Precision Marketing articles from January 19 2009

Precision Marketing archives from January 19 2009

LEADER: Let battle recommence.
January 19, 2009... Christmas is now well and truly behind us and for many, sadly it was something of a distraction. Our focus returns quickly to the business in hand. What changes can we make to our business models to ensure we're relatively well protected...

IN BRIEF: DMA expels member.(Direct Marketing Association)(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has expelled a member for the first time in two years - Wye Marketing - after it failed to comply with its code of practice. The telemarketing agency is the first member to be excluded from its membership...

IN BRIEF: Tributes pour in for TMW director of strategy.(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... Tullo Marhsall Warren's (TMW) director of strategy Mick Costella has passed away at the age of 38. Costella joined the agency in 2001 as part of a small team to set up digitaltmw, TMW's new media arm. He leaves behind his wife Kate, whom he...

IN BRIEF: Grimes exits RBS Insurance.(director Nigel Grimes )(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... RBS Insurance customer insight director Nigel Grimes has been left without a job. RBS Insurance director of communications James Murray will replace Grimes in the interim. RBS Insurance has started looking for a permanent replacement. RBS is...

IN BRIEF: McCallum joins balloon dog as managing partner.(Greig McCallum )(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... Former Personal founding partner Greig McCallum has joined balloon dog - formerly Fox Murphy - as strategic managing partner and board member. He will head up the agency's London office. McCallum left Personal in May last year in the wake of...

IN BRIEF: Ai Data Intelligence bought out.(Ai Data Intelligence acquired by Communisis)(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... Communisis, has taken over Ai Data Intelligence in a deal worth #12.6m. The deal will see Ai's managing director Jon Cano-Lopez continue in the same role and report to Alistair Blaxill, executive director of Communisis. Cano-Lopez will lead...

IN BRIEF: Royal Mail rewards 'green' companies.(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... Royal Mail is preparing to launch a new bulk mail service that offers lower prices for direct mail that meets new environmental standards. The Sustainable Mail will be available to companies from April that meet criteria based on three key...

IN BRIEF: Postcomm to be axed.(Office of Communications)(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... Postcomm could soon cease to exist if it cedes the responsibility of regulating the postal market to Ofcom as proposed in a report by Richard Hooper. The proposal to give the responsibility to Ofcom follows disagreements about basic...

IN BRIEF: Cornwell quits Joshua.(Joshua G2 chief executive Mike Cornwell resigns)(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... Joshua G2 chief executive Mike Cornwell has left the agency after less than a year in the role. Joshua chief executive EMEA Peter Thompson will take over Cornwell's responsibilities in the interim. The recruitment process to find a permanent...

IN BRIEF: M&S report online growth.(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... Marks and Spencer has reported a 29 per cent increase in online sales during Q3, despite UK like-for-like sales dropping by 7.1 per cent. The retailer has announced proposals to shed more than 1200 jobs, which will include 15 per cent of its...

IN BRIEF: Labour launches spoof Conservative blog.(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... Conservative blog The Labour Party is launching a spoof shadow 'Web Cabinet' blog, in a bid to launch an attack on the Conservative Party. The spoof site labour.org.uk/webcabinet, created by Tangent One, aims to show their voters that...

IN BRIEF: Interflora sues M&S to stop bid on Google Adword.(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... Interflora is suing Marks and Spencer (M&S) to stop them bidding on its protected trademark name on Google. The outcome of the case could set a precedent as to how UK trademark laws will apply to keyword advertising in the future. The...

IN BRIEF: Email marketing best way to engage with consumers.(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... Nearly 70 per cent of companies use email marketing as the most powerful way to engage with their customers, according to a new report. Seven out of 10 businesses believe that email newsletters have resulted in improvement in customer...

IN BRIEF: Center Parcs directs majority spend online.(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... Center Parcs is launching its biggest digital campaign to date as it shifts its marketing spend online. The campaign, created by Golley Slater Digital, is part of an integrated initiative that will include pay-per-click, online display...

