Direct Marketing articles from September 2001

Direct Marketing archives from September 2001

We Are Moving On!(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... I have searched high and low to try and find out what has gone all wrong in this business. The mail order world in most cases is in the mud. The magazine and newspaper businesses are way off. Advertising expenditures and pages are off...

Words, Words, Words.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... When choosing words remember that they reflect place, age and circumstance. In "Hamlet," Polonius asks the young prince "What do you read, my Lord?" Hamlet answers, "Words, words, words." OK--but what do the words mean? You must be...

PCH Reaches $34 Million Sweepstakes Settlement With 26 States.(Publishers Clearing House )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Publishers Clearing House (PCH) (www.pch.com) has agreed to pay $34 million to 26 states to settle all remaining allegations that it employed deceptive sweepstakes promotions to sell magazines. The agreement comes 10 months after the company,...

Coen Cuts Ad Growth Forecast.(Robert Coen, senior vice president, director of forecasting at Universal McCann,)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... During his annual "mid-year" ad spending update, Robert Coen, senior vice president, director of forecasting at Universal McCann, cut his forecast for 2001 U.S. ad spending growth from 5.8 percent to 2.5 percent--the smallest increase in a...

"Pete" Hoke To Be Inducted Into DMA Hall of Fame.
September 1, 2001... Direct marketing authority and educator Henry Reed "Pete" Hake, Jr. (1920-1998) will be inducted into The DMA Hall of Fame at the DMA's 84th Annual Conference & Exhibition on October 30, 2001. The induction, the highest professional honor in...

Revenues For Interactive TV Shopping To Reach $4.3 Billion By 2005.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... In four years interactive television (iTV) shopping will account for 44 percent of total U.S. TV-based shopping and will have revenues totaling $4.3 billion, Jupiter Media Metrix (www.jmm.com) reports. Furthermore, according to the study, the...

Canadian Telemarketing Scams Victimize U.S. Consumers.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... According to the FTC (www.ftc.gov), U.S. consumers reported $19.5 million in losses in 2000 due to fraudulent cross-border telemarketing. This year, that amount is expected to increase to $36.5 million. Last year, 71 percent of all...

U.S. Web Audience Grows More Diverse.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 1, 2001... According to The Media Audit, a syndicated survey of both online and traditional media in more than 80 markets, the Web audience in the U.S. is growing more diverse as significant numbers of minorities and retirees have begun to use the...

International Paper To Cut 3,000 Jobs.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Working to reduce costs and to focus its resources on its core businesses of paper, packaging and forest products, International Paper Co (www.internationalpaper.com) will cut 3,000 jobs and restructure several of its businesses. The majority...

1 Billion Internet Users To Fuel $5 Trillion In E-Commerce By 2005.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Nearly 1 billion Internet users, about 15 percent of the world's population, will generate more than $5 trillion in Internet commerce by 2005, up from $354 billion in Internet spending in 2000, according to a new IDC (www.idc.com) report. ...

China Post Interested In Joint Ventures With U.S. Catalogers.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Working to open up China's underdeveloped mail order market, China Post, through its Guangdong Office, is offering U.S. catalogers the opportunity to expand into China. According to catalog consulting firm Maxwell Sroge Company (MSC), China...

Group 1 Software Acquires HotData.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Working to enhance its CRM and e-business initiatives, Group 1 Software (www.g1.com) has acquired HotData, Inc. (www.hotdata.com), a provider of online services for data quality and enrichment. HotData's expertise in the development and...

Saks To Cut Catalogs, 50 Jobs.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... Working to further integrate its Saks Direct business, Saks Inc. (www.saksincorporated.com) will eliminate its Folio and Bullock & Jones catalogs and merge Saks.com with its Saks Fifth Avenue division. As part of the restructuring,...

Catalog Sales To Grow 8.9 Percent This Year.
September 1, 2001... Despite the slow economy, catalog sales continue to increase at more than twice the rate of overall retail growth, the Direct Marketing Association reports. While overall retail sales are projected to grow 3.1 percent from $3.2 trillion in 2000...

Consumer Catalog Spending Declined In 2000.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 1, 2001... A new report from Abacus (www.abacusdirect.com), a division of DoubleClick Inc. (www.doubleclick.net), reveals that consumer catalog spending declined by 4-5 percent from 1999 to 2000. However, at the same time, dollar spending within the...

New Service Helps Publishers Boost Renewals.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... SoundBite Communications (www.soundbite.com) has introduced its "One-Touch Renewal" service that enables magazine and newspaper publishers to instantly send voice messages to thousands of subscribers at one time. Recipients of the message...

Small Businesses To Spend $2.2 Billion On E-Mail Marketing By 2005.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2001... A new study by The Kelsey Group forecasts that annual spending by U.S. small businesses on localized e-mail marketing will exceed $2.2 billion by 2005. Furthermore, 42 percent of small businesses will use e-mail for some form of marketing by...

Doubleclick To Acquire MessageMedia.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 1, 2001... Adding to its recent acquisition of e-mail marketing firm FloNetwork (www.flonetwork.com) in February, DoubleClick Inc. (www.doubleclick.net) will acquire e-mail marketing and messaging solutions company MessageMedia, Inc....

