Direct Marketing articles from December 1999

Direct Marketing archives from December 1999

Two States Top Privacy Ranking.
December 1, 1999... California and Minnesota have been ranked as the strongest states in protecting personal privacy, according to a survey conducted by Privacy Journal, the longest-running publication covering privacy news. The top ten, according to the...

Canadian Consumers and Businesses Call for Passage of Federal Privacy Legislation.
December 1, 1999... The Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) and The Public Interest Advocacy Center (PIAC) have lobbied the House of Commons to pass proposed federal privacy legislation. Since a vote on the legislation, Bill C-54, is in doubt given the House of...

Amazon.Com Launches zShops.
December 1, 1999... Amazon.Com, in an effort to expand its business beyond books, CDs, electronics and toys, has opened its popular site to merchants of all sizes for a minimal fee. The new plan will offer 500,000 new products. Merchants will pay $9.99 a month...

Internet Alliance Launches Council to Address Consumer Security Issues.
December 1, 1999... Citing the need to improve international law enforcement efforts and to continue to build consumer trust, the Washington, DC-based Internet Alliance (IA) has established the Law Enforcement and Security Council. The new council will be led by...

Ubrandit.Com Allows Anyone to Operate an Online Business.
December 1, 1999... Thousands of visitors have been visiting www.moviejuice.com to read the latest reviews of hot movies. The site is home to an avid following of movie buffs who, according to the president of MovieJuice.com, Mark Ramsey, would appreciate the...

Survey Finds Custom Publishing Industry Topping $1 Billion in Revenues.
December 1, 1999... A new survey on custom publishing indicates the economic activity in custom publishing is greater than $1 billion. The market also indicates nearly $700 million in third-party advertising revenues. The survey, conducted by Wilkofsky Gruen...

Supermarket of Savings Mails Free Child ID Forms.
December 1, 1999... Supermarket of Savings is sending child ID forms with its coupon and promotional envelopes. The forms, which include sections for a child's fingerprints and photo, will be sent to 12.5 million homes with children under six years of age. ...

Memberworks Releases Top Five Privacy Tips for Direct Buyers.
December 1, 1999... Direct marketing sales of products and services is growing-by the year 2003 revenues generated by direct marketing are expected to reach $2.1 trillion. MemberWorks Inc. has compiled the "Top 5 Tips for Direct Buyers" in an effort to educate...

Business E-Commerce Growing on Internet.
December 1, 1999... Though online shopping and plugged-in merchants grab more headlines on TV commercials, the driving force of electronic commerce is the much more mundane prospect of companies using the Internet to simplify how they sell things to other...

DMA Opens Chapter, Enters Trade Talks, Releases Fact Book.
December 1, 1999... In an effort to expand its outreach and presence nationwide, the Direct Marketing Association has created its fifth DMA chapter, Dallas/Fort Worth. The new DMA chapter will advance the New York-based association's goal to be everywhere that its...

Sovereign Bank Offers Loans Using "Digital Envelope".
December 1, 1999... Sovereign Bank and the interactive direct marketing company M2 Direct have introduced "Home Equit-e-Loan," a program offering home equity loans and home equity credit lines made available through the Internet. The application form, which is...

Oracle Steps Up Customer Communications For Y2K.
December 1, 1999... In line with its commitment to providing customers with the highest level of support and service for the Year 2000, Oracle Corporation is stepping up its customer communications through an additional installment to a continuing direct mail...

Val-Pak Gives Holiday Bonus to Coupon Users.
December 1, 1999... A surprise holiday bonus awaits 1,200 Val-Pak consumers. They will be recipients of $100 checks payable to bearer, inserted randomly at a frequency of one in 50,000. Val-Pak Direct Marketing Systems' franchisees will mail the winning...

DM Educational Foundation Receives $1 Million Bequest.
December 1, 1999... The Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF) has received a $1 million bequest from John Yeck, chairman of the DMEF board of trustees from 1967-1998. The gift represents the largest personal donation in the history of the foundation. ...

Reader's Digest to Acquire Stake in BrandDirect Marketing.
December 1, 1999... Reader's Digest Association, Inc. and BrandDirect Marketing Inc., have reached an agreement for Reader's Digest to acquire an equity interest in BrandDirect. This agreement will allow the companies to develop and market Reader's Digest-branded...

Direct Marketing Sales To Surpass $2 Trillion In Five Years.
December 1, 1999... Total direct marketing sales in the U.S. will exceed $2 trillion in five years, according to a newly updated study commissioned by The Direct Marketing Association and conducted by The WEFA Group. The study also reveals that...

Marketers Are increasingly Implementing CRM Marketing.
December 1, 1999... An increasing number of marketers are changing from product-focused companies to customer-focused companies by using customer relationship management (CRM) marketing, according to a Direct Marketing Association study. The report, "Customer...

