Precision Marketing articles from July 2002

Precision Marketing archives from July 2002

Abacus Direct plans strategy for expansion.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Mail order data-pooling specialist Abacus Direct Europe is set to expand into continental Europe and the business-to-business sector, following its buyout by Internet banner advertising specialist DoubleClick. Abacus Direct Europe launched...

Publicis plots worldwide shake-up of D'Arcy group.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Publicis Group is merging all the marketing services agencies in its communications company, D'Arcy, to create a global below-the-line agency ARC. The new division, which includes D'Arcy's UK arm IMP, will comprise 32 agencies in 19...

WWAV undergoes restructure to create four client-facing groups.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... WWAV Rapp Collins has instigated an internal restructure, which effectively splits the agency into separate groups. Adam Coleman, who remains chief executive, will oversee the group heads: Mike Larmer, deputy managing director, who becomes...

Skipton forms data group to rival major credit reference firms.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Skipton Building Society is to take on Equifax and Experian in an ambitious move that will see the 150-year-old mutual create a data and information group. The Skipton Information Group will incorporate database marketing firm EuroDirect,...

Nintendo starts integrated push for GameCube.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Nintendo Europe is aiming to increase its share of the 1[pounds sterling]bn UK games market with the development of a Europe-wide relationship marketing platform for GameCube. The strategy is part of the company's plans to combat...

FPA plots return to 'hard-hitting' creative. (News).(Family Planning Association)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... The Family Planning Association (FPA) is planning to revert to the hard-hitting creative work that made it famous in the Seventies with artwork featuring a pregnant man, following the appointment of new start-up Feel. The FPA is continuing...

Sue Ryder Care launches drive to boost donors. (News).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Sue Ryder Care is poised to launch its biggest donor and awareness drive to date, investing [pounds sterling]3m in direct marketing activity over the next three years. The charity, which supports those with cancer and neurological...

Finance firms 'poised to cut back on direct techniques'. (News).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Traditionally one of the biggest spenders in the below-the-line market, the financial services sector could be moving to concentrate its efforts on brand awarancess. Michael Rosser investigates the latest findings from the Financial Services...

Proximity hires Donnelly as new business chief.(Annette Donnelly joins Proximity London)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Annette Donnelly is to be reunited with Simon Hall and Chris Barraclough following her decision to join Proximity London as the agency's new business director. Donnelly first worked with Hall ten years ago, when she became Barraclough Hall...

Saga Group revamps data strategy to boost targeting. (News).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Over-50s specialist Saga is enhancing its 6.5 million-strong database by overlaying data, cleansing and lifestyle information, in order to provide 4 million extra records for the Group. As part of the strategy, Saga Group, which comprises...

Sony Ericsson multimedia push targets youth market. (News).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Sony Ericsson is combining Internet, field marketing and responsive advertising to promote its flagship digital, picture-taking mobile phone, the T68i. The I-spy campaign, produced by youth marketing agency iris, will target the phone at...

BA launches integrated 'no frills' campaign. (News).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... British Airways (BA) is promoting its new 'no frills' pricing structure with a multimillion pound direct marketing initiative aimed at its key audience. As part of an integrated through-the-line campaign, featuring the strapline, "You...

Tate & Lyle joins with Sea Life in data promotion. (News).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Tate & Lyle is to team up with Sea Life and the Seal Sanctuary to boost loyalty among families, via its first affinity on-pack promotion. The initiative, in which Tate & Lyle will capture consumer data, will offer customers a 'kids go...

Cadbury SMS promotion paves way for data blitz. (News).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Cadbury Schweppes is planning to build a new database of consumers and tie-in with its sponsorship of the Commonwealth Games on the back of its recently launched SMS on-pack promotion. The 'Txt4Gold' campaign will run across ten brands,...

DMA launches member drive. (News).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... The DMA (UK) is launching its first responsive ad campaign in a bid to recruit further members and build awareness of the DMA brand across all industry sectors. With over 870 members, the DMA is now the biggest marketing and communications...

Joshua hires Levy to bolster creative team. (News).(Mitch Levy)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Joshua is aiming to improve the quality of its creative offering after ending its long search for a new executive creative director. The through-the-line agency, owned by the Grey Network, has appointed founding partner of Spirit Mitch...

Guardian Newspapers reshuffles marketing team. (News).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Guardian Newspapers Limited (GNL) is reshuffling its marketing management team. Chris Moisan, Guardian Unlimited marketing manager, will become head of planning and business development. Karen Byrne, The Guardian marketing manager, is to become...