429 Million People Are On the Net Worldwide.(according to report by Nielsen NetRatings)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 1, 2001... Nielsen//NetRatings' (www.nielsen-netratings.com) latest Global Internet Trends report for the first quarter of 2001 reveals that 429 million people have Internet access worldwide. On the whole, the U.S and Canada still account for the largest...

Alliance To Reduce Processing Time For Credit Marketing Offers.
September 1, 2001... A new partnership between Equifax and Seisint Inc. will reduce the turn-around time needed to fulfill pre-approved credit marketing offers from an average of 15 days to less than a week. The combination of Equifax's credit and demographic...

Demand Grows For Online Self-Service Knowledge Bases.
September 1, 2001... Web-based self-service knowledge bases are emerging as an integral component for online customer care and CRM initiatives as contact centers face escalating costs for resolving client inquiries, according to a new Frost & Sullivan...

Yahoo and ACNielsen Launch Internet Confidence Index.
September 1, 2001... In an effort to examine U.S. consumers' attitudes toward e-commerce, Yahoo! Inc. (www.yahoo.com) and ACNielsen (http://acnielsen.com) have launched the Yahoo!/ACNielsen Internet Confidence Index. Designed to help businesses better understand...

24/7 Media Cuts Staff, Closes Offices.
September 1, 2001... In an effort to generate $10 million in annual savings and to focus on business units that are closest to turning a profit, 24/7 Media Inc. will cut 100 jobs and close or downsize certain offices. In March, the New York-based ad company warned...

TRUSTe Aims To Develop Widely Recognized Privacy Symbols.
September 1, 2001... In an effort to mal(e privacy policies on Web sites and smaller data-collecting devices clearly and immediately understood by consumers, TRUSTe has launched an initiative to develop a widely recognized privacy policy iconography in the form of...

Mergers and Acquisitions Drive Interactive TV Industry.
September 1, 2001... The U.S. interactive television (iTV) industry supported nearly $3.5 billion in strategic acquisitions and more than $684 million in equity investments in 2000, according to a new Winterberry Group report. Fueled by growing consumer awareness...

Russia Ready For Marketing Boom.
September 1, 2001... Russia is wide open for direct marketing and very high response rates are normal, but enter at your own risk. Most direct mailer marketers in most countries are happy to get from .5 percent to 2 percent response! Would you prefer a minimum...

Be Sincere. Prospects Can Spot Gimmicks In a Snap.
September 1, 2001... Sincerity is the most powerful, important and effective marketing principle of our decade. Consumers watch for it. They crave it, in fact. And they go as far as to avoid buying goods from companies that lack genuineness, even if they offer a...

From Mailbox To Trashcan.
September 1, 2001... If you could watch people go through their mail the day your direct mail piece arrives, what do you think you would see? Let's take a look. But be warned...this will turn your stomach. First of all, only about 20 percent of the people on...

"Improve Your Response" Newsletter.
September 1, 2001... Whenever you're putting together a marketing program, or creating a direct mail package, you may want to think of yourself as a customer. Last October, we started sending out our free "Improve Your Response" newsletter. Today, it goes...

Make Your Letters Extraordinary!
September 1, 2001... A poorly-written letter can torpedo your message faster than a collapsing house of cards. A well-written letter can move mountains. It can drive a donor to give money to your cause. It can change a reader into a subscriber. It can...

Successful Compensation Agreements in the Contact Center.
September 1, 2001... Instituting a new compensation agreement is one of the great emotional challenges for call center management. The wrong agreement can destroy an entire culture. The wrong plan usually leads to another wrong plan, which leads to another plan. In...

Getting Ready for Real-Time Marketing: Part Four.
September 1, 2001... "The challenge is not how to make click-through rates go up...it's what you do after you get a click. I think marketers are focusing on the wrong thing." [*] Seth Godin Much has been said about the advent of the World Wide Web--the...

The Power of Word of Mouth.
September 1, 2001... Word of mouth is the most powerful way to make the decision easier and accelerate your prospects' decision process. You have probably anticipated where this is going. Far and away the best way to make the decision easier is for a trusted...

Spend a Weekend in Florence--Online!
September 1, 2001... An advanced course in e-marketing from Tuscany: virtual loyalty requires real care. While many Internet marketers around the globe struggle to survive, there are a number of outstanding success stories that give e-marketers everywhere...

"The Devil's Dictionary of Marketing".
September 1, 2001... An irreverent look at some of the "real" words that are used everyday in the marketing world. (Part two of two.) We continue where we left off last month, right in the midst of Jim's "Devil's Dictionary of Marketing." LIST BROKERS:...

"Will This Item Sell In My Catalog?".
September 1, 2001... No matter how much you think you know about your audience, it's impossible to know for certain whether any product will, or will not, sell well in your catalog. But there are several ideas that can boost customer interest. And yet, they...

Influxis Offers Web-Property Trading Site.
September 1, 2001... Influxis.com, a business-classifieds Web site, is offering a searchable database of Web sites and domain names that are for sale by their owners. Each listing includes information such as asking price, current geographic location, and site...

