Precision Marketing articles from January 2008

Precision Marketing archives from January 2008

Industry backs 'fraud-busting' law.
January 11, 2008... The direct marketing industry has put its weight behind new legislation brought in on January 1 which will help to combat the rising tide of deceased identity theft - the UK's fastest growing type of ID fraud. The Direct Marketing...

DraftFCB chiefs quit as exodus continues.
January 11, 2008... DraftFCB is facing a management exodus, with three senior executives leaving the agency following its recent internal restructure. Client services director Ian Cruickshank left at the end of last month, taking voluntary redundancy. His...

Inbev seeks digital shop for Stella Artois.
January 11, 2008... Inbev is understood to be hunting a digital agency for its Stella Artois brand following a change in its marketing strategy designed to shed its 'loutish' image. The 'reassuringly expensive' Belgian beer has now been replaced by the...

IN BRIEF: Seychelles and CNN woo tourists.(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... Seychelles Tourism Board has teamed up with CNN International to launch its first pan-European integrated campaign in a bid to promote its group of islands as a leading holiday destination. The television and online campaign will take the...

IN BRIEF: Tourism Ireland hunts agency.(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... Tourism Ireland is hunting an agency to handle its direct marketing account in a bid to promote the country as a holiday destination throughout the US. The appointed agency will be tasked with providing a full spectrum of direct marketing...

IN BRIEF: XL Group seeks loyalty boost.(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... The XL Leisure Group is aiming to increase loyalty across its entire portfolio of travel brands, including Kosmar Holidays XL Holidays, XL Airways and XL.com. The move will kick off with Travel City Direct developing a customer relationship...

Industry tributes pour in for 'charming, talented' Nolan.(co- founder of PPHN,who died on New Year's Day after suffering a heart attack.)(persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN))(Obituary)
January 11, 2008... Senior direct marketing figures have paid tribute to Andy Nolan - co- founder of PPHN, one of the agencies which shaped today's industry - who died on New Year's Day after suffering a heart attack. Known for his great wit and...

Derbyshire BS plans marketing shake-up.
January 11, 2008... Derbyshire Building Society is overhauling its entire marketing strategy by embarking on a complete strategic repositioning programme which will see all direct marketing activity reassessed and new loyalty schemes introduced. The building...

Craik Jones chief joins BEC as founder quits.
January 11, 2008... Barraclough Edwards Chamberlain managing partner Nic Chamberlain is leaving the agency to move to Australia. He is being replaced by Craik Jones Watson Mitchell Voelkel client director Harry Shroud. It is understood the agency will revert...

Royal Mail appoints Lamb to lead data development team.
January 11, 2008... DMA (UK) Data Council chair Tony Lamb has taken up a position in Royal Mail's data strategy team as head of data development. Lamb will be responsible for the development of Royal Mail's data strategy, building the postal operator's range...

Lexus gears up for RX 400h push.
January 11, 2008... Lexus is ramping up its direct mail activity to promote the benefits of its hybrid SUV, RX 400h. The campaign, created by Partners Andrews Aldridge, includes a booklet that encourages consumers to be a model 21st century citizen, such as...

NS&I hunts for head of CRM.
January 11, 2008... Treasury-backed National Savings & Investments (NS&I) is seeking a new head of customer management to aid its delivery of customer benefits through an improved channel offering and services. The objective of the role is to continue to...

IN BRIEF: Britain tops data breach league.(Survey)(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... Britain has been ranked the worst country in Europe and one of the worst in the world for protecting citizen's personal information, according to a new survey by an international civil liberties watchdog. Only Russia, Canada and Malaysia have a...

IN BRIEF: Crown plots digital shake-up.(Code Computerlove )(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... Akzo Nobel paint brand Crown is overhauling its digital marketing strategy with the launch of a new consumer-facing website, pushing its product range. The company, which last week completed an #8bn takeover of major rival ICI, has appointed...

IN BRIEF: HP in 'Happy People' push.(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... Hewlett-Packard is launching the second phase of its Happy People campaign, which aims to make offices across the UK more productive places to work. The campaign includes direct mail, a campaign website, and point-of-sale and PR activity. The...

Morley poetry blitz to push diversified funds.
January 11, 2008... Financial brand Morley is launching a campaign aimed at encouraging pension schemes to switch their investment portfolios into its diversified strategy fund. The campaign, which has been produced by Stephens Francis Whitson (SFW), will...

Learndirect hires Golley Slater.
January 11, 2008... Ufi, the government body behind online learning and information service Learndirect, has appointed Golley Slater to handle its integrated account following a competitive pitch. The agency will be tasked with Learndirect's strategy and...

