Precision Marketing articles from July 2008

Precision Marketing archives from July 2008

FirstPlus pulls plug on direct blitz.
July 11, 2008... Barclays has scrapped a major direct marketing acquisition strategy for loans company FirstPlus, just two months after appointing WWAV Rapp Collins to the business. The move has been sparked by its decision to stop taking on new loans,...

Save the Children in direct agency hunt.
July 11, 2008... Save the Children, the international children's charity, is on the hunt for a new direct marketing agency. The charity is already understood to be in talks with a number of agencies with a view to pitching for the account. In the past,...

Orange win set to halt Chemistry sale.
July 11, 2008... Chemistry Communications is understood to have put the brakes on its sell-off in the wake of scooping the estimated #18m Orange direct marketing account. Earlier this month, Orange switched its entire business to Chemistry after parting...

IN BRIEF: Thomas slams EU data laws.(Brief article)
July 11, 2008... EU data protection laws are 'outdated, bureaucratic and excessively prescriptive', according to the Information Commissioner Richard Thomas. Thomas has commissioned a comprehensive assessment of the laws in order to identify avenues for...

IN BRIEF: Syzygy wins Orange business.(Brief article)
July 11, 2008... Orange has appointed Syzygy to handle its digital account for its business services. The agency will support a number of key strategic initiatives being undertaken this year by the brand. Syzygy managing director Gareth Phillips says: "This is...

IN BRIEF: Lloyd James buys Dudley Jenkins.(Lloyd James Group, data solutions specialists has acquired Dudley Jenkins)(Brief article)
July 11, 2008... Lloyd James Group, data solutions specialists, has acquired Dudley Jenkins' list broking business from DLG for an undisclosed sum. The move is part of Lloyd James' strategy to boost its position as one of the main players in the UK data...

Mail under cosh as 'millions are wasted' on shoddy data.
July 11, 2008... Two new studies paint a highly damaging picture of direct mail practice in the UK, claiming that misaddressed mailshots are costing businesses tens of millions of pounds. In the past six months, 53 per cent of consumers have received...

TMW picks up Berry Bros & Rudd business.(Berry Bros & Rudd contracts with Tullo Marshall Warren)(Brief article)
July 11, 2008... Berry Bros & Rudd, Britain's oldest wine and spirit merchant, has appointed Tullo Marshall Warren (TMW) to handle its direct marketing account. TMW won the business following a competitive pitch. The agency will be tasked with brand...

Targetbase Claydon Heeley reveals line-up.(2)(Brief article)
July 11, 2008... Targetbase Claydon Heeley has finalised its management line-up amid claims that its new offering - combining consumer science with creative - is akin to "planning on steroids". Under new chief executive Chris Gordon - former boss of WWAV...

P&O launches acquisition drive on back of test drive.(P&O Cruises )(Brief article)
July 11, 2008... P&O Cruises is rolling out an acquisition campaign following a successful test campaign which achieved response rates three times higher than targeted. The test campaign will be used as the basis for the push, which will launch this...

Nissan promotes super-car range.
July 11, 2008... Nissan is launching a campaign to promote the launch of one its most premium supercars, the Nissan GT-R. The drive, created by TBWA\Manchester, includes the continuing countdown of the new Nissan GT-R, which is available to buy in early...

SPCA appoints The Union.
July 11, 2008... Animal welfare charity Scottish SPCA has appointed The Union to handle its campaign in the run up to Scottish Animal Week. The agency won the brief following a competitive pitch against The Leith Agency and Story. The account was...

IN BRIEF: NHS in major data gaffe.(Brief article)
July 11, 2008... The NHS has admitted to losing a laptop containing unencrypted patient details, in the latest data blunder to hit the public sector. A laptop containing the names and addresses of 233 NHS patients in Leicestershire and Rutland were stolen...

IN BRIEF: LG's first TV ad for five years.(Brief article)
July 11, 2008... LG Electronics is launching a #3m global integrated campaign for its washer range, leading with its first TV advertisement in more than five years. The campaign, 'Discover the power of LG steam' focuses on TV, print, online activity and...

IN BRIEF: UK to get tough on data laws.(Brief article)
July 11, 2008... The UK could be one step closer to implementing legislation forcing companies to notify customers of data breaches, following new proposals to EU laws. The draft amendments to the EU ePrivacy Directive would require "providers of electronic...

Mobile fails to inspire consumer confidence.
July 11, 2008... The popularity of mobile marketing has only risen by 9 per cent in that past five years, despite the saturation of mobile phones in the UK, according to a new report. The research, conducted by G2 Data Dynamics via its panel of 30,000...