Brandlocker.com Builds Online Branded Merchandise Stores.
September 1, 2001... BrandLocker.com is offering a turnkey service that designs, maintains and stocks online branded merchandise stores at no charge to client companies. Online stores built by BrandLocker.com assure that company merchandise is accessible to...

Ilikesamples.com Gets Samples and Coupons to Consumers Who Want Them.
September 1, 2001... Taking its long-time strength in traditional sampling programs to the Internet, Alternate Marketing Networks, Inc. has launched ilikesamples.com. The site offers consumer package goods, automotive and e-commerce companies a cost-effective way...

New Service Turns Inactive List Exchange Balances Into Mailable Names.
September 1, 2001... ALC of New York has launched listXchange.com, a new division that helps mailers activate dormant list exchange balances by trading them to other mailers and receiving active, mailable names in return. In addition, the site will allow members to...

Merger to Create World's Largest Tradeshow Portal.
September 1, 2001... TSNN.com and TSCentral.com, the two leading tradeshow portals in the exposition industry, have merged their assets to offer trade show professionals the best technology available as well as the most up-to-date database information....

BidToPrint.com Offers Marketplace for Buyers and Suppliers.
September 1, 2001... BidToPrint.com is offering buyers and suppliers of production services an online marketplace where bids can be electronically requested and posted, questions can be answered, and the most difficult aspects of the production process can be...

New Site Explores Emergence of Information Appliances.
September 1, 2001... CMP Media's Electronics Group has launched iApplianceWeb.com, a new site dedicated to the emergence of networked and mobile information devices. iApplianceWeb will deliver in-depth features, news and industry commentary on the...

ProofreadNOW.com Offers 24/7 Proofreading Service.
September 1, 2001... ProofreadNOW.com is offering a 24/7 online proofreading service staffed by professional proofreaders. Once a customer establishes an account on the company's Web site, he or she can submit electronic documents of any length. Then, the documents...

Staples.com Launches Print, Marketing and Web Solution Centers.
September 1, 2001... Staples.com is targeting the small business market via its new Web Center, Marketing Center and Business Printing Center. Available on Staples.com's Business Services site (www.staples. com/bizservices), the Solution Centers will provide a...

USPS Provides Links to Direct Mail Service Vendors.
September 1, 2001... The U.S. Postal Service's redesigned Direct Mail Web site is offering links to service providers that offer complete online solutions for direct mail campaigns including list services, creative, print, production and mail entry. The redesigned...

DM People.
September 1, 2001... MURIS NAMED FTC CHAIRMAN President George W. Bush has named Timothy Muris Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov). Muris replaces Democrat-appointed FTC Chairman Robert Pitofsky, giving Republicans a 3-2 majority at the...

Flashback: '71.
September 1, 2001... In the News: "Greenpeace Is Founded to Protest U.S. Nuclear Testing at Amchitka Island, Alaska," "Disney World Opens in Orlando, Florida." Headline: Vital Ingredient in Marketing Mix: Product Life Cycle The Story: Norton Paley, direct...

Flashback: '81.
September 1, 2001... In the News: U.S. Probe Voyager 2 Records Data on the Atmospheres of Saturn and Its Moon Titan," "Sandra Day O'Connor Is Appointed the First Woman Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court." Headline: Reader Adaptation: One Key to DM Success ...

Flachback: '91.
September 1, 2001... In the News: "President Jean Bertrand Aristide Is Overthrown in a Military Coup in Haiti." Headline: Profiting From Database Marketing The Story: Richard Cross, managing director of the CCR Consulting Group, argues that the biggest...

TheStreet.com Opt-In E-mail List.
September 1, 2001... TheStreet.com Opt-In E-mail List of 1,431,294+ total file e-mail subscribers is now available for $240/M. TheStreet.com provides investors, information-seekers and affluent individuals with the most up-to-date trading floor trends that identify...

Nurses With Opt-In E-Mail Addresses.
September 1, 2001... The Nurses With Opt-In E-Mail Addresses list of 90,000 records is now available for $275/M. These nurses have opted-in to receive relevant offers on products and services related to their professional development. The list includes registered...

Religious Telemarketing For Charity and Politics.
September 1, 2001... The Religious Telemarketing For Charity and Politics list of 257,294 12-month donors with phones is now available for $120/M. These conservative Christians wish to promote pro-life, profamily, morality, school prayer, honest government and...

AutoWeek.
September 1, 2001... The AutoWeek list of 308,284 active subscribers is now available for $90.00/M. Published weekly by Cram Communications, Inc., Auto Week provides timely information on new automotive products and innovations, racing events, and test...

Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers PBI.
September 1, 2001... The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers PBI list of 15,844 U.S. active members is now available for $150/M. The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) is a professional society for broadband deployment professionals in...

Agency Action.
September 1, 2001... MRM PARTNERS PROMOTES EXECUTIVES McCann-Erickson WorldGroup's (www.mccann.com) newly formed MRM Partners Worldwide, a merger of its MRM Worldwide and Zentropy Partners units, has named Pamela Larrick president and CEO and Stan Rapp...