Precision Marketing articles from November 2005

Precision Marketing archives from November 2005

Royal Mail 'will still dominate market in 2010'.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Postcomm has admitted there are still huge barriers to competition in the postal market - including poor consumer awareness, the risk of anti- competitive behaviour, and Royal Mail's VAT exemptions - claiming it will be years before Royal...

Britvic chief rejects paying for ideas.(Britvic Soft Drinks, Andrew Marsden )(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Britvic Soft Drinks category director Andrew Marsden claims agencies are under-selling themselves by demanding payment purely for ideas, because clients place greater emphasis on strategic advice than creativity. Marsden, speaking at a...

DMA members face axe over silent calls.(Direct Marketing Assocition)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... The direct marketing industry has thrown its weight behind regulator Ofcom's crackdown on silent calls, despite the fact that four DMA (UK) member companies face expulsion from the trade body for breaking its rules. The new measures -...

Virgin Trains trawls for database specialist.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Virgin Trains is understood to be approaching direct marketing agencies about handling its database marketing account. The train company's database is currently managed by inhouse outfit Trainline, which also handles its call centre and...

Four agencies lead industry award shortlist.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Four agencies - Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw, Harrison Troughton Wunderman, Craik Jones Watson Mitchell Voelkel and OgilvyOne - look set to dominate this year's DMA Awards. Kitcatt Nohr has chalked up 11 nominations - five each for Virgin...

Golley Slater wins Euronics retail account.
November 4, 2005... Electronics retailer Euronics has appointed Golley Slater to handle its direct marketing and digital activity. The appointment was made following a three-way pitch. Golley Slater will also handle the company's brand awareness advertising...

Teletext Cars campaign marks direct debut.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Teletext Cars, an interactive TV service that enables users to buy new and used automobiles, is launching its first ever direct marketing campaign. The initiative is the first stage of a larger campaign incorporating all of Teletext's...

Trust calls for 20% energy saving.(Energy Saving Trust )(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Energy Saving Trust is rolling out an integrated campaign incorporating TV, press, direct mail and online marketing to mark its ninth annual Energy Saving week. The initiative is designed to encourage people to save 20 per cent of...

Paper industry 'in the dark' over PIP.(pricing in proportion by Royal Mail Group PLC)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... The paper industry is being urged to wake-up to the imminent launch of Royal Mail's controversial pricing in proportion (PIP) scheme, after it emerged that industry body The Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI) has yet to draw up formal...

Olwen founders set up digital print operation.(Olwen Direct Marketing Services )(Peter Rivett and Andy Ruddle opens new company Real Digital International )(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Two of the founders of Olwen Direct Marketing Services have teamed up again to launch a print production and mailing house. Real Digital International is the brainchild of Peter Rivett and Andy Ruddle, who take the roles of chairman and...

A&L reaches out to small firms in mail offensive.(Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank )(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank is embarking on a direct mail campaign to promote its free current account for small firms. A mailing, devised by direct agency TDA, will be sent to businesses throughout the autumn highlighting the...

Pringles viral e-game pushes King Kong link.
November 4, 2005... Procter & Gamble is rolling out a viral campaign for its crisp brand Pringles, to promote a link-up with Peter Jackson's latest blockbuster King Kong. A game, created by Inbox Digital, will be featured on Pringles' King Kong microsite....

Nissan kicks off Micra C+C assault with charity tie-up.(Nissan Motor Company Ltd)(Breakthrough Breast Cancer)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Nissan is aiming to win over women drivers with a major campaign to launch the Micra C+C model, including a partnership with Breakthrough Breast Cancer. A mailpack, created by Tullo Marshall Warren, will be sent largely to women aged 25...

Samaritans in bid to win over high-value donors.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Samaritans is using direct mail to test its new strategy of recruiting high-value donors. The charity is launching a campaign, created by Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw, which will target affluent, professional individuals who regularly...

NS&I to step up targeting with data overhaul.(National Savings and Investments)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Government body National Savings & Investments (NS&I) is seeking a database software firm to improve its consumer records. The organisation is looking for a segmentation package that will enable it to make better use of its 26...

