Precision Marketing articles from December 2007

Precision Marketing archives from December 2007

Recycling hit by 'postcode lottery'.
December 14, 2007... The direct marketing industry could be scuppered in its efforts to meet recycling targets agreed with the Government because many of the UK's largest councils are refusing to recycle shredded paper. The public has been urged to shred...

Suitors to battle it out over Chemistry group.
December 14, 2007... Chemistry Communications, launched in the late Nineties as The Interactive Agency, has been put up for sale. The sell-off, which is being handled by Results International, will see the potential buyer gain the entire Chemistry group,...

Ferrari hunts agency to handle CRM brief.
December 14, 2007... Premium sports brand Ferrari is understood to be seeking an agency to handle its customer management programme. The luxury Italian sports brand has carried out little direct marketing in the past, opting to spend its budget on sponsorship...

IN BRIEF: Liquid poised for Engine deal.(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... Liquid Communications is poised to sign a deal with Engine Group, in a move that would align it with the likes of WCRS, Advocacy, Dave and Personal. The independent agency, which was set up in 1999, splits its offering into three core...

IN BRIEF: Garcia leaves BBC Mags.(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... BBC Magazines direct marketing sales director Jo Garcia has left the company as part of a round of redundancies. Garcia, head of the DMA Inserts Council, has been working in the sector since 1996. In March 2000, she was promoted to direct...

IN BRIEF: Paddy Power overhauls email.(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... Bookmaker Paddy Power is ramping up its email communications capabilities in an effort to expand its presence in the UK. Ireland's largest provider of fixed-odds sports betting, Paddy Power has enlisted the help of online customer...

Charities fail to cash in on rising Web visitor figures.
December 14, 2007... Charities are failing to secure extra donations online, despite the fact that the number of people visiting not-for-profit websites has leapt by a third in the last six months. A survey - carried out by not-for-profit think tank and...

Volkswagen pushes 'junior' SUV Tiguan.
December 14, 2007... Volkswagen is gearing up for an integrated campaign to promote its first junior 4x4 to the market, the Tiguan. The drive, created by Proximity London, aims to highlight the car's compact SUV status, as well as build consumer interest...

FoE boosts top team ahead of major review.(Friends of the Earth)(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... Friends of the Earth (FoE) is overhauling its management team by seeking an executive director and managing director, as part of a new five-year marketing strategy. It is the first time the charity will have a managing director. The...

Paper industry body seeks agency to combat eco fears.
December 14, 2007... The National Association of Paper Merchants (NAPM) is understood to be hunting a direct marketing agency to combat the consumer backlash against the paper industry. The trade association for paper, board merchants and wholesalers is...

PriceRunner unleashes viral 'elf'.
December 14, 2007... PriceRunner.co.uk, claimed to be the UK's most comprehensive and impartial price comparison site, has launched a digital campaign to help consumers find the best price on gifts this Christmas. Created by digitaltmw, the digital arm of...

Playboy plots mobile burst.(Playboy Enterprises Inc.)(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... Playboy Enterprises is ramping up its mobile activity across Europe by partnering with interactive mobile specialist Minick. The partnership aims to expand Playboy's pan-European distribution of branded mobile products and services,...

IN BRIEF: Public warned of bogus collectors.(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is warning consumers about bogus charity ticket sellers who claim they are raising money for good causes over the festive period. The OFT has received complaints about agents selling prize draw tickets on high...

IN BRIEF: Thomas: 'Tip of the iceberg'.(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... The Information Commissioner has warned that UK consumers could still be at risk of data loss following the recent data-gate scandal. According to Information Commissioner Richard Thomas, several other companies and public bodies have admitted...

IN BRIEF: Contact Survey.(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... We would like to point out that CPM United Kingdom's turnover from outbound for 06/07 is #5,315,530 which moves the company to ninth in our Contact Centre Survey 2007 in this category. In addition, its turnover from inbound is #7,395,977,...

MFI goes interactive with online overhaul.(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... The UK's largest kitchen retailer MFI is ramping up its online activity with the launch of its first ever dedicated website. The interactive website, www.mfikitchenideas.co.uk, guides visitors through every stage of kitchen purchasing with...

Maximiles opens division in Italy.
December 14, 2007... Maximiles, Europe's biggest online loyalty programme is expanding into Italy for the first time. The expansion follows the launch of Maximiles in Spain in October and the purchase of ipoints.co.uk in the UK in 2006. The recent launch in...