MessageMedia Launches Consumer Privacy Initiative.
December 1, 1999... Consumers now have a powerful new ally in the battle against unsolicited bulk e-mail, or "spam." MessageMedia a provider of e-mail-based customer relationship management and direct marketing services, has launched a series of aggressive privacy...

Outbound Consumer Telemarketing Reviewed By FTC.
December 1, 1999... Regulations for the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) will be reviewed by the Federal Trade Commission. The regulations were first implemented approximately five years ago and periodic reviews are routine. However, the FTC has received numerous...

Success Leaves Clues.
December 1, 1999... Is there a secret to success? Are there rules to follow, guidelines to copy, directions available to make sure your business grows and prospers? Yes, say John Stanton and Richard George, two professors of marketing at Philadelphia's St....

Messaging Technology Creating "Blur" Between Work and Home.
December 1, 1999... In a first-ever study of household messaging or communication practices, technologies or volumes, Pitney Bowes Inc. has found that the boundaries between business and home communications are fading and no longer defined by time and space. The...

NRF and i2i to Create Dynamic Online Retail Exchange.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... The National Retail Federation (NRF) has planned a strategic partnership with Industry to Industry, Inc. (i2i), a business-to-business e-marketplace, to jointly develop and launch an Internet-based exchange for the retail industry. ...

Freeshop.Com Inks Marketing Deal With Ebay.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... FreeShop.com (www.freeshop.com), a provider of online direct marketing services, has made a strategic, long-term agreement with eBay (www.ebay.com), a pioneer in person-to-person online trading. The five-year deal positions eBay as the...

Arnold Fishman Passes Away at 73.(Obituary)
December 1, 1999... Longtime consultant to Hoke Communications, Arnold Fishman died on October 9, after suffering from a brain tumor. Fishman was president of Marketing Logistics in Highland Park, Illinois. He is best known in direct marketing circles for his work...

NYU Recognizes First Masters Program Grads.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... New York University held an Evening of Celebration and Recognition at the Princeton Club in NYC. Nearly 100 invited guests celebrated the graduation of the first students from NYU's new Masters Program in Direct Marketing--the culmination of...

Vitamins.Com Now Number One Online Vitamin Retailer.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... As Vitamins.com has surpassed 1,000 orders per day--showing an annualized run rate of $15 million in online sales revenues--the company has taken over as the number one online vitamin retailer. The company's site traffic and volume have...

Click Enables E-Retailers to Offer Live Personal Assistance on Web.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Prompted by reports that more than 63 percent of all potential Web-based transactions are never consummated because people need more information and assistance, Click Interconnect, Inc. has introduced two new services, Click 1-2-1 and Chat Live...

Test Case Filed with PRC to Aid Periodical Publishers.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... The USPS, with the approval of the Board of Governors, filed an experimental case with the Postal Rate Commission (PRC) designed to provide a simpler, less costly rate affecting periodical publishers. The proposed "Ride-Along"...

Senior Mail USA Announces Mailing, Launches Web Site.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Senior Mail USA, a direct response medium for companies targeting the older adult market, will distribute 3.5 million winter/spring 2000 mailings to middle income and affluent consumers ages 58 and above. Its Fall 1999 mailing reached 3.3...

National Postal Forum Honors Effective Use of U.S. Mail.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... The National Postal Forum has awarded the Mailing Excellence Award to American Isuzu Motors, to Hale House in Harlem, NY, a home for AIDS and drug-addicted babies, and to the Pierce County Auditor's Election Department. The award, presented in...

U.S. Postal Service Ties Record for Overnight First-Class Mail Delivery.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... The U.S. Postal Service has recently tied its record score of 94 percent for on-time delivery of local First-Class mail. Pricewaterhouse Coopers independently measured the results. The performance of the Central Plains and Springfield, MA...

Hitting That "Moving" Target.(MoveCentral Inc. offers marketing services)(to businesses before they move to another)(location.)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... The 90-day window that surrounds "moving" day affords a seldom-equaled opportunity to access highly motivated buyers. Here's one company that helps marketers seize that opportunity. In Catch-22, Joseph Heller describes the maneuverings of...

The Millennial Mountain of Catalogs, and Some Thoughts on Database Marketing.(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... Database marketing may be decreasing the number of people mailed to, but it is more than compensating for these economies by overmailing frequent purchasers to the point of wretched excess. For a few years now, I've been writing articles...

If You Don't know Where You're Going Any Solution Will Do.
December 1, 1999... Too often business owners do not clearly define their requirements in a way that information technology can understand. Here's a scenerio to help translate marketing objectives into technological functionality. The goal of this series has...

Insurance E-Commerce... Still Promise, Not Performance.(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 1999... Insurance companies are trying to jam their square peg business models into the sleek round holes of the Web. It seems so simple. You need auto insurance or life insurance or health insurance or homeowners insurance. So you lite up your...