Masius promotes British Library service.
November 4, 2005... The British Library has appointed Masius to promote a new service designed to help entrepreneurs and small business develop and market new products. The first campaign will break next spring and is funded by a #1m grant from the London...

Clark McKay and Walpole seeks business chief.
November 4, 2005... Clark McKay and Walpole is hunting for a new business director. The role became vacant after former business development director Matthew McMinn was moved to the newly created position of account development director. Copyright: Centaur...

UIA Insurance targets Amicus members.
November 4, 2005... UIA Insurance is to use direct mail to promote its policies to members of trade union Amicus. The campaign, which has been created by Draft London, also comprises ads in union publications. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and...

Reader's Digest sifts through goneaways.
November 4, 2005... Reader's Digest is looking to improve the quality of its database by using Experian's Absolute Movers goneaway suppression file. The file will enable the magazine to prevent wasted mailings by identifying members in its database who have...

COI draws up anti-smoking agency shortlist.(Central Office of Information)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... COI Communications has shortlisted five direct agencies for its Department of Health anti-smoking brief. Craik Jones Watson Mitchell Voelkel has been teamed up with Abbott Mead Vickers and PHD, WWAV Rapp Collins with BBH and Manning Gottlieb...

Ex-Black Cat directors set up new agency.
November 4, 2005... Former Black Cat board directors Julie Cheetham and Guy McConnell have launched a new agency called Burn. The integrated agency's founding clients are Maiden Outdoor, Reed Exhibitions, financial exchange Zopa and water brand One. ...

iPoints gears up to bolster Xmas spend.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Online loyalty and rewards programme iPoints is launching a host of activity to encourage its members to spend with partner retailers this Christmas. The company will e-mail its members a series of nine iPoints online shopping guides,...

Yorkshire Building Society in insurance price assault.(WWAV Rapp Collins Leeds)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Yorkshire Building Society is challenging consumers to compare its home and motor insurance prices with rivals', through a direct mailing push. WWAV Rapp Collins Leeds is behind a drive to urge customers to consider the building society...

South West Tourism looks to boost holidays.(Redtag Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... South West Tourism is aiming to boost visitor numbers to the region in the run-up to Christmas. Direct agency redtag has devised a mailing campaign to encourage prospects from a warm database of mainly young professionals to visit South...

MRM Partners reorganises and changes name to MRM Worldwide.
November 4, 2005... Direct marketing agency MRM Partners has changed its name to MRM Worldwide as part of the reorganisation of its network. The move marks the final part of the UK agency's incorporation into the new-look MRM global network, which now...

Japanese demand ban on resident register access.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Tokyo: The Japanese government has been urged to restrict third-party access to residents' registers - including a blanket ban on access for commercial purposes - to protect personal data. The proposal follows the introduction of the...

German car firms axe advertising.
November 4, 2005... Hamburg, Germany: Germany's car industry has shifted its marketing allegiance towards direct mail, according to a recent survey. In its study of automotive companies, banks and car dealerships, Hamburg-based Nielsen Media Research found...

TNT builds database to conquer heart of China.
November 4, 2005... Shanghai, China: Global mail company TNT has compiled a database of 500,000 Chinese men and women in an effort to place itself at the centre of the country's burgeoning direct marketing industry. The company sent out 7 million...

ECHOs should echo the best.(DMA International ECHO Awards )
November 4, 2005... In an age of diminishing ice caps, lethal weather systems and violent tectonic shifts, we long for the security of international events that don't alarm us. The DMA International ECHO Awards provides this unvarying assurance. Each year,...

PROFILE - PETER THOMPSON: Joshua boss reveals gospel.
November 4, 2005... Offering clients a complete marketing package has proved extremely successful for agency Joshua. Vickie Lamb talks to boss Peter Thompson One such agency is Joshua, the Grey Worldwide-owned integrated agency that offers clients direct...

Help the Aged creates harsh winter message.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Help the Aged is launching one of its most hard-hitting campaigns to date as part of a dual strategy to highlight the dangers the elderly face in winter. The campaign, created by Joshua, uses stark imagery to communicate the fact that...

