitled "Catalog Marketers' Use of Third-Party Inbound...

Kmart Installs 3,500 Shopping Kiosks In Stores Nationwide.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... In an effort to use technology to improve store operations, Kmart and its e-commerce unit BlueLight.com have installed 3,500 Internet shopping kiosks in 1,100 stores nationwide. The self-serve kiosks will allow shoppers to connect directly to...

U.S. and European Sites Fail To Meet International Privacy Standards.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Many European and U.S. Internet sites fail to meet international standards on data protection, according to a new study of 751 business-to-consumer sites. Conducted by Consumers International, the study reveals that over two thirds of B2C...

Site Profiles Effective Call Center Management Strategies.(BestPracticeDatabase.com)
April 1, 2001... BestPracticeDatabase.com is offering information on call center management strategies through annual subscriptions or individual document purchases. Drawing from site visits at leading call centers, BestPractice analysts identify strategies...

Product Specification Service Enhances E-Catalogs.(Active Product Spex offers online product specifications)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Targeting merchants, publishers, and portals that require easy-to-understand online product catalogs, Active Research Inc. (ARI) has unveiled Active Product Spex, a service that offers current product specifications for more than 130...

U.S. Companies To Spend $63 Billion On Digital Marketing By 2005.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2001... According to a new Forrester Research report, by 2005, traditional U.S. companies will spend $63 billion annually on digital marketing- multifaceted marketing campaigns which integrate online advertising, promotions, and e-mail...

E-Mail Newsletter Targets Key health Care Consumer Segments.(Health Newsletters Direct)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... To enable health organizations to meet the demand for credible health information online, Health Newsletters Direct (www.hndweb.com) has developed the first direct marketing e-mail newsletter program that targets key segments of the health care...

Yahoo Promotion Drives Online Ticket Sales.(Yahoo! Outloud tour concert series)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Demonstrating the power of the Internet as an effective entertainment marketing tool, Yahoo sold over 90 percent of the tickets online for the Yahoo! Outloud tour, a series of integrated online/offline music events. Fifteen of the 20 shows were...

Brann Worldwide and Screen4me Form Marketing Alliance.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Brann Worldwide (www.brann.com) and Screen4me Corporation (www.screen4me.com) have partnered to offer Screen4me products to Brann's extensive customer base of Fortune 500 companies. Screen4me offers direct marketers tools for building highly...

PerformanceData Launches New Database.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2001... PerformanceData has launched SolutionBase, its latest precision database for direct marketers. With SolutionBase, marketers can draw from over 50 fields of data at the individual, household and neighborhood level as they analyze market...

Daily Newspaper sites Out Perform Other Local Media For Web Audience.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2001... The Web sites of America's daily newspapers are attracting a much larger audience than other local media Web sites, according to "The Media Audit," a syndicated survey of both online and traditional media in more than 80 U.S. markets. In...

USPS To Seek Another Postal Rate Hike.(U.S. Postal Service)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2001... Working to offset the slowing growth of package volume and rising labor costs, the U.S. Postal Service (www.usps.com) will begin arguing for another increase in postage. According to Robert Rider, Chairman of the Postal Board of Governors, the...

Returns Online and USPS Form Alliance.(United States Postal Service)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Returns Online has integrated its processing services with the United States Postal Service's Merchandise Return Service to offer retailers a unified method of handling postage, tracking, and processing of returned products. This will be...

Auto.DemographicsNow.com Provides Marketing Data For Auto Industry.(database service introduction from Experian and SRC L.L.C.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Experian (www.experian.com) and SRC, LLC (www.extendthereach.com), have launched Auto. DemographicsNow.com (http://Auto.DemographicsNow.com), a new Web-based vehicle information service that allows users to determine vehicle statistics by make...

Promotional E-Mail Delivery To Become New Revenue Opportunity.
April 1, 2001... Promotional e-mail delivery will emerge over the next two years as a new revenue stream for large portals, ISPs and Web mail providers as they exert greater control over e-mail passed between marketers and consumers, according to a new Jupiter...

Fair, Isaac Forms e-Business Analytics Unit.(Digital Marketing Science to consult on online marketing)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Fair, Isaac and Company, Inc. has formed a new e-business analytics consulting practice, Digital Marketing Science, to examine high-stakes online marketing decisions. The new unit will employ marketing science techniques to inform such...

New Service Combats E-Mail Overload.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... EmailChannel, Inc. is now offering consumers a free commercial e-mail management service. Entitled MyMailMutt, the service provides consumers with a unique e-mail address to use whenever they sign up at a third party's Web site (for special...