IN BRIEF: EDS blamed for PO 'data-gate'.(Electronic Data Systems Corp.)(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... Data firm EDS has been ensnared in a new data-gate fiasco, after the Post Office blamed the company for sending thousands of wrong statements to its Post Office Card Account (POCA) customers. EDS was embroiled in the original HM Customs &...

IN BRIEF: Newsgroup signs for O2 scheme.(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... Mobile phone operator O2 is launching a new mobile voucher payment system, which will allow retailers to scan customers' discount vouchers using a mobile phone. Newsgroup Newspapers, which includes The Sun and News of the World, is the first...

IN BRIEF: Mobile marketing to tackle gun crime.(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... Lambeth Council is tackling gun crime with a mobile marketing campaign targeting south London youths. Bluetooth masts will be installed in the area to send a 60-second long anti-gun film to passers-by. It is anticipated that the campaign...

DIGITAL: Expedia hires WWAV for direct account.
December 14, 2007... Online travel giant Expedia.co.uk has appointed WWAV Rapp Collins to handle its direct marketing account, including the company's digital activity. It is believed that Expedia is looking to drive more traffic to its website in the run-up...

DIGITAL: O2 launches festive survival kit.('The Blueroom')(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... Mobile operator O2 is launching an online Christmas survival kit for customers, designed to save them valuable time over the festive period. The kit, created by Archibald Ingall Stretton, is a three-dimensional room, hosted within O2's...

DIGITAL: Let's not forget the 'real' communities.
December 14, 2007... Digital direct marketing continues to make headlines in the marketing press. But what about 'real' communities? All the noise surrounding Facebook et al has distracted from a quieter, but equally exciting, renaissance in direct marketing...

DATA: First eco 'Data Farm' to woo green brands.
December 14, 2007... The UK's first eco-friendly data storage complex is to be built in Lockerbie, Scotland, allowing brand-owners nationwide to make their marketing databases green. The #600m 'Data Farm', which is being developed by Internet Villages...

DATA: RedEye sets sights on improving online CRM.
December 14, 2007... RedEye is launching an automated behavioural marketing system which it claims will enable marketers to significantly boost online conversion rates, improve customer service and develop stronger customer relationships. The product will...

DATA: Ai launches largest home mover record.
December 14, 2007... Ai Data Intelligence is launching what it claims is the largest database of UK home mover information, identifying the majority of consumers up to three months prior to the move. 'Eventis Home Mover' combines several unique sources of...

DATA: Not black or white, but shades of grey.
December 14, 2007... The recent launch of a social networking site for the over 50s accumulated about 13,000 members in the time some ageists think it takes a pensioner to cross the road. The overtones of surprise within media coverage smacked of the discovery of a...

ANALYSIS: Which campaigns had the 'wow' factor in 2007?
December 14, 2007... This year's DMA (UK) Awards saw a broad mix of agencies scooping gongs. But away from the official awards presentations, what digital and direct work really made an impression on creatives this year? Another December, another trip to the...

ANALYSIS: Why positive 'word of mouse' is so essential.
December 14, 2007... Social networking has been high on the agenda throughout most of 2007. Not all brand owners have been quick to pick up on the trend, however, and many are in danger of missing out on potential profits Brand owners have been given a stark...

ANALYSIS: Encouraging consumers to choose brand over price.
December 14, 2007... Although online spending this Christmas is expected to reach #13.8bn, online retailers are having to work hard to encourage brand loyalty and ensure that they get a healthy piece of the pie Online spending may be predicted to be up by 42...

CONSUMER INSIGHT: Why consumers love living in a budget world.
December 14, 2007... Britons are well versed in the practice of penny-penching. Tightening the purse strings comes naturally to many and the prospect of economic downturn could see the trend grow The plethora of budget options currently available in several...

OPINION: Intelligent data is key to fulfilment.(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... While some sectors such as financial services still use mass mailings, this route to market is becoming an increasingly less reliable way of acquiring and retaining customers. Firstly, consumers are becoming more sophisticated and...

LETTER: Why the demise of ER could be necessary evil.(Letter to the editor)
December 14, 2007... I wonder how long it will take for the Electoral Roll (ER) opt-out to pass the 50 per cent mark, and, when it does, the potential impact this will have on the direct marketing community? Despite reports to the contrary, some in the...

LETTER: Is Mortascreen really up to date?(Letter to the editor)
December 14, 2007... Further to your article on suppression use growing ('Suppress to impress' PM, November 12) I wanted to follow up on a few points of order. In January we will release our annual table of which particular sectors perform best and worst....

