Direct Marketing articles from October 2001

Direct Marketing archives from October 2001

The World Has Changed...In Many Ways. (Publisher's Viewpoint).
October 1, 2001... Deadlines aren't easy for me. Especially with what went on here yesterday. Terrorism hit New York City hard at 8:45 a.m. September 11, 2001 while I was attempting to write something that made sense. Oddly enough, I was going to write about...

Media Sector To Rebound Next Year. (Direct Intelligence).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2001... Spending in the media and communications sector this year is expected to grow at a slower rate than gross domestic product for the first time in at least a decade, according to Veronis Suhler's 15th annual Communications Industry Forecast...

Foster & Gallagher Shuts Down. (Direct Intelligence).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Foster & Gallagher, Inc. (F&G) as well as 21 of its domestic subsidiaries have filed for protection under Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. The direct marketer of horticulture and gift products will close all of its subsidiaries, including Spring Hill...

74% of Companies To Increase Spending On Customer Service. (Direct Intelligence).(customer service spending survey by Jupiter Media Metrix Inc.)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
October 1, 2001... A new Jupiter Media Metrix study reports that 74 percent of businesses will spend more money on CRM infrastructure this year than they did in 2000--with a majority committed to increasing their spending by as much as 25 percent to 50 percent....

J.C. Penney Faces Potential $4.4 Billion Lawsuit Over Insurance. (Direct Intelligence).(J.C. Penny Company and AEGON N.V. named in class-action lawsuit over direct marketing of insurance)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
October 1, 2001... J.C. Penney (www.jcpenney.net) and Dutch insurance giant AEGON (www.aegon.com) have been named as defendants in a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of a Corpus Christi woman who was allegedly billed for insurance premiums on her credit card...

Full-Year 2001 Ad Spending To Drop 2 Percent. (Direct Intelligence).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2001... Due to the continued weakness in the U.S. economy, full-year 2001 ad spending will decline by 2 percent from $104.5 billion in 2000 to $102.4 billion, according to strategic advertising intelligence company CMR (www.cmr.com) However, despite...

Study Profiles Attitudes of Online Shoppers. (Direct Intelligence).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2001... A new study of 4,000 Web users contends that Internet retailers can boost sales by retargeting their marketing, by addressing customer fear over credit card security and by making the experience less technologically challenging. Conducted by...

Brick-and-Mortar Mass Retailers Drive Mainstream Shoppers Online. (Direct Intelligence).(survey of top retail websites by Nielsen NetRatings Inc.)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
October 1, 2001... Internet mass retailers with strong offline brands are driving mainstream shoppers online, Nielsen/NetRatings reports. The June 2001 eCommercePulse report shows that Walmart.com led the top brick-and-mortar mass retailers, attracting 2.039...

Retailers Say CRM Is Crucial But Few Are Implementing Initiatives. (Direct Intelligence).(customer relationship management)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Retailers consider CRM initiatives crucial to the success of their business, but few retailers are implementing CRM strategies, a new Gartner, Inc. (www.gartner.com) survey reports. Fifty-two percent of respondents rated CRM as their highest...

Dimac Direct To Close Down. (Direct Intelligence).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Dimac Direct, the direct mail services and products subsidiary of Dimac Marketing Partners, has commenced a court-supervised closure of its operations, including the liquidation of its assets and distribution of the proceeds to creditors. ...

CMA Branding Conference: Brands On the Run. (Direct Intelligence).(Canadian Marketing Association (CMA))(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
October 1, 2001... Three years ago the Canadian Marketing Association (www.the-cma.org) first introduced the Branding conference. I recall writing how it was the "sleeper" event of the season. Today the delegates are one of the most diverse groups of marketing...

Omnicom Group Acquires Grizzard. (Direct Intelligence).(Grizzard Communications Group)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Marketing Services Group, Inc. (MSGD (www.mktgservices.com) has sold its Grizzard Communications Group subsidiary to New York-Based Omnicom Group Inc. for $91.3 million in cash. MSGI will use the proceeds from the sale to re-structure its...