Study Reveals Strategies For Communicating On Customers' Terms.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Businesses should re-evaluate the timing, frequency and method of their marketing communications, according to a new Pitney Bowes study. The study reveals that 60 percent of household members would be more receptive to business communications...

Viral Marketing and Traffic-Sharing Drives Newcomer Web Sites.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2001... In 2000, the top 25 newcomer Web sites attracted visitors through viral marketing and traffic-sharing, as well as sweepstakes and promotions, according to a new Media Metrix report. "Despite marketplace skepticism, the top newcomers in 2000...

M-Commerce On the Rise But Obstacles Remain.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2001... Nearly one quarter of those who use their wireless device to access the Internet have purchased some type of product or service via that device, according to a recent survey of wireless data users conducted by Telephia, Inc. Moreover, 75...

New Media Poll Service Offers Results In Real-Time.(Phone Interactive Communications Corp.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Phone Interactive Communications Corp. (PICC) is offering a new media poll service that provides the poll/survey results of participants in real-time. Entitled ImMediaPoll, the service enables television networks to survey viewers on any given...

E-Book Trade Association Established.(Electronic Book Newsstand Association)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Publishers of newspapers, magazines, trade journals, catalogs, newsletters and other information providers have founded the Electronic Book Newsstand Association (EBNA) (www.ebna.org) to raise publishers' and consumer awareness of e-reader...

Sampling Program Targets Consumers Via Frequent Shopper Cards.(Market Logic)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Market Logic, the direct marketing subsidiary of Catalina Marketing Corporation, is offering a targeted at-home sampling program entitled Sample Logic that uses customer specific data via frequent shopper cards to deliver trial-sized products....

XXIII John Caples International Awards Winners.
April 1, 2001... The following campaigns and direct marketing professionals took first place honors at this year's John Caples International Awards, held at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel, New York, NY. First Place Campaign: Consumer Single Medium...

The Principles of Effective Direct Response.
April 1, 2001... The purity and simplicity of direct response can be alluring and even refreshing in some ways, but the simple fact is that it is not appropriate, or practical for every product or product category. Many times brand advertisers and their...

A Smart Idea a Day Keeps the Creative Boredom Away.(advice from advertising executives)(Brief Article)(Column)
April 1, 2001... Smart ideas are everywhere. Finding time to focus on the few that will make a difference in your marketing is the challenge. This week, take a break from your search for worthwhile ideas. Here are quotes, both old and new, that contain very...

What's Your Hurry?(faster business world sometimes results in inferior marketing)(Column)
April 1, 2001... It was at a meeting of employees of a national loan chain. We talked with the manager who won the award for the largest sales increase. We asked him the secret of his success and he said it was because he lived in New York City. We asked...

10 Basics For Writing Better Letters.(tips for writing better direct marketing letters)(Column)
April 1, 2001... Letter writing is an art, so there's just no one way to do it. The overall idea, though, is to make a personal connection with the reader and make your offer in a one-to-one way. A well-written letter is a thing of beauty. It is your voice....

Participation Marketing.(versus permission marketing)(Editorial)
April 1, 2001... Participation Marketing is the marketing equivalent of playing "Twister." You're not quite sure which part of your program belongs to the company or to the customer. When I was 12 years old, I first kissed a girl. I was a perfect...

Virtual Reality In Marketing.
April 1, 2001... Virtual reality marketing combines the powerful technologies of interactive marketing and virtual reality. We'll take a look at virtual reality and then show how the two work together to create virtual marketing. Virtual reality is not...

Naming Your Dot Com-Ten Tips.(advice to consider concerning names of web sites)(Brief Article)(Column)
April 1, 2001... The wrong dot com name can do more harm than good. Does your name need changing? Whenever you come across a quick "death" of a dot com, three things happen: firstly, as hock at what happened to the hot paced, bizarre, wildfire, frenzy and...

CouponMaker.com Offers Retailers and Consumers E-Discounting Service.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... CouponMaker.com is offering a free interactive discount engine that allows consumers to negotiate "in-store" volume purchase discounts. As opposed to mass coupon distribution strategies, Coupon Maker.com's discounting service gives retailers...

Belk Debuts E-Commerce Site and Bridal Registry.(Belk Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Belk, Inc., the largest privately-owned department store company in the U.S., has launched an e-commerce Web site (www.belk.com) and online gift registry For bridal customers. The Belk Gift Registry includes a variety of bridal and gift...