IN BRIEF: LoveFilm rethinks online strategy.(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... DVD and game rental business LoveFilm is ramping up its digital strategy by launching a major viral campaign. It aims to raise awareness of its on and offline services and drive consumers to its website. Copyright: Centaur Communications...

ANALYSIS: Discovering alternative channels.
January 19, 2009... With sales falling fast car manufacturers can't rely solely on TV. Alternative channels like digital need to be exploited The automotive industry is in turmoil. Sales continue to nose-dive due to the current economic crisis and car...

EXPERT INSIGHT: Time to be smarter with our marketing.
January 19, 2009... As budgets get slashed 2009 will be a year when getting the most out of our campaigns will be critical. We ask three experts for their views on how the next twelve months may pan out Direct marketing is arguably in one of the best...

PROFILE: Dawn of creation.
January 19, 2009... Dawn Orr Managing director Scientia After an absence of two years Dawn Orr is back at the helm of a new data business. Time away from the spotlight certainly has not dimmed her enthusiasm for the industry The woman leaning on the...

CUSTOMER LOYALTY: You can't put a price on true loyalty.
January 19, 2009... As British consumers change their spending in response to the start of what is expected to be a long recession, loyalty marketing looks set to play a more important role in 2009 The recession is clearly having a demonstrable effect on the...

OPINION: Hang onto what you have got.(Viewpoint essay)
January 19, 2009... Retention is the new black. Recessionary times tend to promulgate the view that you are better off looking after what you already have as opposed to putting all your efforts into chasing new business. So, if your efforts in 2009 are going...

LETTER: Make use of data partners.(Letter to the editor)
January 19, 2009... The Government's decision to continue access to the Electoral Roll is indeed a big relief (PM, December 08). However, with opt-out figures already at the 20 million mark, it's clear that the DM industry can't rely on the Electoral Roll for...

LETTER: Why have a middle man?(Letter to the editor)
January 19, 2009... Your story asking whether an AAR-type intermediary would be useful in data services has caused more than a bit of a stir (PM, December, 2008). However, given the complexities of the data industry only a very experienced practitioner would...

LETTER: Realising the digital opportunity.(Letter to the editor)
January 19, 2009... Your opening The digital marketplace is undoubtedly the future. However, in a bid to maximise new media too many companies are pitting their traditional print, radio and TV products against associated web sites, cannibalising both audience and...

OPINION: Risk-free marketing.(Lead Generation Agency)(Viewpoint essay)
January 19, 2009... How big is lead generation? It's big - #bns big. Various estimates have been given for lead generation's growth rate but it's well into double digits. One prominent lead gen agency has even estimated it to be worth #2bn per year in the UK....

Financial services: filling the hole.(Company overview)
January 19, 2009... It was only a matter of time before the global banking collapse impacted on the direct marketing industry. The key question for 2009 will be whether the reduction in budgets is temporary or a long term trend If the defining business story...

FINANCIAL SERVICES: CASE STUDY - First direct.
January 19, 2009... First Direct has bucked a trend and done it in style. Where many financial services companies are diverting their direct mail spend online or pulling it all together, First Direct, says Tullo Marshall Warren business director Chris Pearce,...

MAILING AND FULFILMENT: Bloodbath may have a silver lining.
January 19, 2009... The coming year will see considerable consolidation within the mailing house industry, however this may well turn out to have some positive outcomes for future of the sector A round of consolidation will sweep across the mailing house...

MAILING AND FULFILMENT: CASE STUDY - RADIUS DESIGN & MARKETING.(Hillhead 2009)(Brief article)
January 19, 2009... Hillhead Mailer Hillhead 2009 is a large bi-annual outdoor exhibition in Derbyshire, targeting the quarrying and mining industry. 1 The task: To mail relevant exhibitors with a mailshot promoting Radius' Design and marketing's...

WEB ANALYTICS: Adding a human factor.
January 19, 2009... Despite the current economic downturn web analytics is a growth area. As the software develops, and reporting becomes more complex human interpretation of results will be key There are not many product categories that reported a boom year...