M&SFS links with AOL to push personal loans. (News).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Marks & Spencer Financial Services is teaming up with AOL to promote its personal loans. The agreement will result in ads appearing on the AOL Your Money Channel and integrated text links and banner ads featuring across the entire AOL service....

Bacardi Breezer relaunches Web offering. (News).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Bacardi Breezer is relaunching its website, www.bacardi-breezer.co.uk, in an effort to strengthen its relationship with its online customer base. The site, designed and constructed by Subway 10, will enable users to create their own Bacardi...

Rivals Digital Media creates golf website. (News).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Rivals Digital Media is launching www.Golf365.com, a website targeting fans of US and European golf tours. It aims to capture details for ongoing communications. Names, mobile numbers and addresses will be collected. The site plans to boost...

HFC Marbles scoops Response Award. (News).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Due to an administrative error, HFC Bank for Marbles Loans and its agency Clark McKay and Walpole were omitted from the Precision Marketing Response Awards Book of the Night as joint winners, along with Virgin Direct and Tequila\London, in the...

De Montford refines strategy to lure students. (News).(marketing plan for De Montford University)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... De Montford University is attempting to attract more early applications and meet increasingly competitive performance targets with a new marketing strategy. The Leicester-based higher education institution plans to enhance the coherence of...

Mind revamps direct techniques to boost income from fundraising. (News).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Mental health campaigning charity Mind is overhauling its marketing strategy as part of plans to increase its [pounds sterling]9m fundraising income by 50 per cent over the next five years. Around half of Mind's fundraising income comes...

Bupa adopts radio ads to push Care Homes. (News).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Bupa is rolling out responsive radio ads for its Care Homes division as it phases out press activity, following trials for its cancer centres last year (PM October 5, 2001). Radio ads on Classic FM will run for five weeks and will target...

Channel 5 launches SMS scheme to build Party in the Park loyalty. (News).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Channel 5 is launching a text-based initiative to encourage viewer loyalty of its coverage of 95.8 Capital FM's Party in the Park concert. The first stage of the campaign, created by Flytxt, will involve text messages being sent to members...

Finance companies hit as data laws are thrown out. (International).(North Dakota)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Bismarck, North Dakota: Voters have rejected a state law allowing banks to sell customer data without written permission from the customers, in a move which has serious implications for direct marketers. The voter initiative resulted in 74...

Ford Chile adopts e-CRM strategy. (International).(relauncing web site)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Santiago: The Chilean division of US motor company Ford is planning to relaunch its website, www.ford.cl, with added customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities in order to track customer behaviour. The new platform will be...

German loyalty specialist revamps data techniques. (International).(Loyalty Partners)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Munich: German retail loyalty specialist Loyalty Partners is ramping up its data strategy to enable it to contact customers more effectively. The company operates 'Payback', one of Europe's leading coalition loyalty programmes, involving...

Direct approach could lift spirits. (International).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Melbourne: Consumer confidence is high. Retail spending continues to be strong. Yet advertising expenditure continues to drag along in the doldrums, even if it is forecast to lift in the second half of the year (or the first half of the new...

More than an occasional tipple: as the spirits market continues to evolve, many brands are searching for ways to make their traditionally seasonal drinks year-round favourities. (News Analysis).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... The decline of traditional alcoholic spirit brands has been well-documented, with many distilleries resorting to increasingly desperate techniques in an effort to win over a sweet-toothed youth market. But many brands are also suffering at...

Mark Roy: DMA's initiative is first step back to positive image.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... This may seem a little obvious, but if consumers are not positively disposed to our medium, they will not buy from us. For an industry that purportedly understands this, we are frankly diabolical at ever giving (and I use the term advisedly)...

Letters.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Good e-mail lists have to be built from scratch Simon Malcolm is right with regard to the high cost and poor quality of rented e-mail lists holding back the sector (PM June 21). However, this position has its reasons. E-mail lists do...

Banks could become CRM leaders, but they need to sort their act out. (Comment).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Banks should be leading way in customer relationship management. They certainly do in volume of mail sent, but not necessarily quality. My bank just invited me to try out online banking. That's kind of them, but I've been doing it for two...

A high price for media neutrality. (Leader).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... On the surface, the advent of media neutral planning should play straight into the hands of direct marketers. After all, isn't it supposed to herald a mass exodus from TV advertising into more targeted and measurable techniques? If only...