PM/CCB fast.MAP Marketing GAP.(Brief article)
July 11, 2008... The most vital question for many direct marketers is what makes consumers open and read a direct mail pack and for the fourth year running, the PM/CCB fast.MAP Marketing-GAP tracking study has re- affirmed that packs 'from a company or brand...

IN BRIEF: 192.Com makes moves to boost traffic.(Brief article)
July 11, 2008... Online directory company 192.com is ramping up its search marketing strategy in a bid to boost traffic to its website. The company has hired The Search Works to handle its search engine optimisation strategy as well as its paid search...

IN BRIEF: Saxton calls text donations review.(Brief article)
July 11, 2008... The viability of text message donations is to be scrutinised by outgoing Institute of Fundraising chair Joe Saxton with a view to reducing the prohibitive fees holding back the channel. Saxton is set to form a coalition of charities, trade...

IN BRIEF: Tourism Ireland hunts direct agency.(Brief article)
July 11, 2008... Tourism Ireland is hunting an agency to handle its #2.5m direct marketing account. The tourist board set up to promote Ireland as a holiday destination aims to increase tourism from the UK and to encourage Ireland to realise its tourism...

DIGITAL: Mbop plots pan-Euro email marketing blitz.
July 11, 2008... Online music store MbopMegastore has appointed eCircle to handle its pan-European email marketing account, in a bid to increase downloads. The store, which has 3.5 million songs available to download, has tasked eCircle to capture data on...

DIGITAL: Littlewoods inks affiliate deal.
July 11, 2008... Littlewoods has signed up as the first brand in Europe to embrace a new application enabling affiliate marketers to use interactive videos to drive customers to their websites. The video format has been launched by Platform A and is now...

DIGITAL: Why data in digital needn't be baffling.
July 11, 2008... The explosion of digital as a marketing channel has sent the volume of customer data available soaring. With the wealth of information, the depth to which we can understand the behaviour of customers online is unprecedented. The benefits...

DATA: Post Office seeks to unlock data potential.
July 11, 2008... The Post Office is harnessing the power of its customer data in a bid to increase cross-selling effectiveness across its recently broadened product portfolio. Having added a number of services to its customer offering, including...

DATA: Information Arts to launch new division.(Data Assets Division)(Brief article)
July 11, 2008... Information Arts, the B2B relationship marketing consultancy, is aiming to promote its data offering with the launch of a new department called the Data Assets Division. The division will handle Information Arts' growing portfolio of...

DATA: EuroDirect to join Royal Mail data partners.
July 11, 2008... Royal Mail is strengthening its investment in data services by adding EuroDirect to its panel of data partners. The move is designed to better service Royal Mail's customers with dedicated data solutions, and assist them in using data...

DATA: How speed is of the essence in data land.
July 11, 2008... In the good old days of direct mail list rental, clients would have to wait at least a week to receive their rented list data. Today, such a practice would lead to the death of the list industry as it stands. Why? Quick data turnaround...

ANALYSIS: Does the industry have 18 months to save direct mail?
July 11, 2008... Direct marketers have shown themselves willing to adapt to changes brought on by growing environmental concerns. There is still much work to be done, however Never mind the credit crunch or the rise of digital, with the direct marketing...

ANALYSIS: Industry rallies behind Thomas to toughen data laws.
July 11, 2008... With data breaches now commanding the front pages of national newspapers, the industry is starting to realise that it needs to take an active role to combat the problem With over 60 per cent of data protection and marketing professionals...

ANALYSIS: Why customer magazine sector is relishing title fight.
July 11, 2008... Virgin Media's success at this week's APA Creative Awards shows that the customer magazine sector is still vibrant. As it continues to deliver strong year-on-year growth, will the future remain bright? In the world of customer...

ANALYSIS: Affluent young professionals on the march.
July 11, 2008... With good jobs and high disposable incomes, the growing educated urbanite grouping should be high on the hot list for all marketers Educated urbanites are young and highly qualified, with the majority living in flats in the UK's major...

OPINION: Why 'greenwash' simply won't cut it.(Brief article)(Column)
July 11, 2008... Flick through any pre-qualification client pitch document these days and you will find a question on the environment - hardly surprising as brands seek to establish eco-friendly credentials. This reality struck me again as I read about a...

LETTER: Putting your head in the sand is not the solution.(Letter to the editor)
July 11, 2008... I have to ask: Has Karen Webster finally lost it (Is all party group such a good idea? precisionmarketing.co.uk) I thought having the category 'Almost Dead' in Mortascreen was about as mad as one could get. But now? It appears that Ms Webster...

