Direct Marketing articles from August 2001

Direct Marketing archives from August 2001

Magazine Land is in Trouble.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2001... Newsweek arrived here at the office last week. Once a major player in the news magazine business, I was shocked to see their latest issue. A 54-page edition that really set me back. Only the cover resembles what I remember. The paper quality...

Selling RULES!(Reflections o what it takes to be a salesperson)
August 1, 2001... Today's successful salespeople are not need-fillers. They are want-creators. Selling began when Eve presented Adam with an apple. It is as old as time, dating back to when men in the Stone Age traveled great distances to trade for...

Online Retailing Market To Reach $65 Billion In 2001.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2001... Online retailing is emerging from the dot corn shakeout of 2000 with stronger consumer demand and improved profitability, according to a new Shop.org study. Entitled, 'The State of Online Retailing 4.0," the study predicts that the online...

$2.1 Billion Will Be Spent On E-Mail Marketing By Year-End 2001.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2001... A new report from eMarketer forecasts that $2.1 billion will be spent on e-mail marketing by yearend 2001--a 110 percent increase over the $1.1 billion spent in 2000. In addition, the report reveals that there is an average 3.2 percent...

Privacy Notification Service Helps Businesses Comply With GLB Act.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Experian (www.experian.com) and Fiderus (www.fiderus.com), a security and privacy consulting firm, have formed an alliance to help businesses comply with new privacy legislation as well as implement privacy-enabled solutions. One initial focus...

Troubled Times For Direct Marketing Days.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... "Is this what our business has come to?" said one of the many exhibitors we talked to during Direct Marketing Days in New York (May 2 1-24, 2001) at the New York Hilton Hotel. It's ironic that this is the last year for the show at the Hilton...

How The Web Transforms Branding, Acquisition & Loyalty.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... The effectiveness and success of the early days of e-mail marketing may give way to response rates and costs that mirror traditional direct mail campaigns, argued Chris Peterson, CEO of FusionDM (www.fusiondm.com), during his Direct Marketing...

U.K. Direct Mail Volume Hits Record High In First Quarter.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2001... A significant increase in the volume of mailings from insurance companies and health-related firms has helped to lift direct mail in the U.K. to record first quarter volume and expenditure levels, the London-based Direct Mail Information...

Poor Customer Service Hurting Online B2B Relationship.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... A recent Jupiter Customer Service WebTrack Survey reveals that only 41 percent of business-to-business (B2B) companies respond to customers' e-mail inquiries within six hours--and of those that do, only half offer an accurate resolution....

Survey Spotlights E-Business Priorities of Healthcare Executives.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... According to a new survey, 63 percent of e-business and marketing executives from biomedical suppliers say commercialization (sales, marketing, CRM, and e-commerce) is a top e-business priority, followed by corporate branding, knowledge...

Brann Rates Consumer Rancor, Launches Buyers-Experience.com.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Many commonly-used marketing, sales, and customer service practices are alienating current and potential customers, according to a new study commissioned by Brann Worldwide (www.brann.com). Entitled "Marketing Practices That Drive Customers...

DMA Launches E.U. Safe Harbor Enforcement Program.(Direct Marketing Association )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... In an effort to help its 5,000 members comply with European consumer privacy laws, The Direct Marketing Association has launched a European Union (EU) Safe Harbor Enforcement Program. Free to DMA members, the safe harbor program will save...

Dot Com Layoffs Lower In May.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... According to a new survey by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, job cuts in the dot com sector slowed in May after an all-time high in April. The survey counted 13,419 dot corn layoffs in May, down 24 percent from April's record...

New eCRM Solution Supports Retail Banks.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... eSupportNow (www.esupportnow.com) has launched a series of eCRM solutions that help online financial institutions implement multi-channel customer support strategies. eSupportNow's Retail Banking Solutions enable retail financial institutions...

Index Measures Purchasing Power of Web Visitors.(netScore Buying Power Index)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... The netScore Buying Power Index (BPI), a new service from Diameter and comScore Networks, Inc., provides Web sites with a new tool to gauge the value of their visitors based on how much these visitors spend across all sites on the Internet. The...

