Direct Marketing articles from November 2001

Direct Marketing archives from November 2001

Terrorism may hurt us more than you think. (Publisher's Viewpoint).(Brief Article)(Editorial)
November 1, 2001... Terrorism in this country and around the world is coming to an all time high. And right before The DMA Annual Conference. The DMA is doing all they can to hold the show and carry on. Free airline tickets for paid registration was just one offer...

USPS seeks overall 8.7% postal rate increase. (Direct Intelligence).(United States Postal Service)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... Citing rising costs, sluggish mail volume growth and the economic downturn, the United States Postal Service (USPS) is requesting an 8.7 percent or $6.1 billion across-the-board postal rate increase. The size of the filing is lower than the...

Direct-To-Consumer sites need overhaul. (Direct Intelligence).(Electronic Ink reports)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... Working to capture market share as well as to provide health information in a less obvious marketing fashion, pharmaceutical companies have launched numerous direct-to-consumer (DTC) Web sites. Recent estimates indicate that the U.S....

21% more Fortune 100 companies are advertising online. (Direct Intelligence).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... The number of current Fortune 100 companies advertising online has grown from 67 to 81 since last year--a 21 percent increase. However, these Fortune 100 advertisers are not purchasing impressions at the same rate as the rest of the market....

Amazon expands alliance with Deutsche Post Global Mail. (Direct Intelligence).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Amazon.com has expanded its alliance with Deutsche Post Global Mail (DPGM) to offer significantly faster and more affordable delivery options to its export customers. Under the alliance, Deutsche Post Global Mail will handle the vast majority...

CRM applications revenues to surpass $14 billion by 2005. (Direct Intelligence).(customer relationship management)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... The worldwide CRM applications market will generate over $14 billion in revenues by 2005 as new products, companies and technologies drive growth in the industry, IDC reports. "The rise of new market players and products indicates the many...

AOL reorganizes, cuts staff. (Direct Intelligence).(AOL Time Warner)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... As part of a restructuring plan, AOL Time Warner will cut about 1,700 jobs. The cost-cutting effort will eliminate more than 1,200 jobs or 7.5 percent of the staff at the company's flagship AOL Internet unit In addition, 500 jobs or 17 percent...

60% percent of B2B firms not following up with prospective customers. (Direct Intelligence).(business-to-business marketing)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)(Polling Data)
November 1, 2001... A new study from response management services firm Performark, Inc. argues that B2B firms are doing a poor job at converting prospects to customers. Overall, the study of approximately 500 B2B and technology businesses found that 60 percent of...

ThinkDirectMarketing partners with National Restaurant Association. (Direct Intelligence).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... ThinkDirectMarketing, Inc. (TDMI) has formed an alliance with the National Restaurant Association to provide member services to the organization's 235,500 member locations. Also under the alliance, ThinkDirectMarketing will provide content...

U.S. firms slow to adopt global privacy practices. (Direct Intelligence).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... U.S. multinational corporations have made little progress in adopting and implementing minimum worldwide standards for ensuring the privacy of customer data, according to a new Andersen (www.arthurandersen.com) study. Of the 75 Fortune 500 and...

Ad spending continues to fall. (Direct Intelligence).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... Total ad spending for the first half of this year fell 5.9 percent to $47.5 billion compared to first half 2000 ad spending of $50.4 billion, according to strategic advertising and marketing firm CMR. Print media saw a significant drop-off in...

Let's Make a Deal!: Loyalty marketing programs continue to grow. So much so that retailers are using customer data to move into other businesses. (Cover Story).(Cover Story)
November 1, 2001... Remember Monty Hall? Monty Hall was the host in a plaid sports jacket of "Let's Make a Deal" which was a prime time television hit in the 1970s and 1980s. Monty Hall always had a gimmick. He'd give you a hundred dollars if you told...