America's "First" Department Store Mines Customer Data.
December 1, 1999... See how this 14-store chain in Salt Lake City, Utah has successfully mined its customer database to help compete with the retail giants. Who is considered a loyal customer? What kind of marketing strategy is most likely to increase sales?...

Opposites Attract: E-Mail and Mass Media.
December 1, 1999... E-mail closes the communication loop opened by mass media to produce Web traffic. E-mail is starting to change the way marketers are running their businesses, acquiring leads, and relating to customers. This article in our ongoing e-mail...

Enhancing Customer Service Through the Internet.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... It is important to remember that your online strategy should complement your other support services, not necessarily replace them. Customer service can be a more important element in your business than the actual product itself. Service and...

Entrepreneurs In Wireless Industry Realize Exit Strategy.
December 1, 1999... These two men met on a basketball court. Six years later the company they started was acquired and is now expected to generate sales of $15 million this year. Good business instincts, a bit of luck and a lot of stubborn determination were...

Bring Surprising Results To Your Next Letter Or Ad.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... How many new direct mail techniques worth testing did you learn this year? Probably a few, most of us learn one or two worthy techniques from time to time. But what about the big ideas that can be used successfully across multiple direct...

The Science of Marketing.
December 1, 1999... After 25 years in advertising and direct marketing, I find that I can predict the winning package only about two times out of three. However, there are many, many situations where I've been very surprised at the results. I've just returned...

RAPP COLLINS PROMOTES BAER.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Rapp Collins Worldwide has promoted Ian Baer to the position of president at its Chicago office. Recently, as senior vice president, group account director, for the agency, he managed the programs of such clients as Pfizer, Kaiser Permenente,...

WESTERN DIRECT NAMES LEHMAN VP.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Edward S. Lehman has been appointed vice president and managing director of Western Direct, the direct response unit of Western Initiative Media Worldwide. Under his leadership, Western Direct will offer clients direct response solutions for...

STADLER, RAUSCH, HANLEY NAMED VP.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... DDB Chicago has elected James Stadler, John Rausch and Mary Hanley to the position of vice president. Previously, Stadler was vice president, account director at Simon Marketing; Rausch was vice president, creative director at Keroff &...

LACEK GROUP APPOINTS WENINGER VP.(Mark Weninger)(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... The Lacek Group has appointed Mark Weninger senior vice president and chief creative officer. Most recently, he was senior vice president, executive creative director at Wunderman Cato Johnson where he oversaw such agency accounts as the U.S....

SULLIVAN ADVERTISING HIRES AVENI.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Sullivan Advertising, Inc. has hired Tony Aveni as managing partner. He will work to develop new business opportunities for the agency's emerging markets. He was formerly president of Harte-Hanks Cincinnati.

TARGET.COM APPOINTS LEVITT VP.(Barton Levitt)
December 1, 1999... Target.com has appointed Barton Levitt executive vice president and director of client development. He will oversee all of Target.com's client service activities and provide strategic counsel for new business. Prior to joining the agency, he...

EVANS AND ALTIERI JOIN WCJ.(Paul Evans, Peter Altieri, Wunderman Cato Johnson)(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Wunderman Cato Johnson (WCJ) has hired Paul L. Evans as executive vice president, enterprise architecture worldwide; Peter Altieri has been named vice president of the agency's new teleservices department. Evans will manage the e-commerce...

KGP PROMOTES BLANCHET AND KOBS.(Kobs Gregory Passavant, Gale Blanchet, Kathleen Kobs)(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Kobs Gregory Passavant has promoted Gale Blanchet to vice president, production director and Kathleen Kobs to vice president, senior consultant. Before her promotion, Blanchet worked to strengthen the agency's production department; Kobs...

PELLETIER, ACKEN AND FAY NAMED VP.(Stephanie Pelletier, John Acken, Dudley Fay)(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... Stephanie Pelletier, John Acken and Dudley Fay have joined DraftWorldwide's Connecticut-based communications agency Vogt/Wein as vice presidents. Pelletier will be responsible for the George Little Management and Oxford Health Care accounts;...

BAILEY AND KRYGIER JOIN SAI MARKETING.(Rodger Bailey, Erika Krygier)(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... SAI Marketing, Inc. has hired Rodger Bailey as vice president, event marketing and Erika Krygier as account executive. Bailey has most recently served as managing director of 10.0, the sports and event marketing company that he co-founded....

DM People.(Brief Article)
December 1, 1999... EPSILON NAMES TORRENCE PRESIDENT Epsilon has recruited Corey V. Torrence as president and CEO; he will also serve on Epsilon's board of directors. Previously, he was president and CEO of Logica Inc. KAMERSCHEN JOINS DIMAC CORPORATION...