Creative critique.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... ... is a weekly look at direct marketing initiatives by a panel of agency creatives. This week, Omaid Hiwaizi, partner at HHM, has a love/hate relationship with his direct mail -- half of them are good, but the rest are as shoddy as ever ...

Media jugglers: direct marketing agencies are crossing the boundary into above-the-line territory, in the battle to attract and retain clients looking for best possible returns on investment. (Data.02).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... IT IS A TRUTH UNIVERSALLY acknowledged that a client in possession of a good budget must be in search of a TV campaign. That has been the assumption for the past three decades. But many clients are now looking for something different. A...

Data through a glass, darkly: many companies are still deluded about the importance of accurate data. Where should they draw the line between value for money and the 'bigger picture'? (Special Report: Address Management).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... AS A DRINKER, are you a pessimist or an optimist? In other words, is your glass half-empty, or half-full? When it comes to address management and data quality, a lot of companies are resolutely optimistic about how they handle data. Until they...

Death of the virus? The new regulations on SMS and online marketing are likely to make it increasingly difficult to conduct viral campaigns that don't break the law. (Special Report: Viral Marketing).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... AS THE DUST SETTLES on the European Parliament's recent decision to impose an opt-in regime on e-marketing across the EU, a question mark remains over the use of certain marketing techniques, most notably viral marketing and related...

Selfridges releases list of affluent married women. (List File).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Selfridges is making its Shopper list of 50,000 names available through Tri-Direct. The database is made up of customers from its stores in London and Manchester. All consumer information has been gathered via in-store competitions,...

Paper company offers names of top managers. (List File).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Pre-printed designer paper specialists VistaPaper has made its active mail order buyers list of 72,310 names available through Wyvern Direct Response. Formerly PaperDirect, the company's list is sourced from direct mail and online...

Consumer Pool file of directors is now updated. (List file).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Dudley Jenkins' List Register division has updated its Consumer Pool file and added 300,000 company directors and senior decision-makers. The total file of almost 7 million shows there are 250,000 new investors, an increase from 4.4...

Langmack joins Borland as senior vice-president. (Moving People).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Borland Software Corporation has taken on former Broadband Office vice-president of marketing and product development Scott Laugmack as chief marketing officer and senior vice-president. Langmack, who joins with 18 years' marketing experience,...

Mason Zimbler recruits Fookes. (Moving People).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Mason Zimbler has extended its senior management team with the appointment of Liz Fookes as senior account director. She will be responsible for client services. Fookes joins from Rapier, where she held the same position on the NTL and Halifax...

Three appointments for Information Arts. (Moving People).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Isobel Mckenna has taken the role of senior business development manager at Information Arts, the database consultancy. She joins from D&B Global Sales and her brief is to increase sales of database, hosting and added value services....

Intellidata hires Shuttle as channel manager. (Moving People).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Data service provider Intellidata has appointed Julian Shuttle to the new post of channel manager. He will be responsible for introducing and developing the company's data services, through third-party channels. Shuttle joins from Web...

AP Engines appoints vice-president of marketing. (Moving People).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Carol Ferrari, former AP Engines vice-president of marketing, has joined Concerto Software, a customer interaction management solutions company, in the same role. She will focus on the development of Concerto's global marketing and product...

Is a monthly column dedicated to those people who are happy at work. Don't think it's possible? Read on. (Nice Work).(Kate McKenzie; Strategic Data Management)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Name: Kate McKenzie Company: Strategic Data Management Department: London team Job title: Group account director Responsibilities: Oversee all accounts at the London office and look after a team of eight. I also liaise between...

Who cares about dental hygiene anyway...? (Diary).(marketing at music festivals)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Well, summer has definitely arrived. The birds are singing, the bees are buzzing, and all over the country teenagers are skulking off to train stations with rucksacks full of cider and pockets full of ecstasy. Yes, the festival season is...

Not another letter from Isaac Hunt. (Diary).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Chelsea supporters -- this office is bloody full of them. Not that I've got anything against the dirty scum. On the contrary, the Blues are one of my favourite foreign teams. As such, I was flipping through one of the Chelsea supporters'...

On the lookout. (Soundoff: Hunter's Tale).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... I was out of order last week. Yes, that's right, all I did was tease you with details of my exploits at the Precision Marketing Response Awards. Truth be told, I was hoping to get it on with Grace Deeproot (breasts and cooking), but she...