Entertainment industry can boost revenues via online word of mouth. (Direct Intelligence).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Hollywood, book publishers, and the rest of the entertainment industry can increase sales by as much as 100 percent via online word of mouth efforts, Forrester Research reports. Entitled "Bigger Hits With Net Marketing," the study of 21 top...

Avon to target teens. (Direct Intelligence).(Avon Products Inc. to use teens to reach teen market)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Working to target a younger market, Avon Products Inc. will launch a new beauty business aimed at teenage girls. The new global operation, which Avon plans to launch in 2003, will use teens to sell beauty products to other teens via direct...

Reader's Digest enters financial services alliance. (Direct Intelligence).(Reader's Digest Association contracts with Vanguard Group)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... Under a new alliance, the Vanguard Group (www.vanguard.com), the second-largest U.S.-based mutual fund firm, will offer mutual funds and other financial services to the Reader's Digest Association's (www.rd.com) U.S. customers. Products and...

Report profiles Hispanic market. (Direct Intelligence).(income and buying power of Hispanics)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... Working to better target the growing Hispanic population, MarketResearch.com has released "The U.S. Hispanic Market," a new report that provides demographic profiles of the Hispanic population, consumer and shopping behavior, educational and...

Promotions tool helps to keep business and brand strategies consistent. (Direct Intelligence).(Zyman Marketing Group product information)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Working to make the process of planning and executing promotions more logical. Zyman Marketing Group has launched the Promotions Director, a new tool that helps businesses develop and execute promotions that are fully integrated with their...

Brylane restructures operations, cuts staff. (Direct Intelligence).(forms three new divisions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... In an effort to reduce costs as well as enhance product development and customer service, U.S. catalog retailer Brylane Inc. will cut 5 percent of its executive work force and will reorganize the company into three new divisions: the Special...

Survey: What drives executives to buy CRM solutions? (Direct Intelligence).(customer relationship management)(Brief Article)(Polling Data)
November 1, 2001... A new survey released by YOUcentric, Inc. (www.youcentric.com) examines how executives are evaluating CRM and what issues are driving them to buy. More than 250 senior business executives responsible for e-business and CRM services participated...

Corporate managers grow skeptical about the Web. (Direct Intelligence).(in terms of advertising)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... A new Yankee Group report argues that corporate managers have become more skeptical about the Web due to the economic slowdown and media negativity surrounding the Internet. Entitled "Doing Business on the Internet: Where Are We Today?" the...

Print market sales see second quarter slump. (Direct Intelligence).(graphic arts industry)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... The graphic arts industry saw a slightly greater downturn than the overall U.S. economy during the second quarter of 2001, the Printing Industries of America (PIA) reports. The PIA's "Quarterly Print Market Survey" reveals that the U.S. economy...

Insurance sites lag behind sites of banks and brokerage firms. (Direct Intelligence).(need to upgrade functionality of insurance Web sites)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Although visitors to insurance sites increased by 1,150 percent between 2000 and 1999, insurance companies still attract far fewer visitors to their sites than other financial institutions, according to a new Booz Allen & Hamilton report....

Local advertising revenues to approach $50 billion by 2006. (Direct Intelligence).("geocommerce" revenues)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... The latest research from The Kelsy Group's Local Commerce Monitor (LCM) projects that "geocommerce" revenues will reach almost $50 billion by 2006 (Geocommerce refers to the content, tools and utilities that enable small and medium-sized...

Adgiants launches online advertising solution for small businesses. (Direct Intelligence).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Online advertising agency adgiants (www.adgiants.com) is offering a new Internet-based marketing and advertising solution for small- and medium-sized businesses. The new product suite helps businesses develop advertising pieces for magazine...

How editorial-style ads work. (Copy Talk).(Brief Article)(Column)
November 1, 2001... Do you remember when editorial-style ads were common in our newspapers and magazines? Today, it might take you a newspaper or magazine or two to find one. But while their popularity has narrowed a bit, they still make a powerful impact and are...