LETTER: Don't sacrifice bigger for better.(Letter to the editor)
July 11, 2008... I read with interest the item on the launch of the IA Omni database and the comment by Simon Lawrence that many data providers "seem obsessed by the 'mine's bigger than yours' argument and miss the customer perspective entirely". It's a...

VIEWPOINT: Why do senior clients vanish after the pitch?(Viewpoint essay)
July 11, 2008... Clients may bemoan the fact that too often agency heads are absent from the creative process. But the same can be true of senior clients whose absence can have an equally detrimental impact Permanently listed in the Top Ten of client...

LEADER: Time to invest or await the inevitable.
July 11, 2008... Much like the poor old Dodo, the days of high-volume direct mail campaigns are well and truly over. This is where the similarity ends, however, as our fat, feathered, short-winged friend from Mauritius became extinct through child-like...

CREATIVE CRITIQUE: 11/07/08.
July 11, 2008... Bob Nash Creative director, CMW So this week I am mostly thinking about simplicity. I reckon that if you can clear out all the clutter that seems to seep in to advertising somewhere between concept and final artwork, it can leave you...

VERTICAL MARKETS: Why less is sometimes more.
July 11, 2008... Credit card companies have rarely shied away from mass market mailings. As the credit crunch takes hold, however, they are starting to rethink their strategies with a strong focus on segmentation The financial services industry, and...

DIGITAL AND DATA: Why data's gone digital.
July 11, 2008... Although surveys attached to guarantee cards continue to be packed with brown and white goods, capturing personal information via paper-based surveys has been in retreat for years David Reed Instead of focusing on unpopular...

LIST/INSERT FILE: Mail order buyers file up for grabs.
July 11, 2008... Howse Jackson Marketing is bringing what it claims is new concept to the market with the 'I Buy From...' list which allows brands to select buyers at single count level from named mail order companies. The list contains known buyers from...

LIST/INSERT FILE: M and M direct releases data.
July 11, 2008... Discount fashion, sports and outdoor home shopping company M and M Direct is releasing its list of online and catalogue buyers through ListLab. The file is recommended for mailers looking to promote telecommunication, health and beauty,...

LIST/INSERT FILE: Priority list from dry cleaning chain.
July 11, 2008... High street dry cleaning chain Johnsons The Cleaners is making available its updated Priority Club list of over 650,000 members. The list is now available through Go Direct Marketing. Members of the Priority Club benefit from discounted dry...

LIST/INSERT FILE: BBC Magazines unveils database.
July 11, 2008... BBC Magazines is releasing its database of subscribers for its food and home titles. The file consists of the current and previous subscribers, competition entrants and reader offer buyers to food titles Good Food and Olive and home titles...

LIST/INSERT FILE: Golfers swing on to the market.
July 11, 2008... Nationwide golf apparel chain American Golf Club is offering its database of over 49,000 names for the first time. The list is predominantly made up of males aged 30 to 60. The customers are upmarket golfers with an average order value of...

MOVING PEOPLE: Gyro International appoints senior planner.(Brief article)
July 11, 2008... Gyro International has appointed Fiona Robinson as senior planner. She will be responsible for strengthening the network's strategic and planning team and bolstering its loyalty offering. Robinson previously worked as head of customer...

MOVING PEOPLE: Multiple appointments strengthen twentysix team.(Digital agency twentysix)(Brief article)
July 11, 2008... Digital agency twentysix has made a raft of new appointments to its Leeds office. Sam Ineson joins as new business manager. He has over 11 years of experience in business development and client services and has worked with leading digital...

MOVING PEOPLE: 20 New recruits fill jey roles at WFCA.(Brief article)
July 11, 2008... WFCA has hired 20 new staff members. New recruits include Adam Morre as account director. He joins from M&C Saatchi, where he was also account director. Sarah Polin joins as account director from Summit. Damian McAlonan has been hired as new...

MOVING PEOPLE: Internal promotions at Dig For Fire.(Brief article)
July 11, 2008... Dig For Fire has extended its board with two internal promotions. David Moore and Stephen Mooney become digital director and business development director respectively. Moore was recruited to launch the digital business at Dig For Fire ten...

NICE WORK: Lucy Spooner.
July 11, 2008... Lucy Spooner Senior data analyst EHS Brann Discovery Responsibilities: Working with data I am responsible for producing and delivering varied analytical projects, ranging from simple frequency counts to more complex predictive...

