Precision Marketing articles from August 2008

Precision Marketing archives from August 2008

DMA overhaul gets mixed reception.
August 8, 2008... The DMA (UK)'s plans to slash bureaucracy by overhauling its executive board have been backed by the industry, despite criticism that it is a 'hillbilly organisation'. As part of the move, up to 20 members will lose their places on the...

Zurich adds Bright Blue Day to roster.
August 8, 2008... Zurich Insurance, the financial services giant, has added Bright Blue Day to its direct marketing roster. Incumbent agency Publicis Dialog will be unaffected by the review and remains the lead direct marketing agency for the company. ...

Centaur overhauls PM to focus on features.
August 8, 2008... Centaur Media is to relaunch Precision Marketing - changing its frequency from fortnightly to monthly - as part of plans to switch the title's focus from news to features. At the same time, the magazine will increase in size and...

IN BRIEF: Google in control of search market.(Brief article)
August 8, 2008... Search engine expenditure has remained stagnant in 2008, leaving Google to dominate 85 per cent of UK search marketing spend, according to a new report. Google continues to dominate the UK market, accounting for over 85 per cent of the...

IN BRIEF: Alterian wins Spanish accounts.(Air Miles Spain)(Brief article)
August 8, 2008... Spain's largest loyalty programme Air Miles Spain has appointed Alterian to handle its database management strategy. Alterian will be tasked with defining, executing and managing campaigns for Air Miles Spain's reward programme, 'Travel...

IN BRIEF: Dockers launches European website.(Brief article)
August 8, 2008... Levi's Strauss' khaki brand, Dockers, is launching a European website in a bid to raise brand awareness. The fashion brand has appointed Duke London to handle the site that aims to reflect contemporary lifestyle trends. Visitors to the site...

Credit card spend dives by #4bn as consumers cut back.
August 8, 2008... Consumers in the UK spent #4bn less on their credit cards in the first six months of this year than they did from January to June last year. The findings - a new blow to the credit industry amid continuing signs the country is slipping...

AA launches push for insurance products.(Brief article)
August 8, 2008... The AA is embarking on a major direct response campaign to promote its insurance services. The push, which is the first work devised by MBA since it was appointed earlier this year, will comprise press ads and direct mail. It...

#6m drive for new Clover Lighter brand.(Brief article)
August 8, 2008... Dairy Crest is embarking on a #6m campaign to promote the launch of its Clover Lighter reduced fat spread. The brand extension, designed to capitalise on current health trends, is being backed by a #2m TV and radio advertising push. ...

Direct Holidays offers price pledge in marketing revamp.
August 8, 2008... Thomas Cook brand Direct Holidays is shifting its focus to direct marketing, as part of the brand's repositioning plans. While the travel company will still compete with similar holiday operators, it aims to sell cheaper holidays without...

Spirit targets 35 to 65 age bracket.
August 8, 2008... Spirit Health Clubs is launching a national integrated direct marketing campaign targeting 35 to 65 year olds, in a bid to raise awareness and drive membership enquiries. The campaign, created by agency WAA, comprises outdoor activity,...

Flourish hires March Smith.(Matthew March Smith )(Brief article)
August 8, 2008... Flourish has hired former Golley Slater Digital managing director Matthew March Smith to head up its digital department. March Smith will be tasked with reinforcing the agency's digital skills, developing its online strategies and growing...

IN BRIEF: Dorothy Perkins rewards loyalty.(LoveFilm)(Cocktail Marketing)(Brief article)
August 8, 2008... Retailer Dorothy Perkins is boosting its customer management programme by rewarding customers for their loyalty. The female fashion chain has teamed up with LoveFilm, Europe's leading online DVD rental and movie download company, to reward...

IN BRIEF: Brown to head Postcomm.(Brief article)
August 8, 2008... Postcomm has appointed Tim Brown as chief executive, replacing Sarah Chambers. Brown will replace Chambers when she leaves in September after her four-year secondment from Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) to Postcomm comes...

IN BRIEF: UBM axes direct marketing fair.(Brief article)
August 8, 2008... The International Direct Marketing Fair (IDMF) has been axed following the acquisition of the show by United Business Media (UBM). UBM's Live Media Division has acquired the IDMF show and Ecommerce & Digital Marketing Expo (ECDM) from Reed...

Greenbee launches car insurance drive.
August 8, 2008... Greenbee, part of the John Lewis Partnership, is launching an integrated drive to promote its latest car insurance offering. The campaign, created by Partners Andrews Aldridge, will launch across all John Lewis and Waitrose stores. It...