Worldwide B2B E-Commerce To Reach $2.7 Trillion By 2004. (Direct Intelligence).(online business to business buying forecasts through 2004)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
October 1, 2001... Although the economic slowdown in the U.S. has slowed technology spending, many businesses have begun to substantially increase their online trading activity. According to eMarketer, direct purchasing via supplier Web sites is leading the way,...

Sony and Yahoo Form Alliance. (Direct Intelligence).(Sony Corp. and Yahoo! Inc. form co-branding website)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
October 1, 2001... Yahoo Inc. (www.yahoo.com. and Sony Corp. of America (www.sony.com/SCA/) have entered a multiyear agreement tying their products and services together through a co-branded Web site, an e-commerce initiative and other integrated content and...

Cross Media Marketing To Acquire Lifeminders. (Direct Intelligence).(Cross Media Marketing Corp.)(LifeMinders Inc.)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
October 1, 2001... Cross Media Marketing Corp. has agreed to buy online direct marketer LifeMinders Inc. in a cash and stock deal valued at $68.1 million. The merger is expected to strengthen Cross Media Marketing's direct marketing operations via LifeMinders' 20...

Study Forecasts Strong Growth for Black & White Print On Demand. (Direct Intelligence).(CAP Ventures Inc. survey and forecase of printer and copier usage.)(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2001... The black and white print on demand marl(et is growing 20.4 percent per year and will reach $8 billion in 2005, according to a new CAP Ventures (www.capv.com) study. Entitled "Black and White Print On Demand: Catching The Next Wave," the study...

Merger Unites Australia's Customer Contact Industry. (Direct Intelligence).(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
October 1, 2001... In an effort to expand the scale and reach of Australia's customer contact industry, the Customer Contact Management Association (CCMA) (www.ccma.asn.au) and the Australian Direct Marketing Association (ADMA) (www.adma.com.au) have officially...

Consumers Are Dissatisfied With Auto Industry Web Sites. (Direct Intelligence).(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
October 1, 2001... Only one-fifth (20 percent) of consumers are "very satisfied" with automotive industry Web sites, and almost one-half (48 percent) are "neutral/dissatisfied" with them, according to a new survey conducted by Accenture (www.accenture.com), a...

Study Shows Decrease in the Number of Small U.S. Printing Plants. (Direct Intelligence).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2001... In recent years, the U.S. graphic arts industry has undergone significant structural changes, the Printing Industries of America (PIA) (www.gain.org) reports. From 1993 to 2000 the number of U.S. printing plants declined from 54,462 to...

TVN Launches Hispanic Direct Response Channel. (Direct Intelligence).(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
October 1, 2001... Targeting the Hispanic market, TVN Direct, the direct-response advertising subsidiary of TVN Entertainment, has launched TVN Directo, a new 24-hour Spanish-language direct-response channel. TVN Directo will consist of long-form (infomercial)...

New Solution Supports Credit Issuers' Customer Acquisition Campaigns. (Direct Intelligence).(Epsilon's Strategic Credit Opportunity Recognition Engine)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Epsilon is offering a new prospect database marketing platform which supports the massive data requirements and complex needs of credit issuers. Initially developed for two of the nation's largest financial services companies, Epsilon's...

New Service Measures Impact of Retail Advertising. (Direct Intelligence).(MAPP -- Measuring Advertising for Profit Performance)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Meridian, Inc. has launched Meridian MAPP, a new management process capable of tracking, analyzing and measuring the sales and profit impact of retail print advertising. By consolidating all aspects of a print program into one linked,...

Consumer Goods Companies Can Boost Revenues Via e-CRM. (Direct Intelligence).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... A mid-sized consumer goods company can increase revenues up to 56 percent over an eight year time period by implementing e-CRM strategies, according to a new Datamonitor report. Entitled "Understanding the World of the Jetsons: The New Age of...

Tools For Health DTC Drug Marketin. (Cover Story).(direct to customer (DTC))
October 1, 2001... Pharmaceutical direct marketers face unparalleled potential now that DTC marketing is becoming an acceptable way of doing business. More than in any industry, pharmaceutical direct marketers have great opportunities to both make a...