Controlling inventory costs in sluggish times. (Your Hidden Money).(Column)
November 1, 2001... You've heard the quote: "Tough times don't last, but tough business people do." In these days of changing winds and a sea of uncertainty, you'll need to stretch your resources and make the most of your shrinking budget. Here are some ideas on...

Increase cash flow by selling accounts receivable: Factoring has a long history in the textile and garment industries and is rapidly spreading to other sectors of the economy. (Guest Commentary).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Regardless of the type of company, the end result of rapid growth is often the same: insufficient cash flow. For example, when a manufacturing company is expanding rapidly, orders are coming in almost faster than they can be filled. Inventory...

The magic of making unfair offers. (Direct Insights).(successful sales technique)(Brief Article)(Column)
November 1, 2001... By all appearances, Charley Hill was an average, ordinary guy. He lived in a mid-sized town with his wife, two children, and a dog. He went to church on Sunday, coached Little League, and drove a pickup truck. He was friendly but quiet, the...

How much can you trust your results?: Keeping a close eye on your keycoding system can be more beneficial than you might think. (Cataloger's Toolbox).(Column)
November 1, 2001... A cataloger sent me three years worth of reports to analyze. The reports tracked mailing-list results by segment, and the cataloger wanted an analysis to help improve their catalog's performance. I began studying the first year's data, and...

Five wise men: Meet a few of the leading thinkers in direct marketing and see why the author considers them "wise". (Insider's View).(Arthur Bell, John Groman, Jerry Reitman, Richard Shaw, Lester Wunderman)(Interview)
November 1, 2001... In the past few years, I've had the good fortune to interview some of the leading thinkers in direct marketing. These interviews have been published in direct marketing magazines in Australia and New Zealand, but never in the U.S. You...

Evaluating the marketing characteristics of your transactional Web site. (Internet Marketing).(SITECHECK)
November 1, 2001... Marketing, now more than ever, needs to be front and center in transactional Web site design. SITECHECK is a tool for insuring a response to this mandate. Successful transactional Web sites have four things in common: 1) a product or...

DMA echo awards. (Echo Awards).(Direct Marketing Association)
November 1, 2001... CAMPAIGN NAME: IT'S A CRIME PRODUCT/SERVICE: SONY ESPANA AGENCY: CP COMUNICACION PROXIMITY--BARCELONA, SPAIN BUSINESS GOLD ECHO AWARD AND RECIPIENT OF THE DIAMOND ECHO AWARD Intrigue and mystery was the theme of a two-step...

Building a powerful telephone sales presentation. (Call Center Management).
November 1, 2001... The introduction of a telephone sales presentation and the qualification of a customer are two critical elements to the telephone sales presentation. Certainly, every element is important, but introduction and qualification are especially...

Get your list vision checked: Taking some extra time to identify the best prospects will insure that you achieve the results to make your campaign successful. (List Basics).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... If you are like most marketers that are about to embark upon a direct mail campaign, you probably think that you have a pretty good idea what your target audience looks like, but the details are a little blurry. Creating a successful direct...

Precision E-Mail marketing: Moving beyond permission-based e-mail campaigns to create lasting customer dialogs. (E-Mail Marketing).
November 1, 2001... Ask any real estate agent for the most important aspect of buying a new home, and you'll hear the three L's: location, location, location. The look, style, and age of the home are secondary to the location because the location never changes....

Lies, damned lies, and Internet statistics: Statistics in general are not all they are cracked up to be, so beware, especially of those that relate to the Web. (Internet Marketing).(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... "There are lies, damned lies, and statistics." Lord Acton or Benjamin Disraeli or Mark Twain first said this. Attributions vary. But whoever it was, he meant that you can do anything with statistics, innocently (but damagingly) if you don't...

Webvan shuts down. (What'sNext.com?).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Webvan Group Inc. (www.webvan.com), which aimed to revolutionize the grocery business by taking orders online and delivering to customers' homes, has closed. After losing $830 million without making a profit, the online grocer ceased...

