Direct Marketing articles from September 1999

Direct Marketing archives from September 1999

You Have What?(panel of publishers confront list groups)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
September 1, 1999... Something totally different happened yesterday. All the trade press publishers -- myself, Peggy Hatch, Target Marketing, Ron Sichler, DM News, Leslie Bacon, Direct Magazine and Ruth Rothseid, SRDS -- sat on a panel to answer some rather...

Privacy Promise Made to American Consumers.
September 1, 1999... This summer, in an effort to build consumer trust, America's direct marketers made a Privacy Promise to the nation's consumers. The Direct Marketing Association (The DMA) is now requiring its members -- including catalogs, banks and financial...

David Ogilvy Dies at 88.
September 1, 1999... David Ogilvy, the master ad man who put the eye-patched Man in the Hathaway Shirt and created the distinguished Commander Whitehead to pitch "Schweppervescent" mixers, died on July 21 at his home in Bonnes, France. He was 88. His death was...

Columbia House and CDNow to Merge.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 1, 1999... Sony Music and Time Warner, parent companies of Columbia House and CDNow.com, respectively, have announced plans to merge, creating a new company in which each will posses 37 percent ownership. The remaining 26 percent of ownership will go to...

DMA Testifies On Privacy and Self-Regulation.(Direct Marketing Association)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... In testimony offered recently before the House Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, The DMA claimed that privacy amendments added to H.R. 10, the Financial Services Act, would adversely impact both direct marketers, who...

FTC Report On Self-Regulation Released.(Federal Trade Commission)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 1, 1999... The Direct Marketing Association has applauded a report issued by the Federal Trade Commission titled "Self-Regulation and Online Privacy: A Report To Congress," in which it confirms that marketers using the Internet are working to implement...

Lands' End and Victoria's Secret Lead Catalog Sellers Online.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... A new study sponsored by Octane Software reveals that traditional mail-order sellers are using creative forms of online support to improve the e-commerce experience and address growing competition. With Web-based catalog sales taking a large...

Catalogers Report Positive Trend.(Brief Article)(Polling Data)(Statistical Data Included)
September 1, 1999... Catalogers are more optimistic about the summer season after the majority reported increased profits and mailings during the Spring 1999 season, according to the 1999 Spring Catalog Industry Trend Survey conducted by The DMA. The survey,...

Coldwater Creek Sells Milepost Four Men's Catalog.
September 1, 1999... Coldwater Creek Inc. announced that it has sold its Milepost Four men's catalog, which the national direct mail retail company launched in 1996. As a result of the sale, the company expects to recognize a gain of approximately $835,000, or...

Former MASA President Dies.(Mail Advertising Service Association's Robert M. Huse)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... Robert M. Huse, who served as the Mail Advertising Service Association's president for 23 years, passed away at home after a lengthy illness. The association has honored Huse in the past for his contributions during a critical period in...

SRDS List Source Identifies E-Mail List Rentals Online.
September 1, 1999... SRDS Direct Marketing List Source has launched an index and search fuctions that highlight e-mail lists. From the company's current database of business, consumer and agri-market lists, marketers can locate consumer and business-to-business...

Winterberry Issues New M&A Report.
September 1, 1999... Winterberry Group LLC has announced the release of the first edition of its Direct Marketing Services Industry Mergers and Acquisition Outlook. The report examines the most important aspects of mergers and acquisitions for direct marketing...

J. Wendell Forbes Dies.
September 1, 1999... J. Wendell Forbes, longtime publisher of Guideposts magazine, passed away on July 7 in Danbury, Connecticut. Forbes, a member of The DMA Hall of Fame, was among the first to use the practice of selling magazine subscriptions over the telephone....

FTC Shuts Down Telemarketing Internet Scam.
September 1, 1999... A U.S. District Court ordered five companies in Minnesota to cease telemarketing a Web page hosting offer after the Federal Trade Commission alleged the firms were charging customers for services that were supposed to be free. The FTC said...

PBS Criticized In Political Furor.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... Republicans on Capitol Hill are demanding a review of public broadcasting after learning that Boston station WGBHTV swapped its donor list with the Democratic Party earlier this year. The practice was discovered in May, after a young boy got a...

Leading E-Commerce Sites Spending Big On Marketing.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... The Internet's top 100 e-commerce sites spent an average $8.6 million last year to build their online brands and drive additional traffic to their Web sites, according to data reported by The Internet Commerce Briefing. Even the smallest...