Being Smarter Than the Average Bear. (Direct Insights).(techniques in direct marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... A creative director in his mid-fifties and a young pup from his creative department took a weekend off to hike in the woods. They were enjoying the crisp air and the quiet of the forest until they walked into a wide clearing where they saw a...

The Devil's Dictionary of Marketing Redux. (Insider's View).
October 1, 2001... Here are some more entries from Jim Rosenfield's Devil's Dictionary of Marketing. Jim, who of course is on the side of the angels, hopes to have a complete Devil's Dictionary published in late 2002. ADVERTORIAL: a contradiction in terms....

Drive Short-Term Revenue With Little Risk. (Customer Marketing Solutions).(techniques in direct marketing for short term revenue)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The down economy is definitely driving many of the questions I've been asked lately. Everyone is focused on making year end revenue numbers, yet concerned about costs, and nervous about investing in any new marketing initiatives. Q: What...

Why Do They Do That?: An every-so-often report on business peccadilloes, aphorisms or downright bewilderment as why businesses do what they do. (Marketing Strategies).
October 1, 2001... FREE! A fruit gift basket when you answer this survey...(well, if you CAN answer it!") British Airways wanted to find out why members of their Frequent Flier Venture club signed up but didn't use their services. They sent a postcard...

Impatience Can Hamper Results. (Online Marketing).
October 1, 2001... The discipline used to evaluate offline campaigns seems to be lost in the online world. Because feedback can be gathered so quickly online, marketers feel compelled to make decisions at an equally breakneck speed. By many estimates,...

Copy Headliner Compliance -- More Than Mere Art. (Legal Outlook).
October 1, 2001... There are certain words that will catch your targeted customer's eye in any media and make them want to read. Using these words effectively is often essential to get an individual to stay on the phone, open your envelope, or scroll on as they...

Managing Customer Acquisition: Managing acquisition strategies and tactics is vital to creating, sustaining, and enhancing customer equity. (New Book Selection).
October 1, 2001... Companies must acquire assets before they can manage them. For this reason alone, customer acquisition merits our attention. But customer acquisition is also important for other reasons. The most obvious is that all firms--even those with high...

Empathy in Sales Letters. (Copy Talk).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... By far, one of the most exciting tasks when developing a direct mail package is coming up with the concept or theme...a unique kind of mind-sync with the target audience is required...the concept is usually in line with the product's strongest...

Using Authentication To Help Prevent Online Fraud: With the pace of e-commerce projected to reach $5 trillion by 2005, cyber-thieves are flocking to get a piece of the action. Here are some tips to avoid trouble. (Internet Marketing).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Articles on the Internet and how it is changing our lives and the way we do business are everywhere. Certainly, many of the advantages that the World Wide Web brings--acting as a virtual bridge, joining people, places and information in a...

Marketing In a Softer Economy: The economy's slowing down...that doesn't mean your marketing should. (Guest Commentary).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Time to tighten up on expenditures, slow down operations, and prepare for an economic recession--right? Wrong. At least not when it comes to your organization's marketing budget. During an economic turndown, people assume consumers are not...

Waymish: There are dozens of books on excellent customer service, but did you ever read one on disservice? Here are some highlights. (Marketing Strategies).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... It's not a computer virus--it's much worse than that. And it's infecting some of the biggest and most sophisticated companies in America. WAYMISH stands for "Why Are You Making It So Hard...for me to give you my money?" and it's the...

MyOnlyCatalog Offers E-Commerce Capabilities To Content-Based Portals. (What'sNext.com?).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Working to provide Web portal and information-only sites with store front, e-commerce and order fulfillment capabilities, MyOnlyCatalog.com has developed Merchant Partner Plus, a Web partnering program that lets special-interest affiliates sell...

24/7 Media Launches Superstitial Network.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... 24/7 Media Inc. (www.247media.com) has launched the 24/7 Media Superstitial Network, a group of more than 40 high-traffic sites throughout the U.S. and Canada certified to receive online advertising in the form of a Unicast Superstitial....