Federated To Use Digital Imaging For Catalogs.(Federated Department Stores, Inc. )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Vertis, Inc. (www.vertisinc.com) and Federated Department Stores, Inc. (www.federated-fds.com) have signed an agreement under which Vertis will capture digital images for Federated Direct over the next 12 months. By the end of 2001, digital...

CMA National Convention Draws 1,250.(Canadian Marketing Association)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... More than 1,250 delegates discussed the latest marketing trends, including the convergence of media and the integration of marketing technologies at the Canadian Marketing Association's annual National Convention and Trade Show in Ottawa (May...

Spiegel Launches Third-Party Global Logistics Venture.(Spiegel-Hermes General Service, LLC )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... The Spiegel Group and Hermes General Service USA, Inc. have entered the third-party logistics market with the creation of a new joint venture, Spiegel-Hermes General Service, LLC (SHGS) (www.shgs.com). Services provided by the new venture...

DMAT Meeting: Re-examining Brand and Content on the Web.(During a recent Direct Marketing Association of Toronto)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... During a recent Direct Marketing Association of Toronto (DMAT) meeting: "The Straight Goods on Doing Business on the Net," Peter Mosley, creative director, MarchFIRST, Canada, told members that Canadians are "way behind the curve using the...

Business Groups Develop International E-Commerce Trust Initiative.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Working to ease consumer concerns about doing business over the Internet, the U.S. Better Business Bureau (BBB) and two leading European business organizations are developing a "trustmark" program to provide international standards for Internet...

Automation of Web Logistics Can Reduce Return Processing Costs.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... According to a new Gartner, Inc. study, e-tailers can drastically reduce their costs by automating their Web sites to process product returns. Gartner estimates that product returns will cost Web merchants $3.2 billion in 2001--and these costs...

Site Offers Rapid Design & Implementation of Direct Mail Campaigns.(USA Direct, Inc. )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... USA Direct, Inc. has launched usamailnow.com a new site that can easily fulfill the direct mail needs of both large and small businesses in record time. According to Richard Osborne, CEO of USA Direct, the site will benefit companies who need...

New Topica Solution Addresses Needs of E-Mail Publishers.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Topica Inc., a provider of e-mail newsletter hosting and delivery services, has launched E-mail Publisher, a turnkey solution that incorporates newsletter creation and delivery; subscriber management; ad management; reporting; and customer...

The Newest Trend in CRM: Micro-Targeted Solutions.(customer relationship management)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... How to get short-term results in a tough economy. Consumer confidence and retail sales are down. Advertising budgets are being slashed. You would expect that CRM initiatives might get hit as well, especially since the focus of these efforts...

Direct Mail That Makes A Lasting Impression.(Creative Intelligence, Inc. )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... How a designer who started out hand-painting greeting cards built a business-to-business direct response agency--by design. Walk in the front door of Marc Friedland's Los Angeles studio and there's a lime green rural mailbox in his lobby,...

How to Get What You Want.(direct marketing)
August 1, 2001... There are some companies that think direct marketing doesn't work--I say they're just not doing it right. I give them out at seminars in exotic places such as Ljublijana, Reykjavik, Christchurch, Zagreb, and even Paramus, New Jersey. ...

Calculator Mailing Acids Up To Success.(TriZetto Group Inc.'s direct mailer)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... A 3-D mailer pulled an outstanding response rate for a healthcare information technology company. Here's how. Interpreting the complicated jargon of technology for busy corporate executives isn't easy. Turning it into a compelling and...

"The Devil's Dictionary of Marketing".
August 1, 2001... An irreverent look at some of the "real" words that are used everyday in the marketing world. (Part one of two.) Are you weary of the hype, jargon, distortions, and outright lies that so many fellow marketers throw steadily in our faces? I...

Business-To-Business Direct Marketing.
August 1, 2001... Direct marketing takes on new dimensions when used in B-to-B applications. In the revised version of their "bible" of direct marketing, the authors cover the important elements of successful business transactions. The opportunities in...

Statistical Analysis for Direct Marketers--In Plain English.
August 1, 2001... The marriage between the marketer and data analyst results in the deployment of appropriate tools that will ensure adherence to effective strategies and more profitable response. In today's fiercely competitive business environment, the...