BancoChase.com Addresses Demand For In-language Financial Information.(Chase targets Hispanic population)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Recognizing the needs of the Hispanic market segment, Chase has launched a new bilingual Web site, www.BancoChasecom. The new site provides bilingual information to visitors regarding a variety of Chase products and services, including:...

The New York Times Offers Web-Based Card Service Via CardStore.com.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... CardStore.com has launched a syndicated greeting card service for the online store of The New York Times. Visitors to NYTimes.com can select, personalize and mail printed communications for personal or business use. "The New York Times has...

iShipViking.com Facilities Freight Shipping.(Viking Freight Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Working to simplify the freight shipping needs of transportation and logistics professionals, Viking Freight Inc. has launched iShipViking.com (www.ishipviking.com). In addition to providing Western regional transportation services, the site...

Coupons.com Provides Online Distribution Service for Local Merchants.(Coupons Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Coupons Inc. (www.coupons.com), a provider of Internet-based technology solutions that enable home printing of coupons for businesses and consumers, has launched a new online distribution program for small- to medium-sized merchants. Called...

Strategy.com Delivers Financial Information Via Web, Wireless and Voice.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Strategy.com and Thomson Financial Solutions (http://solutions.thomsonfn.com) are offering financial information proactively via Web, wireless and voice. Strategy.com's financial services include personalized earnings calendars and...

Timebeat.com Targets Teen Market.(launches new web site)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Online luxury goods retailer Time beat.com (www.timebeat.com), is targeting the young adult market with the launch of its second e-commerce Web site, www.timebeat4teens.com. "With the new generation of teens currently numbered at 60...

Movedirect.net Brings Canadian Moving Industry Online.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... Canadian consumers can now anonymously shop for a moving company online at Movedirect.net. By taking their own inventory and entering moving information onto a simple checklist, Canadians can receive up to seven different rate quotes from...

DM People.(includes multiple promotions and assignments)
April 1, 2001... PAYNER NAMED CEO OF SPIEGEL CATALOG The Spiegel Group (www.thespiegelgroup.com) has named Melissa Payner president and CEO of Spiegel Catalog, Inc. Payner joined Spiegel in 1997 as vice president of merchandising and most recently served...

The Phoenix Database.(of travelers now available)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... The Phoenix Database of 30,508 travelers is now available for [pound]130/M. Phoenix Publishing is the U.K.'s largest publisher of consumer and travel publications about travel to and within the U.S. and Canada for business and pleasure. The...

Saleoutlet.com--Opt-In E-Mail List.(offers list of active members)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... The Saleoutlet.com--Opt-In E-Mail List of 207,097 active members is now available for $200/M. Saleoutlet.com is an online outlet center that offers shoppers brand-name merchandise at deeply discounted prices. Available products (such as...

Institutional Investor Newsletter Masterfile.(mailing list)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... The Institutional Investor Newsletter Masterfile of 103,726 top U.S. financial services and corporate executives is now available for $215/M. Institutional Investor Newsletters examine current trends in corporate finance, asset management,...

Magazines & Trade Papers Database.(mailing list)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... The Magazines & Trade Papers Database of 39,111 total executives is available for $60/M. This compilation contains the names of publishers, editors and managing editors of top U.S. magazines and trade papers. The file offers 90 different...

Walthers Terminal Hobby Shop--E-Mail Names.(mailing list)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... The Walthers Terminal Hobby Shop--E-Mail Names list of 8,611 (2nd quarter 2000) hotline e-mail inquirers and catalog requestors is now available for $200/M. The Walthers Terminal Hoppy Shop catalog offers model railroad accessories such as...

Black Enterprise Magazine.(mailing list)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... The Black Enterprise Magazine list of 262,241 active subscribers is now available for $115/M. Since 1990, Black Enterprise has provided business information to black professionals and entrepreneurs on investments, corporate management and...

Rodale Sports Book Buyers.(mailing list)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... The Rodale Sports Book Buyers list of 203,986 active book buyers is now available for $90/M. These sports and fitness enthusiasts have bought books that detail the latest tips on strength training, mental toughness and nutrition. Book titles...

FTC Closes Doubleclick Investigation.(US Federal Trade Commission finds DoubleClick did not violate its privacy policy)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2001... The Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov) has ended its investigation into the data collection practices of DoubleClick Inc. (www.doubleclick.net). In a letter to DoubleClick, trade commission official Joel Winston wrote: "DoubleClick never...