IN BRIEF: Spam hits all-time high.(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... Spam levels hit a record high at the end of 2007 with 97.02 per cent of all emails sent in December classified as unsolicited mail, according to a new report. The figures in the report, carried out by email security provider SoftScan, suggest...

IN BRIEF: MPs back new powers for ICO.(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... A committee of MPs has backed the Information Commissioner Richard Thomas' demands on the Government to make changes in the law to give his office tougher powers on data security. In a new report by the House of Commons Justice Committee, the...

IN BRIEF: Fitness First hit by data gaffe.(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... Fitness First has become the latest company to be embroiled in a data- gate scandal after the personal information of more than 1,000 gym members was found in a ripped bin bag outside a centre in Bolton. The bin bag contained gym users' names...

DIGITAL: Littlewoods affiliate strategy to up sales.(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... Littlewoods Shop Direct Group, the UK's leading online and home shopping retailer, is consolidating its affiliate marketing activity in a bid to increase online sales. The retail giant will now have a league of affiliates, publicising...

DIGITAL: OgilvyOne boosts digital team.
January 11, 2008... OgilvyOne London has made a raft of new appointments to strengthen its digital offering as the agency continues to focus on its online capabilities. Ed Hornby has joined from Agency.com as director of digital operations. He will...

DIGITAL: Keeping up with the digital dictators.
January 11, 2008... The traditionalists among you may not thank me for saying this, but the rise of digital media is beginning to dictate creative marketing strategies. This might not at first appear a startling revelation, but if you consider the rapid...

DATA: Poor data practices 'cost brands #1.7m'.
January 11, 2008... UK businesses are each missing out on an estimated #1.7m by failing to use their customer data effectively, according to a report, which claims 70 per cent of firms could grow by as much as 30 per cent if they put their houses in order. ...

DATA: US data storage giant plots European attack.(COPAN Systems international )(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... The data storage company behind the likes of Facebook, MySpace, AOL, Yahoo, Nasdaq and NASA has handed its #1m EMEA account to Wand Agency. Already a major player in the US, COPAN Systems is now driving growth in other markets and has...

DATA: SCA appoints Broadsystem to Bodyform.(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... SCA Hygiene brand Bodyform is aiming to strengthen its relationship with customers by hiring Broadsystem to handle its CRM business, previously handled in-house. Broadsystem, which was recently bought by Skipton Information Group, will be...

DATA: Moving on to life after 'data-gate'.
January 11, 2008... The new year has barely started but already the Government has had to reassure the public about the security of the new national patient information database. I doubt we have seen the back of data controversies, but if people are to trust the...

Direct marketers' survival guide to the year ahead.
January 11, 2008... 2007 saw environmental and privacy concerns hit the headlines, with direct marketers in the firing line. These issues are unlikely to disappear overnight; in fact they are about to be joined by a new set The Christmas decorations are packed...

Can mobile firms ring the changes and slash churn?
January 11, 2008... Mobile phone operators spend millions of pounds acquiring new customers, yet have created a vicious circle by not concentrating enough on retention. Will they ever learn? The UK may have been branded the customer churn capital of Europe...

Brands urged to tap customer data or pay the price.
January 11, 2008... With an estimated 90 per cent of companies failing to exploit data they already hold on their customers, will the looming economic downturn jolt them into action? So, will marketers finally sit up and listen now that it has been revealed...

PROFILE: Bear-necessities of marketing.
January 11, 2008... Adrian Robertson After 20 years in the business, the man charged with persuading UK consumers to visit Disney Destinations in Florida puts direct techniques to the fore You may think that heading up marketing for the largest and most...

OPINION: Tapping into the social revolution.
January 11, 2008... Don't smoke, don't drink, recycle, Season's Greetings not Merry Christmas, bin junk food ads, Act on CO2, Just do it, The Power of Dreams, Buy one get one free... With the Government spending millions telling us what to do and brands...

LETTER: We have our part to play in 'data-gate' fightback.(Letter to the editor)
January 11, 2008... With a touch of sublime irony, the public panic caused by the loss of 25 million personal data records brought down the Information Commissioner's Office website. Suddenly, when the public needed vital information about how to combat ID...

LETTER: Digital beneficial to direct mail.(Letter to the editor)
January 11, 2008... I read with interest 'Direct mail holds its own in digital onslaught' (PM, November 30) and I agree that recently there has been a strong consensus that the future of direct marketing lies in digital. However, I was not surprised to read...