Mail rate plan condemned by post watchdog.(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Postwatch has attacked Royal Mail over its controversial plan for a new pricing system, branding it both complicated and unnecessary. The post industry watchdog voiced its disapproval of the new system, which will take into account the size...

GUS Home Shopping develops plan to consolidate online and off line promotions.(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... GUS Home Shopping is developing a loyalty strategy that could see the mail order company integrate offline and online promotions, and roll out e-marketing strategies across its range of catalogues. Clothes catalogue Argos Additions is the...

Arrests made in fraud case involving mail found in skips.(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Officers from the Metropolitan Police's Special Grime Unit have arrested five people in connection with an ongoing enquiry into an allegation of conspiracy to defraud customers, by private postal distributors. In the largest case of its...

PFP charity successor saved from closure.(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Some of the the country's biggest charities have escaped severe financial losses after the UK's largest personal fundraiser was pulled back from the brink of receivership by an 11th-hour cash injection. Open Air Fundraising, the company...

Travel website launches debut offline strategy. (News).(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... OnlineTravel.com is making its first foray into offline direct marketing in a bid to secure a larger share of the lucrative Internet booking market. The Web-based travel company, which deals with last-minute breaks, sporting holidays and...

Parlophone tests mobile scheme to lure youth. (News).(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Parlophone is hoping to generate closer links with teenagers on the club scene by embarking on its debut mobile marketing initiative. The record label has primarily used direct mail and e-mail to communicate with fans of its artists. In a...

Scottish Widows targets parents. (News).(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Scottish Widows is shifting the focus of its Stakeholder pension marketing with a mailing campaign aimed at the parents and grandparents of potential customers. The mailing, which was produced in-house, will be sent to 100,000 households...

Bacardi adopts SMS to push Limon brand. (News).(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Bacardi-Martini is undertaking an ambitious SMS campaign to launch its latest alcopop product Bacardi Limon. The company increasingly sees SMS as an effective way to communicate with the crucial 18- to 35-year-old consumer group, and will...

Tequila aims to extend offering with US growth. (News).(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Omnicom's Tequila network is establishing a complete worldwide marketing offering by launching in the US for the first time. Tequila, which has billings in excess of $lbn ([pounds sterling]64m) with 28 offices in Africa, the Middle East,...

More Th>n to launch calendar loyalty service. (News).(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... More Th>n is launching a loyalty scheme, harnessing e-mail and SMS marketing techniques, to build closer relationships with customers. The service, which will remind members of important dates, is split into seven sections: car, home, pet,...

P&O promotes maiden voyage with direct push. (News).(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... P&O Cruises is raising awareness of its prestigious new liner for the Caribbean with the launch of a 6.6 million-strong insert campaign to promote its inaugural outing. Oceana will officially join the fleet in November, but P&O is...

FT Group proposes central database in cross-sell plan. (News).(Financial Times Group)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... The Financial Times Group (FTG) is building its first central marketing database, as part of plans to develop its customer relationship management (CRM) programme and boost profits. FTG, whose operating profits fell 27 per cent from [pounds...

Grout returns to WWAV in international lead role. (News).(Steve Grout)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Steve Grout, a former WWAV Rapp Collins client services director, is returning to the agency after a five-year hiatus, to head its new international 'cluster'. Beginning the role at the start of September, Grout will fill the final...

Inserts promote revamped Scots Friendly flagship. (News).(promotion from Scottish Friendly Assurance)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Scottish Friendly Assurance is to reposition one of its flagship products to target the parents of the next generation of undergraduates via a new direct marketing campaign. The Child Bond was originally marketed as a general investment...

Readers' Union revamps strategy to entice clients. (News).(TDA appointed to develop new strategy)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Niche mail order book club Readers' Union is repositioning to differentiate itself from competitors, in an effort to reduce customer churn and gain new customers. The company, once part of Reader's Digest and operating for more than 30...

Cancer Research uses 'real' DRTV. (News).(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Cancer Research UK is continuing with its strategy of using real cancer victims in its advertising campaigns with the launch of a new series of DRTV ads. The executions form part of the charity's first DRTV work since its launch earlier...

Jurys Doyle seeks to build summer revenue. (News).(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Jurys Doyle Hotel Group is conducting one of its most targeted below-the-line campaigns to date, in a bid to boost revenue during the busy summer period. The Irish-owned chain has substantially dropped prices on rooms at four- and...