New discount site targets independent retailers. (What'sNext.com?).(Overstock.com launches OverstockB2B.com)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Internet liquidation company Overstock.com has launched OverstockB2B.com, a new site that enables small business owners to buy small volumes of name-brand inventory at deep discounts. The new B2B site lets retailers select from the same...

Sharper Image opens shopping Galleria. (What'sNext.com?).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... SHARPER IMAGE Corporation has launched the Sharper Image Galleria, a collection of c-commerce Web sites offering a variety of high quality products and services. Available via www.sharpimage.com, The Sharper Image Galleria includes a selection...

Nordstrom debuts online beauty store. (What'sNext.com?).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Nordstrom has launched www.nordstrombeautycom, a new online beauty business that showcases such brands as Lancome, Calvin Klein, Paula Dorf, Tony & Tina, Clarins, Biotherm, Kneipp, Osmotics, and Urban Decay. Aiming to create a consistent...

Walmart.com enters competitive college textbook market. (What'sNext.com?).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... Walmart.com, the e-commerce arm of retail giant Wal-Mart, has launched an online college bookstore, offering students discounts of up to 30 percent on more than 300,000 titles, including textbooks, study guides and graduate school guides. ...

MyPoints.com launches wireless store. (What'sNext.com?).(contracts with Simplexity)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... MyPoints.com, Inc. (www.corp.mypoints.com) has launched a new store that will market competitively priced wireless telephones and service plans to its 16 million program members. The MyPoints Wireless Store will initially market four cellular...

MarketResearch.com helps marketers evaluate Census data. (What'sNext.com?).(introduces database product)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Working to help marketers more easily manage and analyze Census data, MarketResenrch.com has launched Census Looks, a new series of Census 2000 database tools. Census Looks reports contain demographic indices measuring the similarity and...

DM People.(Hirings and promotions for Bob Hoyler; Suzanne Zellner; Konrad Hilbers; David McSweeney; Jay Summerall, Steven Lightman)
November 1, 2001... HOYLER TO HEAD MAGNIFY Former MyPoints.com president and chief operating officer Bob Hoyler has been named president and CEO of Magnify (www.magnify.com), a provider of predictive analytics for financial services and e-marketing companies....

Calendar of Events.
November 1, 2001... 11/01 14 For more information, visit The Creative and Database Marketing Council will present "Integration Made Easy" at the Double Tree Guest Suites-Plymouth Meeting Hotel, Plymouth Meeting, PA. 15 www.the-pdma.org. ...

The Crafts File. (New List Bank).(customer list marketing)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... The Crafts File of 20,832 active subscribers is now available for [pounds sterling]85/M. The Crafts File is compiled from three Aceville publications--Beautiful Stitches, Crafts Beautiful and Teddy Bears. These magazines cover craft designs,...

Prestigious Attorneys on the Internet Masterfile. (New List Bank).(customer list marketing)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... The Prestigious Attorneys on the Internet Masterfile of 209,061 attorneys is now available for $110/M. This file is comprised of the top 200 U.S. law firms based on profitability per partner as well as the top U.S. solo attorneys. Many of these...

Carparts.com. (New List Bank).(customer list marketing)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... The Carparts.com list of 140,000 last 12-month buyers is now available for $95/M. Carparts.com is a large-scale e-commerce Internet platform for sales of automotive parts. The platform provides commercial and individual customers with...

Credit Card Protection Agency Inc. OnlineCreditInfo.com Internet Buyers & Members. (New List Bank).(customer list marketing)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... The Credit Card Protection Agency Inc. OnlineCreditInfo.com Internet Buyers & Members list of 139,000 last 12-month Internet buyers and members at U.S. postal address is now available for $85/M. These credit card buyers pay $70 for a membership...