Clients call for suppression reform.
July 25, 2008... Top client companies, including Amnesty International and Help the Aged, are calling for the industry to adopt suppression best practice - including the launch of a new logo for mailings - in a move that has gained the support from industry...

Proximity's Woolston quits for DMS top role.
July 25, 2008... Direct marketing agency DMS has recruited Elly Woolston as managing director, drawing to a close her 17-year stint at Proximity London. Woolston was one of the co-founders of Barraclough Hall Woolston Gray (BHWG), the agency which was the...

Orange axes two as McHugh takes over.
July 25, 2008... Orange UK has axed two senior roles - direct marketing head of broadband and head marketing for business services - in the same week as promoting direct marketing chief Spencer McHugh to head of brand communications. The senior...

IN BRIEF: BMW signs with Market Location.(Brief article)
July 25, 2008... BMW has appointed Market Location to handle its in-car local business database. The premium car marque will use Market Location's Directory Database in its in-car telematics service. The data is refreshed through a data feed from Market...

IN BRIEF: Plans to protect mobile users.(Brief article)
July 25, 2008... New measures are set to be introduced by the phone-paid services regulator PhonepayPlus in a bid to improve standards and protect the public. The proposals will ensure that consumers receive fewer and more targeted text messages, can make...

IN BRIEF: Intrusive ads devalue online.(Brief article)
July 25, 2008... The value of online advertising is in danger of being jeopardised as Internet users are increasingly avoiding websites with intrusive adverts. According to new research, 73 per cent of Web users have left a website because of intrusive or...

Generation Y: the biggest thing since 'baby boomers'.
July 25, 2008... Millenniums, Net Generation, Digerati, whatever you want to call them, with over 9.7 million of them in the UK aged between 14 and 29 they have the power and will to destroy your brand unless you engage with them in the appropriate manner,...

Enfatico starts hunt for UK creative chief.(Brief article)
July 25, 2008... Enfatico, the WPP-owned global network set up to handle the Dell account, is searching for an executive creative director for its UK operation. It is understood a number of industry figures have been approached about the job, although a...

St Dunstan's appoints TDA to boost activity.(Brief article)
July 25, 2008... St Dunstan's, the charity which supports blind ex-servicemen and women, is ramping up its direct marketing activity in order to meet ambitious growth targets over the next five years. The charity has appointed TDA as its direct marketing...

Feel picks up #4m Euro brief for recycling business Revive.
July 25, 2008... Revive, one of the UK's largest recycled paper brands, has appointed Feel to handle its estimated #4m pan-European integrated account. The agency has been tasked with launching the brand in Europe and building its brand value through...

Betfair launches summer push.
July 25, 2008... Betfair, the online betting company, is targeting lapsed users of its website in a bid to encourage them to return to the site to bet on sporting events this summer. The company has tasked direct marketing agency Flourish with creating...

Online focus for Club Med UK.(Brief article)
July 25, 2008... Club Med UK, the youth travel company, is embarking on a new marketing strategy which will see the majority of its activity diverted online. Following a three-month pitch, Club Med has appointed Cogent Elliott as its marketing agency,...

IN BRIEF: Lexus splits direct business.(Brief article)
July 25, 2008... Lexus has spilt its direct marketing business between Fuel and Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw. Incumbent agency Partners Andrews Aldridge's data division Fuel will continue to handle the car marque's data account, while Kitcatt Nohr will handle...

IN BRIEF: Report praises customer mags.(Brief article)
July 25, 2008... Customer magazines are the most relevant and informative form of direct marketing, according to a new report. The DMA Participation Media report 2007 sponsored by Experian reveals customer magazines generate the highest level of positive...

IN BRIEF: Flowers Direct joins ipoints.(Brief article)
July 25, 2008... Flowers Direct, one of UK's leading online floral and gift relay companies, has joined online loyalty scheme ipoints, in a bid to boost acquisition and retention. The online retailer aims drive loyalty amongst its customers through ipoints'...

Agencies line up for #2m education brief.
July 25, 2008... Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK) is searching for a direct marketing agency to handle its #2m account to improve skill-sets in the further education sector. LLUK has been commissioned by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills...

Zamano rapped by Phonepay Plus.(Brief article)
July 25, 2008... Phone-paid services regulator Phonepay Plus has slapped a #100,000 fine on a mobile content company for repeatedly breaking its operating code of practice. Zamano was originally found to be in breach of several sections of the operating...

IN BRIEF: Real Madrid goes mobile to target UK.(Brief article)
July 25, 2008... Real Madrid is investing in a raft of new mobile marketing initiatives to enable UK fans to support the football club from this country. The La Liga team has enlisted the help of Infomedia Services to develop and manage its...