Britvic launches celebrity onpack promotion. (News).(Britvic Soft Drinks)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Britvic Soft Drinks is planning to capture data via an onpack promotion for its 7up and Pepsi two litre bottles and multipacks. Some 20 million promotional packs will offer prizes such as a day in the studio with Pop Idol Gareth Gates or the...

uSwitch embarks on e-mail campaign. (News).(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Energy and telephone comparison shopping company uSwitch is launching an e-mail campaign to its database to discover why people change suppliers. In the campaign, developed by Harvest Digital, the company will segment its database and try to...

Bargainholidays.com offers iTV service. (News).(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Bargainholidays.com is set to become the first e-travel brand to offer deals through interactive TV. Offered through digital TV service KIT, the online package holidays company will offer 24-hour access to thousands of last-minute deals. Using...

Domain Group recruits strategic planner. (News).(Simon Turner)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... The Domain Group has appointed Simon Turner as strategic planner. With over 15 years experience in the non-profit sector, Turner joins from Lion (formerly Burnett Associates), where he was account director and strategy consultant. He will focus...

PPP healthcare hires Carlson Marketing Group. (News).(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Private health insurer PPP healthcare has appointed Carlson Marketing Group to handle its direct marketing account. The insurer plans to strengthen its customer acquisition tactics across inserts, direct mail and off-the-page ads.

Touchdown to hire first client services chief. (News).(Julian Bessey)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Touchdown Integrated Marketing is looking to enhance its reputation among the financial services sector with the appointment of its first client services director. Julian Bessey takes up the position this month after moving from O2...

First Resources seeks to extend reach with catalogue acquisition. (News).(purchases majority stake in Ancestral Collections)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Mail order specialist First Resources is continuing its acquisitions strategy by obtaining a majority stake in upmarket household accessories catalogue Ancestral Collections. The purchase, for an undisclosed sum, follows First Resources'...

Telewest Business adopts customer focus. (News).(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Broadband supplier Telewest Business is aiming to boost subscriptions to its services with a below-the-line campaign which will see the company adopt a more customer-centric approach. The campaign, devised by Heresy, the HHCL & Partners...

London Stock Exchange embarks on direct drive to secure position. (News).(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... The London Stock Exchange is poised to launch a new wave of direct marketing activity in an ongoing bid to convince the business and private investor community of its leading status. The international finance exchange will launch a new...

US bill places spammers liable for massive fines. (International).(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Columbus, Ohio: Advertisers blasting consumers with unsolicited e-mail could soon be hit with fines if a proposal to outlaw spam in Ohio is passed this month. The law will require senders of unsolicited commercial e-mail to honestly...

French insurer proposes CRM blitz. (International).(Assurances Banque Populaire, customer relationship management)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Paris: Assurances Banque Populaire (ABP) is hoping to bolster its position in the market by developing its most targeted activity to date. The insurance division of the Banques Populaires Group is hoping to reduce mailing costs by 40 per...

Lastminute.com targets share of Japan travel sector. (International).(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Tokyo: Lastminute.com is poised to launch an aggressive acquisition strategy in a bid to claim a slice of the [euro]152bn ([pounds sterling]98 bn) Japanese travel market. The online travel and leisure solutions provider activated...

New words on Polish streets. (International).(demand for mobile telecommunications grows in Poland)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Warsaw: Driven by increasing costs on fixed lines, nearly 30 per cent of the Polish population (11 million people) now own a mobile phone. This new-found popularity has opened up the telecoms market and dramatically changed the way in which...

Industry looks back at ten years of the DMA. (News Analysis).(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... The DMA [UK] was last week honoured at a gala function celebrating its tenth birthday. Among the congratulations, some of its leading figures review its past performance and speculate on its future direction Glen Mutel reports. The DMA...

Combining for direct success: as agencies strive to achieve success, many embark on ambitious mergers. So what does the formation of global network ARC mean for our industry? (News Analysis).(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Hot on the heels of the unification of DraftWorldwide and Lowe Live (PM June 14) comes another significant agency merger, as Bcom3-owned D'Arcy solders together 32 marketing services divisions in 19 countries to form global network ARC (PM last...

Permission to target is not a licence to spam.(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Immediacy, intimacy, intrusiveness. There's no doubt about it, the mobile phone represents the Holy Grail of direct marketing. No other medium offers the dream of such relevance of person, context, timeliness, location. But consider the...

Letters.(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... UK call centres remain top for our campaigns Continuing the patriotic fervor of the past month, I'm issuing a cry to all those considering outsourcing a telemarketing campaign - British is best. After reading that Canberra is the...