Postal Paradoxes--We're All To Blame.(Mailers asked to reform by Congress)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... For 30 years now, the USPS has been increasingly pursuing hopes (not plans) amid the chorus of mailers telling them to "reform" in ways the mailers know they can't. Congress (the main problem) pontificates at hearing but in 30 years never...

"Isn't the Copy a Bit Long?" Remarked the Advertiser.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... It used to be that I spent a lot of time minimizing the conditioned fears of clients who panicked when they were handed more copy than they expected. I'm not sure why it's easier today than it was a decade ago. It could be that I'm...

11 Delicious Recipes For Success.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a fondue pot. Stir in 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and cook on low heat for about 2 minutes. Mix in 1 1/2 cups of dry white wine and stir constantly until thick. Add 1 1/2 cups grated Swiss Cheese and stir...

Printing in the Age of the Web and Beyond.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... A new EDSF study evaluates print's future, including direct mail, catalogs, and advertising and promotions. In this digital age, what's the future of printed documents? How will print's future affect direct marketers? To evaluate the...

Barnes & Noble.com Debuts Articles For Download Store.(Joins w/ MightyWords)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Barnes & Noble.com has partnered with MightyWords, a seller and distributor of digital content, to launch a new Articles for Download store. Available at www.bn.com, the store will offer mid-length articles on business, computing and health....

New Portal Supports Marketing Research Industry.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Decision Analyst, Inc. has launched www.SecondaryData.com, a new Web site devoted to the marketing research industry. SecondaryData.com offers organized, indexed and annotated links to sources of free economic and marketing research data...

Switchboard Inc. Provides Directory Services For New York Times Digital Sites.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... New York Times Digital, the Internet division of The New York Times Company, and Switchboard Incorporated, a provider of directory technology, have partnered to integrate Switchboard's yellow pages, white pages, e-mail directory and maps into...

GiveAnything.com Offers Electronic Gift Certificate Platform.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... GiveAnyting.com, a provider of online gift certificates, corporate reward programs, and digital gift certificate enabling technology, is offering a fully syndicated gift certificate platform that enables any high traffic site to add a new...

Milepoint.com Coverts Frequent Flyer Miles Into Online Currency.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... MilePoint.com is offering frequent flyers the ability to convert their miles and points into online currency called MilePoint Money. The site is a venture of Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines, Continental Airlines, US Airways, America West,...

Online Forum Lets Consumers Vent.(Frustrations w/ companies)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Working to increase the influence that consumers have on the quality of services that companies provide, My3cents.com is offering an interactive forum where consumers can effectively communicate with companies. The site provides a public...

Web Community Addresses Self-Service Industry.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... The old idea of an ATM simply acting as a cash dispenser is under continual change as new uses are devised that fulfill the machines' strategic potential. Increasingly, self-service "i" provide an interface for customers to order, pay for and...

DM People.(Yahoo CEO)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... SEMEL JOINS YAHOO AS CEO Former chairman and co-CEO of Warner Bros. Terry Semel has joined Yahoo! Inc. as chief executive and chairman. He succeeds Tim Koogle who will remain on Yahoo!'s board of directors. Semel, a 24-year veteran of...

What's In a Name?(E-mail list worthless because of 95% opt outs)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... When it comes to e-mail lists, the message is "manager beware." What e-marketing service provider wouldn't react with glee at the thought of hundreds new e-mail addresses just waiting to be rented and turned into a whole new revenue...

The Month Of August '71.(Get the recipient of credit to buy)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... In the News: "Bahrain Declares Independence From Britain," "Geraldine Boodrick Gives Birth to the World's First Set of Nonuplets--Five Boys and Four Girls, in Sydney, Australia. (Only Six of the Babies Survive.)" Headline: Credit-Granting...

The Month Of August '81.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... In the News: "President Ronald Reagan Succeeds in Pushing a Large Tax-Cut Package Through the U.S. Congress," "The French Socialist Government Announces the Nationalization of 36 Banks and 11 Industrial Groups." Headline: Copy That Sells:...

The Month Of August '91.(direct mail evaluation)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... In the News: "Unemployment in the U.S. Reaches 7.1%, the Highest Level in Six Years," "Eastern Airlines, the Sixth Largest in the U.S., Goes into Liquidation." Headline: The Morning Mail: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly The Story:...