Crandall Study On CEOs Released.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... Chief executive officers in direct marketing companies with sales of more than $25 million received a median compensation of $413,100 in 1998, according to early findings in a compensation survey of CEOs conducted by Hal Crandall, president of...

Mysoftware and Stamps.Com Form Strategic Partnership.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... MySoftware Company has announced a strategic partnership with Stamps.com, the innovator of Postage Server Technology. Under the partnership agreement, MySoftware will integrate the Stamps.com Internet Postage services with its family of direct...

ADVO to Offer Small.(Targeter software)(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... Business Advanced Targeting Capabilities ADVO, Inc. has announced that its Super Coups subsidiary has now made Targeter [EXPRESS.sup.TM] available to its franchisees. This software program will enable franchisees to offer their small...

Dallas Gold & Silver Exchange, Inc. Acquires Video Catalog Channel.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... Dallas Gold & Silver Exchange, Inc. announced that it has reached an agreement in principle to acquire Knoxville, Tennesseebased Video Catalog Channel (VCC). VCC is a cable and satellite based home shopping network specializing in a variety of...

Quebecor Printing and World Color to Merge.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... Quebecor Printing Inc. and World Color Press, Inc. announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which Quebecor Printing will acquire all of the shares of Greenwich, Connecticut-based World Color Press, Inc., one of the...

Postal Service Hits Record for First-Class Delivery; Finances Improve.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... Tying a record set one year ago, 94 percent of the nation's local First-Class mail was delivered overnight during postal service quarter three, according to quarterly independent testing by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The new scores measure service...

USPS Governors to Offer Retroactive Refunds for Periodicals.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... The Postal Board of Governors has overruled USPS management, deciding to offer refunds to publishers of nonprofit periodicals retroactive to January 10, 1999. The situation was created by what the Postal Service and Postal Rate Commission...

Is Your Database In Great Shape?(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... With the advent of the Internet, data cleaning and enhancement services are becoming available to companies of all sizes. Here's how an online service can get your database in the best shape possible. Real world consequences of bad data:...

The DMA Releases List Survey Results.(Direct Marketing Association List & Database Council )(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... The Direct Marketing Association List & Database Council recently conducted its 19th Annual List Usage Survey. A total of 281 DMA members completed the survey, which tracked trends of mailing patterns, use of outside and housefile names,...

14 Myths of Marketing: Why Not Let Them Go in Time for the New Millennium?
September 1, 1999... In this preview of the author's upcoming book, The Myth of Marketing, to be published in the Fall of 2001, he questions the ideas about marketing that we seem to take for granted. You can look it up in the Old Testament. When Ecclesiastes...

Hot Tips and Inside Secrets in Direct Mail.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... Keeping your eye on the details of marketing your product or service can pay off in a big way. Here are some tips to keep in mind when promoting your goods. The single most valuable sheet of paper you can create in all of marketing... ...

From Boring Copy To Copy That Sells.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... I am convinced there are no boring products or services. Yet, I have glanced at much printed advertising with ho-hum copy that suggested boring products and services do in fact exist. But in reality, the copy was boring, not the product or...

Loyalty Marketing: Keeping In Contact With the Right Customers.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... The authors offer a comprehensive loyalty marketing strategy for a hypothetical auto maker. The goal is to think as broad as reasonably possible and express an entire vision. Companies everywhere are using loyalty marketing programs to...

Is Terrestrial Mail Immune From Basic Economic Realities?(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... The AMMA's 1999 Postal Policy and Operations Confer-ence in Baltimore was well sited and well attended. [1] The only remaining disappointment is that, despite every economic indicator to the contrary, the USPS remains rooted in a time warp of...

P&G's Consumer Centric Approach to the Web.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... Brand marketers must break from the traditional advertising mindset when approaching the Internet. The author says it is not an alternative medium, but rather a tool with unique capabilities that should be effectively exploited. On the...

Data Mining and Modeling As A Marketing Activity.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... Only a handful of companies have truly integrated data mining and modeling into their daily marketing activities. This month, the authors explain "how to" do so and the benefits of taking this step. Data mining and modeling activity takes...