Fox Murphy prepares for rebrand.(Brief article)
August 8, 2008... Fox Murphy is to relaunch as Balloon Dog, following a management buyout led by chairman Chris Murphy and new managing director James Clifton. The agency, which works for Adnams, Disney, Pret a Manger, Barclays and Aviva, is also planning...

IN BRIEF: Myla hires Pod1 for digital work.(Brief article)
August 8, 2008... Luxury lingerie brand Myla has appointed digital agency Pod1 to build its online presence and increase customer loyalty. The agency will be tasked with overhauling the sexy lingerie brand's website to reflect its intimate in-store...

IN BRIEF: BHF in heart attack awareness push.(Brief article)
August 8, 2008... The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is launching a hard-hitting two- minute film advert on ITV, in a bid to raise awareness of heart attacks. The 'Watch Your Own Heart Attack' film will feature actor Steven Berkoff and will air exclusively on...

IN BRIEF: Royal Mail launches direct campaign.(Brief article)
August 8, 2008... Royal Mail is launching a direct mail campaign in a bid to promote its marketing products and services. The postal provider will target 14,000 marketers to highlight awareness of its range of direct mail campaign solutions. The pack will...

DIGITAL: Harvest Digital lands Riu Hotels account.
August 8, 2008... International hotel chain Riu Hotels & Resorts has handed its UK digital marketing account to Harvest Digital. The agency has been briefed to produce online display ads and manage integrated media planning and buying. All work will be...

DIGITAL: OS hands digital task to Orbital.
August 8, 2008... Ordnance Survey (OS), Great Britain's mapping agency, has appointed Orbital Response & Fulfilment to deliver its online map shop fulfilment contract. The appointment extends Ordnance Survey's relationship with Orbital, which stretches back...

DIGITAL: Making digital marketing precise.
August 8, 2008... We live in times of marketing precision, or at least we'd like to believe we do. We're part of a society that has almost entirely embraced the concept of personalised, elective communication. Many of us are starting to run our social lives...

DATA: NWDA hunts direct and data specialist.
August 8, 2008... The Northwest Development Agency (NWDA) is seeking a direct marketing and data company to handle its data management fulfilment services. The Agency that leads the economic development and regeneration of England's Northwest, is hunting a...

DATA: Energy Saving Trust appoints Tangible.
August 8, 2008... Energy Saving Trust has appointed Tangible Data to handle its data account. The data company will be tasked with targeting organisations with business transport fleets through an integrated campaign. It will include email messages and...

DATA: LBM launches online service to tackle crunch.
August 8, 2008... LBM is launching an online service to enhance business to business (B2B) campaign's return on investment (ROI), in a bid to tackle the credit crunch. The service has been developed in conjunction with credit risk data specialist Graydon UK...

DATA: Why you should look after the marginals.
August 8, 2008... There's not a lot that marketers can learn from politicians. But one area we can learn from is marginal marketing. Political parties target scarce resources heavily in marginal seats, so the question is: why waste your time with people...

ANALYSIS: Is a recession the right time to launch a start-up?
August 8, 2008... During the last recession, the direct marketing industry profited, with many small start ups establishing themselves on the agency scene. Just how different will things be this time round? The view that brands turn to direct marketing...

CONSUMER INSIGHT: Living the life of an aspiring singleton.
August 8, 2008... Not all of us can remember what it's like to be young, free and single, but with qualifications under their belt and money in their wallets, aspiring singles have much to be optimistic about Aspiring singles are young and live in urban or...

OPINION: Why permission is the biggest issue.(Viewpoint essay)(Brief article)
August 8, 2008... A couple of years ago, a book called Is it just me, or is everything shit? was published. From out of town shopping centres to the Daily Mail, it left no stone unturned in its rampage through contemporary culture. Right now, with the...

LETTER: How targeting is crucial to unlocking green solutions.(Letter to the editor)
August 8, 2008... The opinion piece on last week's data page, (Green revolution still some way off, PM July 25), implied that wastage was the biggest side effect of untargeted direct mail and that the marketing industry needs to be incentivised in order to...

LETTER: Make 'junk mail' a thing of the past.(Letter to the editor)
August 8, 2008... Another week and another damning report on direct mail practice in the UK (Mail under cosh as 'millions are wasted' on shoddy data, PM July 11). Direct marketing is under the spotlight like never before; what with opt out schemes,...