LETTER: Interaction needs to be tailored.(Letter to the editor)
January 11, 2008... I was heartened to note acknowledgement being made that the measure of customer communications' sophistication is not in their digitalisation ('Direct mail holds its own in digital onslaught'). Having commissioned our own research...

VIEWPOINT: Tough year will hail fresh opportunities.
January 11, 2008... Financial forecasts have predicted 2008 to be a tough year for businesses. But companies should be looking at the opportunities available instead of the challenges If the financial forecasts turn out to be true, businesses across the UK...

Creative Critique: 11.01.08.
January 11, 2008... Pete Harle Executive creative director, Claydon Heeley Fingers crossed and all that, but I get a sense that we're going to see some great creative work in 2008. I know that there are plenty of clients who want to buy good work and there's...

SALARY: Working 9 to 5...and beyond.
January 11, 2008... Increased competition means that all sectors of the industry are putting in more hours. This combined with a number of factors - including the growing awareness of green issues - means that individuals are having to work that bit harder...

DATA INTEGRITY: Time to beef up security?
January 11, 2008... A raft of recent data breaches has drawn attention to the fragiity of data security, leaving consumers wondering just how protected their personal details really are David Reed It couldn't happen here. That was the common reaction...

LIST/INSERT FILE: Ideal database for loans and finance.
January 11, 2008... Financial organisation the Bismuth Group is launching its Midas file through Marketing Source. The database is updated monthly and includes transactional data pooled from lifestyle information, financial status data, credit activity...

LIST/INSERT FILE: EMI rebrands music lovers list.
January 11, 2008... EMI is rebranding its database of compilation album buyers through McCarthy O'Connor. The database targets a wide audience from very young trendy types to the older generation who are into musicals and classics. The file is 55 per...

LIST/INSERT FILE: Craftmatic file has responsive buyers.(releasing its list of buyers for rental through Evolution DM. )(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... Craftmatic adjustable beds is releasing its list of buyers for rental through Evolution DM. Products are designed to aid restful sleep and provide comfort for people who suffer from back pain, arthritis and other health problems....

LIST/INSERT FILE: List unveils mature charity donors.
January 11, 2008... Jaywing has updated its 'CosyFeet' list for rental, which was previously only available for inserts. The list comprises men and women over the age of 60 who have a high disposable income and purchase specialist footwear and related...

LIST/INSERT FILE: File contains raft of new movers.(Brief article)
January 11, 2008... Alchemy Direct Media is launching its New Movers Gold File for rental. The data in the file is collected through estate agents, solicitors, insurance companies and financial organisations. The file contains information on over 24 million...

MOVING PEOPLE: Anderson joins Underwired as planning director.
January 11, 2008... Digital and eCRM agency Underwired has appointed Peter Anderson planning director, following its recent decision to expand its eCRM offering. Anderson has worked with agencies including Saatchi & Saatchi, WDMP, EHS Brann and Agency.com,...

MOVING PEOPLE: Calvert quits TMW to join Craik Jones.
January 11, 2008... Craik Jones Watson Mitchell Voelkel has poached Tullo Marshall Warren's (TMW) group strategy director, Richard Calvert. Calvert joins Craik Jones as head of digital planning, as the agency invests in digital skill. At TMW he was responsible...

MOVING PEOPLE: Data firm Acuate appoints head of sales.
January 11, 2008... Data quality organisation Acuate has expanded its team with the appointment of Bal Notay as sales manager. He will be responsible for the entire UK operation and will focus on expanding and developing the team. He has strong expertise in the...

MOVING PEOPLE: Former agency head takes up board role at Wax.
January 11, 2008... Wax Communications has appointed Rod Geoghegan business development director and new board member. Geoghegan, who most recently ran digital strategy agency Metropolis, brings 20 years of international marketing experience to the role. At Wax he...

Nice Work: Holly Mander.
January 11, 2008... Holly Mander Account manager e-Dialog Responsibilities In a nutshell, I work with the account director to set the strategy and then manage the team to maintain the accounts on a day-to-day basis across both projects and campaigns....

Zonal pricing: legal challenge looms.
January 25, 2008... Postcomm is bracing itself for a legal challenge from Royal Mail following the regulator's rejection of the postal operator's revamped zonal pricing proposal. The governing body revealed late last year that Royal Mail's fresh proposal...

Ping takes role at Ai Data Intelligence.(appointment of Charles Ping)(Brief article)
January 25, 2008... Former head of CRM at The Guardian Charles Ping has been appointed client services director at Ai Data Intelligence (Ai). In October last year, Ping, who was chairman of the DMA (UK) for a two- year term from January 2005 to January 2007,...