United Acquires Mypoints.com. (What's next.com?).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... United NewVentures, a unit of UAL Corporation that manages United Airlines' Internet initiatives and investments, will acquire Internet direct marketing and membership services company MyPoints.com Inc. for approximately $112.5 million. ...

Online Publishers Form Trade Group. (What'sNext.com?).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Twelve prominent Internet publishers have formed a trade group to represent the industry's interests before the government, media, public and the advertising community. Founding members include: CBS MarketWatch, CNET Networks, Inc., Conde Net,...

Excite@Home Closes 3 Media Operations In Europe. (What'sNext.com?).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Responding to the sharp slowdown in Internet advertising, high-speed Internet service provider Excite@Home Corp. (www.excitehome.net) has shut down its operations in France, Germany and Spain as well as Excite-branded Web sites targeted to the...

Amazon and Babiesrus.com Launch Co-Branded Baby Store. (What's Next.Com?).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Completing the next phase of their online alliance, Amazon.com and Toys 'R' Us have relaunched Babiesrus.com as part of the Amazon site. Under the agreement, Babiesrus.com will assume the merchandising, planning, buying and inventory management...

PrintCafe Web Solution Targets Small To Mid-Size Print Buyers. (What's Next.Com?).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... printCafe has launched FastTrack, a new mid-market e-commerce product developed for print-buying organizations procuring up to $5 million in print annually and who require more than one printer estimate per project. FastTrack is a...

DM People.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... TOUCHPOINT NAMES CHASSE CEO Bill Chasse, former president and CEO of infoUSA, has been named CEO of Touchpoint, Inc. (www.touchpoint.com). He succeeds interim CEO Roger Strauch. Over 12 years, Chasse held numerous senior management...

Sprting News. (New List Bank).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The "Sporting News" Z-24 Enhanced list of 56,140 3-month catalog buyers is now available for $90/M. The "Sporting News" provides up-to-date coverage on major sports teams, players and league standings. Available selections include: recency of...

The Wright Brothers Collection. (New List Bank).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The Wright Brothers Collection list of 11,896 last 6-month buyers is now available for $100/M. The Wright Brothers Collection catalog offers a unique variety of aviation products that date back from the time of barnstorming pilots to the...

The Pet I.D. Viewer--Formerly "Petscope". (New List Bank).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The Pet I.D. Viewer--Formerly "Petscope" list of 43,736 last 12-month buyers is now available for $85/M. Using microfilm technology, The Pet I.D. Viewer reveals 25 lines of information to aide in the return of a lost pet. The water-tight viewer...

The National Review Opt-In E-Mail. (New List Bank).(mailing list of the National Review available from Conrad Direct Inc.)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
October 1, 2001... The National Review Opt-In E-Mail list of 6,796 opt-in e-mail addresses is now available for $250/M. These individuals have subscribed to National Review via the National Review Online Web site. Also the list includes subscribers to two e-mail...

The Boat and Yacht Owners with Marine Radio Licenses. (New List Bank).(new mailing list of Dunhill International List Co.)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
October 1, 2001... The Boat and Yacht Owners with Marine Radio Licenses list of 182,401 records is now available for $65/M. This list is comprised of owners of boats and yachts equipped with marine radios. Selections include: year built; type of application;...

The Sound City. (New List Bank).(Sound City's consumer electronics mailing list from Worldata Inc.)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
October 1, 2001... The Sound City list of 800,259+ buyers of high-end consumer electronics products is now available for $90/M. Sound City is a mail order marketer of brand-name consumer electronics from such major manufacturers as Sony, Sharp, Canon, Carver,...

The Jerry Falwell Biblical Studies Buyers. (New List Bank).(mailing list)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The Jerry Falwell Biblical Studies Buyers list of 33,218 active 0-18 month buyers is now available for $95/M. These buyers have paid at least $155 for a bible study course on videocassette produced by "The Institute of Biblical Studies"--a...