LETTER: There's still life left in catalogues.(Letter to the editor)
August 8, 2008... Mark Jackson highlighted a number of interesting issues regarding the evolution of the direct marketing mix in his column 'Farewell to mail order catalogues' (PM June 27). How economic, environmental, technical and postal concerns effect...

VIEWPOINT: Focus on the basics to disprove forecasts.
August 8, 2008... The latest Bellwether Report confirms that the marketing community is facing interesting times. By getting back to basics, however, the industry is more than capable of fighting back There seems little doubt that the migration from print...

LEADER: Is this the end of direct marketing?
August 8, 2008... So, in the same week it was revealed that the International Direct Marketing Fair has been scrapped, industry body the DMA (UK) has taken an axe to its structure. Combined with falling direct mail volumes, and slashed spend , you could be...

Creative Critique: 08.08.08.(Brief article)
August 8, 2008... Aaron Martin, executive creative director, Syzygy Aaron: With a topic like Guide Dogs you'd be right to expect a lot of very cute executions, and we weren't disappointed. But what really impressed us about this particular piece is the way...

LIST DEVELOPMENTS: Avoiding data decay.
August 8, 2008... Like most things in life, data is not impervious to the ravages of time. Marketers need to remember that data has a shelf life David Reed Eggs come stamped with a use-by date. Take one out of your fridge and eat it after that supposed...

EMAIL MARKETING: It's good to be regular.
August 8, 2008... Quality not quantity is a maxim that all email marketers would do well to remember. Filling prospects' inboxes with emails is not always the best policy David Reed The Olympics have now started. For lovers of track and field - and...

LIST/INSERT FILE: Upmarket fashion list up for grabs.(Brief article)
August 8, 2008... Ladies' fashion brand Peter Hahn is offering its expanded file for rental through Accent Direct Marketing. The UK file totals 44,345 entries with 95 per cent being female, ABC1 and aged over 50 years old. Average order values total #80....

LIST/INSERT FILE: Affluent male list comes to market.
August 8, 2008... Samuel Windsor's list of over 125,000 affluent, mainly male, mail order buyers names and addresses is available for rental through IDM. Samuel Windsor sell handmade footwear using premium grade leathers. Customers are affluent,...

LIST/INSERT FILE: New consumer credit list for rent.
August 8, 2008... Consumer credit company able2buy has released its customer file for rental through Prospect Swetenhams. able2buy is the UK's leading provider of credit on the web, providing consumer credit facilities for hundreds of online, in-store and...

LIST/INSERT FILE: RNID list available for the first time.
August 8, 2008... The Royal National Institute for the Deaf has released its charity donor's database for rental for the first time. The file is available through ADM. RNID is the largest charity working for the 9 million deaf and hard of hearing people...

LIST/INSERT FILE: Muddy Puddles unveils database.
August 8, 2008... The updated Muddy Puddles list is available to rent through Fig Tree DM. Muddy Puddles is made up of buyers of wet weather gear for children and items to promote active and imaginative play. The profile is predominantly ABC1 females,...

MOVING PEOPLE: Mailtrack appoints customer relations head.(Gary Powell)(Brief article)
August 8, 2008... Mailtrack has appointed Gary Powell head of sales and customer relations. Powell will be responsible for accelerating the company's growth through client acquisition. Powell joins from LBM Direct Marketing, where he was consultant sales...

MOVING PEOPLE: Hooper Galton poaches DDB London chief.
August 8, 2008... Hooper Galton has appointed Rowland Johone-Smith, former head of project management at DDB London, as head of operations. Johone-Smith brings 18 years' experience working at DDB. Johone-Smith will have a dual role growing the project...

MOVING PEOPLE: Woodward joins Partners Andrews Aldridge.
August 8, 2008... Partners Andrews Aldridge has hired Chris Woodward as account director. He will work on the agency's Vodafone consumer direct marketing account. Woodward joins from Kitcatt Nohr, where he was account director. Prior to that, he worked at...

MOVING PEOPLE: Blue Sheep appoints Klee as project manager.
August 8, 2008... B2B marketing services provider Blue Sheep has appointed Simon Klee project manager. Klee will be responsible for ensuring that prince 2 methodology is introduced throughout all areas of client activity. Richard Lee, managing director of Blue...

NICE WORK: Sue Randall.(Orbital Response & Fulfilment)(Brief article)
August 8, 2008... Sue Randall Head of sales Orbital Response & Fulfilment Responsibilities: I manage the sales team and am responsible for business acquisitions. As such, I frequently prepare proposals for tenders and repeat or up- sell business...