RBS Insurance head of e-business quits.
January 25, 2008... RBS Insurance head of e-business David Catterall is to leave the company at the end of January. Catterall, who handles online business for RBS Insurance brands including Direct Line, Churchill, Privilege and Green Flag, has worked for the...

IN BRIEF: Meyer takes over at Acxiom.(Brief article)
January 25, 2008... Acxiom has appointed John Meyer its new worldwide chief executive officer and president to succeed Charles Morgan, who announced his retirement in October 2007 following 35 years as chairman and chief executive. Meyer has been president of the...

IN BRIEF: ICO slams CW data practices.(Brief article)
January 25, 2008... Carphone Warehouse has been rapped by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) for failing to comply with the basic principles of the Data Protection Act. Together with its sister company Talk Talk, Carphone Warehouse was found to be...

IN BRIEF: White quits Leith to set up agency.(resignation of Ian White)(Brief article)
January 25, 2008... The Leith Agency partner of direct marketing Ian White has quit the company, sparking an overhaul of its management structure. White will leave the Cello-owned business to launch his an agency Hush. Claire Kinloch and Tequila\ London's former...

Royal Mail recruits 'experts' to boost postal campaigns.
January 25, 2008... Royal Mail has ramped up its commitment to improving the effectiveness of direct mail campaigns by recruiting a panel of expert data partners. The postal operator is setting up the supplier panel as part of its investment in data...

Betfair 'SP' launch to challenge the bookies.
January 25, 2008... Betfair is launching a new product, the Betfair Starting Price (SP), in a bid to make it the number one betting website for all horseracing. A campaign, created by Bristol-based agency Flourish, will span Web, email and press...

VSO draws inspiration from John and Yoko.(Brief article)
January 25, 2008... John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Amsterdam 'bed-in' is being used by international development charity VSO to show people how their actions can help change the world. The campaign, which celebrates VSO's 50th anniversary, draws on moments in...

Volvo rethinks strategy to engage with younger market.
January 25, 2008... Volvo is strategically shifting its marketing strategy to incorporate more digital media as part of plans to woo a younger audience. The Swedish car manufacturer has traditionally promoted its safety and environmental attributes but is...

Sponsor A Puppy goes digital.(Brief article)
January 25, 2008... Sponsor A Puppy, the flagship fundraising product from the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, is making a significant shift in the focus of its marketing activity with its latest campaign. Following a successful trial of digital media...

DraftFCB lands Chevrolet task.
January 25, 2008... General Motors car marque Chevrolet has appointed DraftFCB to handle its direct marketing account. The agency will initially produce the creative work for the launch of the Epica model, Chevrolet's new four-door family saloon. The...

IN BRIEF: Experts back ID card scheme.(Brief article)
January 25, 2008... Government plans to introduce compulsory ID cards have been given a shot in the arm by the security industry, despite fears that the State is incapable of keeping consumers' personal data secure. In a poll of 1,404 security professionals,...

IN BRIEF: Kent heads up propertyfinder.(appointment of Gillian Kent)(Brief article)
January 25, 2008... Former MSN head of marketing Gillian Kent has been appointed chief executive of online portal propertyfinder.com. Kent held the role of head of marketing at MSN until she was promoted to managing director (UK) in 2003. While there she played a...

IN BRIEF: Sharpen joins WDMP board.(Brief article)
January 25, 2008... Former STO Response creative partner Gary Sharpen is joining WDMP as its executive creative director, the agency's first executive creative board level appointment. Sharpen will head WDMP's 14 strong department, following the departure of...

HSE revamps to fight workplace accidents.
January 25, 2008... The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) is embarking on a new strategy for its direct marketing activity in a bid to educate employers and staff about how to avoid accidents in the workplace. Following a competitive pitch, the HSE has...

IN BRIEF: Met pushes 'gun surrender'.(Brief article)
January 25, 2008... The Metropolitan Police is embarking on a major integrated push to promote its 'gun surrender' initiative, running until February 17, during which all guns can be handed over to the police in complete anonymity. Created by Miles Calcraft...

IN BRIEF: Affiliate marketing tops #3bn in sales.(Brief article)
January 25, 2008... Affiliate marketing in the UK grew by an estimated 45 per cent in 2007 and generated more than #3bn in online sales, according to a study. The Affiliate Marketing Networks Buyer's Guide, undertaken by E- Consultancy, found that the activity...