Viguerie Opt-In E-Mail List. (New List Bank).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... The Viguerie Opt-In E-Mail List of 88,217 opt-in e-mail addresses is now available for $120/M. This list is comprised of active online registrants to one or more of Richard Viguerie's Web sites such as ConservativeHQ.com, 60SecondActivist. com...

XML Magazine Opt-In E-Mail Addresses. (New List Bank).(customer list marketing)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... The XML Magazine Opt-In E-Mail Addresses list of 5 1,763 opt-in e-mail addresses is now available for $350/M. XML Magazine provides hands-on, how-to information about the structure of XML (extensible markup language), as well as case studies...

Internet Business Services Database. (New List Bank).(customer list marketing)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... The Internet Business Services Database of 39,113 executives is now available for $95/M. This database is comprised of emerging technology companies that provide Internet access, online services or Web site design and development related...

Affluent America. (New List Bank).(millionaires and billionaires number nearly five million)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... The Affluent America list of 4.9 million millionaires, multi-millionaires and billionaires is now available for $75/M. This file represents the top 5 percent of affluent American families. Compiled from such information as consumer credit...

Kohl's adds E-Commerce channel. (What'sNext.com?).(introduces electronic commerce services)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Kohl's Department Stores has introduced its new e-commerce site, Kohls.com. The site offers key merchandise categories from its retail channel including casual apparel, footwear, luggage, accessories and home decor. "Our customers can...

New York Times creates site for advertisers. (What'sNext.com?).(introduces online services)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... The New York Times has launched a new B2B site, (www.nytadvertisinc.nytimes.com) that lets advertising clients manage their accounts with The Times online. The site allows display advertisers and agencies to place reservations, submit new...

Salesgreetings.com spotlights "$1 million" sales promotion tool. (What'sNext.com?).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... Salesgreetings.com is offering a selection of promotional tools which follow the premise that "money is something that catches everyone's eye." Launched by Randy Rosier, a veteran of the greeting card industry and founder and president of...

GreaterGood.com shuts down. (What'sNext.com?).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... GreaterGood.com, a for-profit Internet company that operated Web sites to fight world hunger and rain-forest destruction, has shut down. GreaterGood.com experienced positive cash flow in 2000, but as the online ad market took a downturn this...

The Month of November: '71. (Flashback).
November 1, 2001... In the News: "U.S. Cigarette Sales Reach, $547.2 Billion Despite New Ban On Radio and Television Advertising," "Look Magazine Ceases Publication After 34 Years." Headline: The Changing Market...Or Is It? Good Copy Still Sells The...

The Month of November: '81. (Flashback).
November 1, 2001... In the News: "Sales of U.S.-Made Autos Fall To 6.2 Million, the Lowest Level in 20 Years," "The U.S. Prime-Interest Rate Reaches 21.5 Percent, the Highest Since the Civil War." Headline: Don't Neglect the Power of the P.S. The Story:...

The Month of November: '91. (Flashback).
November 1, 2001... In the News: "British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Is Forced Out of Office After 11 Years," "L.A. Lakers Superstar Earvin 'Magic' Johnson Announces that He Has the AIDS Virus." Headline: Enhanced Customer Choice Is Never Negative ...

DM industry puts top executives in charge of privacy issues. (Direct Intelligence).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... Privacy has become a top priority for direct and interactive marketing companies, according to a new survey of 282 Direct Marketing Association member firms. Overall, The DMA found that a majority of presidents and CEOs from these firms are...

Online ad spending to reach $7.6 billion this year. (Direct Intelligence).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 1, 2001... Despite the recent economic downturn, online ad spending will show a relatively modest 7 percent increase this year to $7.6 billion over the $7.1 billion spent in 2000, eMarketer reports. Moreover, eMarketer projects that online advertising...

24/7 Media Closes European Operations. (Direct Intelligence).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2001... In an effort to focus on its core North America businesses, online ad firm 24/7 Media Inc. (www.247media.com) has closed its 24/7 Media Europe division. Due to the shriveling online ad sector and the dot corn decline, the company has recently...