Cataloging for Entrepreneurs: Advanced Phone Techniques That Can Boost Your Sales.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... Of the 10,000 to 11,000 catalogs in the U.S., an estimated 90 percent are run by entrepreneurs. These articles explore cataloging from their unique standpoint... this month, nine advanced phone techniques that can boost your sales without...

How to Succeed in Direct Marketing.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... Here are three hands-on suggestions that could help make your marketing efforts more successful. If you've never read How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying by Shepard Mead, you're missing a masterpiece. You may have seen the...

"We Have Seen the Enemy and It Is Us" -- Pogo.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... Even though companies insist on superior employee service, that's not what consumers always find. I had just finished a marketing seminar in Chicago. I went to the concierge at the hotel with a package of slides and said, "I have to...

HSN Direct.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... The HSN Direct list of 1.8 million buyers is now available for $85/M. This file contains TV buyers who are motivated by testimonials and product demonstrations from 30-minute infomercials for a variety of items from the Home Shopping Network,...

Real Florida Magazine.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... The Real Florida Magazine list of 29,228 subscribers is now available for $70/M. Real Florida is the official magazine of The Friends of Florida State Parks, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the state parks. Readers of the...

Archeology Magazine.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... The Archeology Magazine list of 179,020 active subscribers is now available for $95/M. This publication brings the excitement of archeological discoveries to a broad readership. Its subscribers are brought up close to excavations, people and...

World Shoppers International Masterfile.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... The World Shoppers International Masterfile of 34,121 individuals is now available for $175/M. This list consists of international direct mail buyers of various lottery continuity products. They have been 100 percent solicited by a variety of...

Power Plus Opportunity Seekers.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... The Power Plus Opportunity Seekers list of 6,445 names from the second quarter of 1999 is now available for $90/M. These individuals have inquired for information on the "Power Profit System," which guides them through a step-by-step program to...

N.S.A Sweepstakes Report Buyers.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... The N.S.A Sweepstakes Report Buyers of 10,000 names is now available for $80/M. These individuals have paid $20 to receive a sweepstakes and contest report that lists over $500,000 in cash and prizes. This report has been compiled by the...

Wissota Trader.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... The Wissota Trader list of 264,678 mail order buyers is now available for $95/M. Wissota Trader offers American made footwear for men and women via their full-color catalogs. Regular and hard-to-find sizes are offered with over 11,000 color,...

Business Owners at Home Address.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... The Business Owners at Home Address list of 1.5 million records is now available for $65/M. This file contains mostly small retail and service business owners and proprietors in America. Professionals are excluded, but contractors, financial...

PCS Social Workers at Home Address.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... The PCS Social Workers at Home Address file of 236,232 individuals is now available for $65/M. This list covers the full range of healthcare and allied healthcare professionals, including doctors; dentists; nurses; physical, occupational and...

ALC SOHO.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... The ALC SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) list of 2.7 million business owners and executives is now available for $65/M. These small companies have under 100 employees and are looking for products and services which will help their enterprises be...

Agency Action.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... PICHETTE APPOINTED PRESIDENT AT HARTE-HANKS DIRECT Harte-Hanks Direct has appointed Ann Pichette to president of the agency, where she will he responsible for overseeing all agency operations. Previously, Pichette was executive vice...

Session Three: Being a Mover and Shaker -- How to Energize Your Creative Powers.
September 1, 1999... Getting those creative juices flowing isn't as difficult as it may seem. This month, the author offers specific steps on how to "move and shake" your creative side to success. Welcome to Session Three of this Creative Summit. So far,...

The Month of September '69.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... The Cover: Syndicators Eye Retailers, Banks As Next Boom Market: How a new marketing technique, pioneered by Max Ross in nation's Sunday comics, soon moved into mail order operations. * Abercrombie & Fitch Gung Ho For Mail Order: Young &...

The Month of September '79.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... The Cover: "Fishing Facts" Lures Readers With Expertise: An interview with George Pazik, who took over a declining newspaper called "Fishing News" and changed its format. Within a few years, the 7,000 circulation newspaper was turned into a...

The Month of September '89.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... The Cover: The Power Of Nintendo: The story of how Nintendo of America gained control of 80 percent of the home video game market and went on to launch one of the most successful magazines in history. * TV Tactics: Direct response TV is not...

DM People.(Brief Article)
September 1, 1999... J. Walker Smith has been named vice president of Yankelovich Partners, Inc. He will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the company as well as account relationships and product development. He previously served as managing partner...