IN BRIEF: DVLA 'recklessly disclosing' data.(Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency)(Brief article)
January 25, 2008... A Scottish nationalist MSP has called for a review into the disclosure of personal information by the DVLA to private companies, following the revelation that over 1.3 million sets of drivers' details were passed to companies in 2007....

DIGITAL: BP interactive blitz to promote Ultimate fuel.(Brief article)
January 25, 2008... BP is embarking on an interactive digital campaign to encourage drivers to consider using its range of Ultimate fuels as opposed to rival, 'ordinary' fuels. The campaign, created by BP's incumbent agency OgilvyOne, will run throughout...

DIGITAL: Beasley to head up WDMP digital.
January 25, 2008... WDMP has hired former DraftFCB head of digital operations Stephen Beasley to spearhead its digital department. At DraftFCB, he led the Motorola, General Motors, InBev and Oxfam accounts, and sat on the management board. He was one of...

DIGITAL: Unlocking the power of digital marketing.
January 25, 2008... When faced with growing consumer apathy towards traditional marketing methods, the age of the Internet and the continued rise of digital channels ought to be the saving grace of consumer communications. These channels have the potential...

DATA: UK 'worst' country in data quality study.(Survey)(Brief article)
January 25, 2008... The UK is the worst performing country when it comes to data quality, with the retail and financial services industries faring the worst, according to a new survey. The report, Contact Data: The profit maker or neglected asset? reveals...

DATA: Talking Numbers plan ties on and offline data.
January 25, 2008... Data specialist Talking Numbers is launching a product to allow marketers to align their online data with their existing offline data. The multichannel campaign management system, called Magellan, provides organisations with a single...

DATA: Companies urged to hire data stewards.(Brief article)
January 25, 2008... Companies are being encouraged to recruit information specialists to focus on best practice and improve data quality. According to recent European research from Gartner, poor data quality is a problem faced by over 35 per cent of...

DATA: The importance of maintaining integrity.
January 25, 2008... I work within the B2B data and insight sector of the industry - a discipline that has raised its profile in the 18 years I've been in the industry. And correctly so - data is the lifeblood of any organisation. I'm passionate about the...

ANALYSIS: Tackling the rise of sexually transmitted infections.
January 25, 2008... The days of the infamous Aids 'Tombstone' ad may be long gone, but raising awareness of sexually transmitted infections is still a difficult task for marketers Government plans to vaccinate girls under 18 to protect them against...

ANALYSIS: Why affiliate marketing is coming into its own.
January 25, 2008... With recent research suggesting that affiliate marketing has grown by 45 per cent in the last 12 months, more and more marketers are willing to invest in the medium With a number of big name brands including RBS Insurance, Littlewoods,...

ANALYSIS: Postcomm tries simple solution to market domination.
January 25, 2008... Postcomm's latest efforts to simplify its licensing procedures have met with a mixed response from the industry. Will it be enough to encourage new entrants? While Postcomm's measures to simplify its licensing procedures to make it...

OPINION: An upbeat forecast amidst choppy seas.(Column)
January 25, 2008... With much talk of economic doom and gloom, general nervousness surrounds 2008, nervousness that has spread to marketers judging by the latest IPA Bellwether report. With the dreaded R word even mentioned, what are the prospects for us in...

LETTER: Customer churn figures give cause for concern.(Letter to the editor)
January 25, 2008... Pitney Bowes' recent research into customer churn highlights an alarming statistic in the continued rise of customer defection, demonstrating that either marketing retention strategies are poorly aligned and executed, or that UK customers are...

LETTER: The shape of things to come.(Letter to the editor)
January 25, 2008... With an online campaign winning the coveted DMA (UK) Awards Grand Prix for the first time at the close of last year, I'd wager that in 12 months we will look back and say this was an early indicator of a seismic shift for the industry. ...

LETTER: IT and marketing in harmony.(Letter to the editor)
January 25, 2008... Technology is seen as the sole charge of the IT department and chief information officer, yet when it comes to analytics, the input of marketing managers is absolutely vital to the decision-making process. IT and marketing directors must work...

VIEWPOINT: Why the punishment must fit the crime.
January 25, 2008... Data may be headline news all of a sudden, but even though people are waking up to the reality of poor data practice, current legislation is not strong enough to drive real change in the industry The January legislative window brought...

LEADER: Zonal pricing not so dull after all.
January 25, 2008... So, it seems, Royal Mail is unlikely to take Postcomm's decision to reject zonal pricing lying down. Anyone whose gaze has already been averted by the term 'zonal pricing', beware, its introduction will have a major impact on how you conduct...