IN BRIEF: Twentysix launches search arm.(Brief article)
July 25, 2008... Digital agency Twentysix is expanding its range of services with the launch of a new division specialising in search marketing. Twentysix Search will provide clients with a host of search marketing capabilities including search engine...

IN BRIEF: Thomas set to gain new data powers.(Brief article)
July 25, 2008... The Information Commissioner could gain greater powers to enforce data protection legislation following the announcement of new government proposals. Justice Minister Michael Wills has confirmed that a consultation will be carried out on the...

DIGITAL: Lotus goes digital to promote latest model.
July 25, 2008... Sports car marque Lotus is embarking on a digital drive to promote its first car launch in over a decade. The Lotus Evora will go on sale in 2009 and aims to reach customers who value their own individuality and are keen to express it...

DIGITAL: Permission to email on the rise.
July 25, 2008... Consumers are becoming more willing to give their email address to companies they deal with - and even those they plan to deal with - according to new research. The report shows that in the last six months 74 per cent of adults have given...

DIGITAL: Why it's important to work together.
July 25, 2008... The 'blurring of the lines' between the various media channels has been talked about endlessly across the marketing press but, in reality, do we know what this means? Agencies complain about the way in which their clients operate -...

DATA: Southeastern puts CRM rethink on track.
July 25, 2008... Railway network Southeastern is overhauling its CRM strategy in a bid to drive passenger satisfaction levels, and gain deeper insight into loyal customers. The train company has appointed The Listening Company to manage its customer...

DATA: EuroDirect revamps Cameo Australia.(Brief article)
July 25, 2008... EuroDirect has overhauled its Australian version of Cameo, and claims brand owners will be able target consumers down under with a greater precision than ever before. The database has been rebuilt using new datasets to categorise each...

DATA: Market Location releases new SME data tool.
July 25, 2008... Small and medium sized business can now interrogate their customer data to the same levels of sophistication as large companies following the release of a new multi-level online B2B data analysis tool designed specifically for SMEs. The...

DATA: Green revolution still some way off.
July 25, 2008... Since the new national waste strategy was published a year ago, there has been little evidence of a reduction in unsolicited leaflets and misdirected direct mail campaigns. The Government and DMA (UK) have agreed a system to allow people...

ANALYSIS: Industry pays hefty price for Government data-gate.
July 25, 2008... This year's CCB fast.MAP/PM MarketingGAP Report makes grim reading for those companies seeking new customers. But it is not all doom and gloom Industry fears that direct marketers would feel the brunt of recent Government data blunders...

ANALYSIS: What Bellwether really tells us about the industry.
July 25, 2008... While the latest Bellwether Report did not make happy reading for direct marketing professionals, there are many lessons to be learned as the industry looks to the future With direct marketing budgets being revised down for the third...

ANALYSIS: Industry experts question Electoral Roll decision.
July 25, 2008... The Government's latest report into data sharing has left many in the industry scratching their heads. In particular, the decision to abolish the sale of the edited Electoral Roll has caused much debate Thanks to the endless stream of...

OPINION: Announcing the birth of DM 2.0.(Column)
July 25, 2008... The recent Bellwether report showed that direct marketing 'budgets were revised down to the greatest extent in survey history'. Cue the clamour that this is further proof of the decline in direct marketing and the growth of digital as if the...

LETTER: The real facts behind the latest Bellwether figures.(Letter to the editor)
July 25, 2008... In response to an article on precisionmarketing.co.uk ('DMA study contradicts IPA gloom' July 1) I felt as author of the IPA Bellwether report I should clarify the apparent contradictions between the findings. First, and most...

LETTER: Putting thought into action.(Letter to the editor)
July 25, 2008... In recent issues of Precision Marketing there have been several references to the need for top clients to engage in creating sustainable and effective direct marketing. At Capital One we agree that it is vital that sustainable and innovative...

LETTER: The medium of a medium pizza.(Letter to the editor)
July 25, 2008... As a media owner specialising in on-the-street media, we're pleased to see the attention being devoted to new developments in the outdoor medium. Yet there's a danger that people will forget about the potential of innovative in-home...

VIEWPOINT: Is it time for a rethink on data verification?(Viewpoint essay)
July 25, 2008... The edited Electoral Roll was never an ideal solution, so has the Government done us a favour by proposing to axe it? Surely, it is high time we looked at alternatives anyway... It comes as no surprise that the Government's data review has...