Telewest in on-demand offensive.
November 4, 2005... Cable company Telewest has launched an integrated campaign to promote new TV on-demand service Teleport. The initiative, which comprises mailings, TV ads, posters and door- drops, has been created by Rapier. Arnold Interactive is...

Take account of all market lines.
November 4, 2005... Media neutrality is the most utopian of buzzwords. The question is, how can one give the most objective recommendations to clients without a thorough knowledge of all available media routes to market? Surely if one's expertise is TV, then...

Time to expose 'disingenuous'.(clients not being professional)
November 4, 2005... On the odd occasion that I get to enjoy a drink or two with our industry's finest, one topic tends to dominate: pitches. It might be an old chestnut, but to hear the concerns and frustration with the pitch process and the lack of...

Letter: Sector still doesn't seem to realise the state it's in.(Letter to the Editor)
November 4, 2005... I read your recent letters and Leader column (PM October 21) with great interest, and considerable frustration. The growth of the various suppression files in the UK is of great concern to everyone in the industry, and yet the answers are...

Letter: A selective TPS the way forward.(Letter to the Editor)
November 4, 2005... Mike Harvard is absolutely right to push the case for a selective Telephone Preference Service (TPS) registration system through which consumers can pick and choose which types of call they do not want to receive (PM October 21). Does a...

Comment: Local government not clocking on to benefits.
November 4, 2005... With performance targets to meet, local authorities need to give their online services more prominence - and profiling prospects offers the perfect solution To date, all 388 English Local Authorities (LAs) have received funding to...

Letter: One-size-fits-all is impossible.(Letter to the Editor)
November 4, 2005... Tim Delahay makes an interesting point in his letter about Camden Council's ill-fated 'No junk mail' campaign (PM October 14). A one-size- fits-all view of what constitutes 'junk mail' is nigh impossible. After all, one of the cornerstones of...

Letter: IPA is correct to name and shame.(Letter to the Editor)
November 4, 2005... Good on the IPA for standing up for members by pledging to name-and- shame shoddy pitch practice (PM October 21). However, while the basic sense of justice feels inherently right, doesn't the apparent need for this kind of initiative...

Leader: Guilty secrets of the silent callers.(telecommunications regulation for direct telemarketers )
November 4, 2005... The headline writers were having a field day this week over the Office of Fair Trading's crackdown on silent calls, although a personal favourite has to be from the Glasgow Herald: 'If nobody's on the phone... a #50,000 fine's in the post.'...

Creative Critique: Online is the new telly.(internet marketing trends)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Warren Moore, Partner, Hall Moore CHI You read it here first. Online is now more important than telly. Over the past three years there's been an irreversible shift in media importance. Consumers are in control. They browse, they compare...

SPECIAL REPORT - PRINTING: Enter the digital age.
November 4, 2005... While digital printing is growing in popularity among direct mail users, many are still put off by its costs, and are sticking with the more restrictive litho route. But, with printing houses offering pick- and-mix options, the resistors could...

SPECIAL REPORT - PAPER AND ENVELOPES: This much we know.(new pricing in proportion regulation to benefit paper and envelopes industry)
November 4, 2005... While the direct marketing industry has finally accepted that pricing in proportion is on its way, the paper and envelopes sector seems less clued up on the upcoming changes. Yet it is just as involved. Emma Rubach reports At best, the...

Vector Direct puts names on market.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... DRTV infomercial company Vector Direct is expanding its list by 22,000 names a month, through ListLab. The database of 720,000 mail order buyers from the Vector Direct TV shopping channel includes additional demographic variables such as...

Arthritis charity sells database.(Arthritis Research Campaign)(MM Teleperformance)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... The Arthritis Research Campaign has made a list of catalogue buyers and charity donors available through MM Teleperformance. The catalogue sells gifts, gardening equipment, books and general household products, with an average order value...

More4mobile reveals names.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... More4mobile is unveiling a database of mobile phone owners through Go Direct Marketing. The list of 100,000 buyers has been generated through market research and subscribers to different mobile networks. Individuals are aged 18 to 35,...