LETTER: Agency size aids many award wins.(Letter to the editor)
December 14, 2007... Your Agency Awards League Table makes interesting reading. But is it a true reflection of how creative an agency is? It's no surprise that the top ten is dominated by the bigger industry players. The law of averages says that with their...

VIEWPOINT: Gratify me - and do it immediately.
December 14, 2007... In the modern 'cash rich, time poor' society, consumers want products at the click of a mouse. To develop loyalty, brands must appeal to this instant engagement audience 'Choice' has been the mantra of just about every element of...

OPINION: Time for change - before it's too late.(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... Unless you've been living on Mars for the past 12 months you'll recognise that 2007 has been the year when this industry has been badly bitten on the derriere by concerns over its environmental record and the fall-out from data-gate. ...

PROFILE: Leading the way.
December 14, 2007... Philip Spencer World Vision UK's marketing director is unfazed that charities across the UK have cashed in on his fundraising ideas, but still says his biggest hurdle is raising awareness of the charity Jenny HoffbrandIf your organisation...

SURVEY: Best practice.
December 14, 2007... Another year goes by and Gyro International still reigns supreme at the top of Precision Marketing's B2B Agency Survey, fighting off competition from all corners. Geoff Howe Marketing Communications has taken second place, Tullo Marshall...

DATABASE MANAGEMENT: A change in the weather.
December 14, 2007... Many marketers continue to use hosted database solutions which often limit what they can do but mean they can take advantage of low operating costs David Reed What will the weather be like next June? That is what it is like trying...

LIST/INSERT FILE: ASOS.com updates buyers database.
December 14, 2007... ASOS.com, the online retailer of celebrity inspired fashion at affordable prices, is making its newly updated list of over 270,000 names available through Go Direct Marketing. The site is among the most visited online fashion and beauty...

LIST/INSERT FILE: Catalogue file has new selections.
December 14, 2007... Prospect Swetenhams has updated its Catalogue Consortium multi-buyer file with the availability of new 'product category' selections. This multi-buyer file provides direct marketers with access to over 250,000 upmarket mail order buyers...

LIST/INSERT FILE: Staples releases mail order buyers.
December 14, 2007... Office furniture and supplies company Staples is releasing its database of mail order buyers for rental through Intermedia Global. The company sells a large number of products in-store, online and via direct mail, which means the...

LIST/INSERT FILE: File targets mature audience.
December 14, 2007... Accent Direct Marketing is offering its Modern Woman mail order file for rental. The Modern Woman catalogue sells jewellery, women's clothing, kitchen accessories and homewares. With over 16,000 0-12 month buyers, this list offers...

LIST/INSERT FILE: Database unveils online buyers.
December 14, 2007... Shirt brand Thomas Pink has updated its database of buyers and is releasing it for rental through Uni-Marketing. The database offers UK buyers of shirts and accessories from the company's stores and website. The file consists of males and...

MOVING PEOPLE: The Search Works strengthens SEO team.(Usman Patel and James Keehan appointed in search works)(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... The Search Works has appointed two new recruits to its search engine optimisation (SEO) team. Former SEO supervisor at Vivid Lime Usman Patel has been appointed to the role of SEO manager. He will work with teams across the company to...

MOVING PEOPLE: Claydon Heeley poaches HTW creative director.
December 14, 2007... Claydon Heeley has hired former Harrison Troughton Wunderman (HTW) associate creative director Ross Keeneyside as head of copy. At Claydon Heeley, Keenleyside will be working on agency accounts including Mercedes 3, ING Direct Accounts and...

MOVING PEOPLE: Carlson Marketing makes senior appointments.
December 14, 2007... Carlson Marketing has appointed two new members to its management team. Hugo Firth joins as client partner for Hyundai and John Streit as digital technical director. Firth joins from Craik Jones where he was client director, working with...

MOVING PEOPLE: Furr joins Intermedia Global as account manager.(Sam Furr )(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... Intermedia Global has appointed Sam Furr account manager to support the company's continued growth. He will be responsible for supporting new and existing clients with a range of international database marketing services. Neil McCarthy,...

NICE WORK: Anish Raivadera.(Brief article)
December 14, 2007... Anish Raivadera Managing director Acuate Responsibilities I provide strategic direction for the development and growth of the company while focusing on driving the business forward through acquiring new clients. Job Perks: ...