City Census to unveil new list.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... City Census is releasing its updated list of upmarket and active investors, through Tri-Direct. The database comprises 35,000 names of active shareholders. The list consists predominately of affluent men who are homeowners and work at...

Eyestorm puts file up for rent.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Online art and photography website eyestorm.com is releasing a database of 40,000 email addresses of buyers, exhibition attendees and subscribers to its newsletter. The list, being managed by MM Teleperformance, consists of well-...

The Lounge hires promotions and events manager.(Hannah Vicary)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... The Lounge has appointed Hannah Vicary as project manager. She joins from Goldman Sachs, where she was roadshow marketing co-ordinator. Vicary's remit will include working with clients such as Samsung Mobile and Virgin Mobile to organise...

Spinnaker recruits four new members of staff.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Spinnaker has made four appointments across its agency. Wendy Culley joins as account director from Dare Digital. Previously, she worked at EHS Brann and Barraclough Edwards Chamberlain. Clare Winter joins as deputy creative director from...

PHD Confidential names account manager.(Thaer Namruti)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Direct media planning and buying agency PHD Confidential has recruited Thaer Namruti as account manager for the agency's analytics group. His remit is to include client development and he will work on accounts such as the BBC, British Heart...

Nice work: Ronke Atkinson.(Tullo Marshall Warren)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Nice work... is a monthly column dedicated to those people who are happy at work. Don't think it's possible? Read on Name: Ronke Atkinson Company: Tullo Marshall Warren Department: Data management Job title: Data group...

Debenhams to hand Blowfish credit card task.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... Debenhams is understood to have appointed Blowfish to handle direct marketing for its new credit card. The appointment is believed to be on a project basis. The agency has been charged with persuading customers to make more purchases with...

Great Ormond St launches online review for first viral offensive.
November 11, 2005... Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity is seeking to use viral advertising for the first time. The organisation is reviewing the medium's potential. If it decides to go ahead, it will start talking to agencies next year. The...

HSBC site bolsters global insight.(HSBC Holdings PLC contracts with J. Walter Thompson Co.)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... HSBC is amassing a database to reflect the attitudes and beliefs of global customers. Data will be captured via the company's new website, www.yourpointofview.com, which has been created by RMG Connect. Visitors to the site are invited...

Royal Mail plans PIP blitz to all UK homes.
November 11, 2005... Royal Mail is planning one of the largest marketing campaigns in its 350-year history, thought to be worth nearly #15m, for the launch of its controversial pricing in proportion (PIP) scheme. The push, to target both businesses and...

Unilever kicks off agency hunt for Dove brief.(Unilever Home and Personal Care USA)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... Unilever's Home & Personal Care division is talking to agencies about a brief for its Dove brand. The company is thought to be seeking an agency to work on a variant of Dove that has yet to use direct marketing, although its not known...

Empiredirect to roll out debut mailing assault.
November 11, 2005... Online electrical retailer Empiredirect.co.uk is embarking on its first direct mail campaign. The drive, created by EHS Brann Leeds, follows this year's launch of the firm's first TV advertising offensive (PM September 30). Two...

Scottish Equitable appoints WWAV Edinburgh.(WWAV Rapp Collins Edinburgh for direct marketing )(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... Pensions provider Scottish Equitable Protect has appointed WWAV Rapp Collins Edinburgh to handle direct marketing for its insurance products. The first activity is expected to promote the benefits of Scottish Equitable's recently launched...

Head of List & Insert Forum quits.(Steve Reid )(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... The List & Insert Forum's Steve Reid has stepped down as chairman of the group, set up by disgruntled list chiefs who were fed up with DMA (UK) inaction. The group, launched as the Swap Forum (PM July 16, 2004), changed its name last...

Crayon first 'carbon neutral' direct shop.(Crayon Responsive Advertising contracts with CarbonNeutral Company)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... Clients of Crayon Responsive Advertising, including BT, American Express and Norwich Union, are being offered the chance to make direct marketing campaigns 'carbon neutral', after the agency became the first direct shop to offset its carbon...

Racing UK eyes jump season in mail offensive.(campaigns)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... Horseracing television channel Racing UK is launching an integrated campaign to boost subscriptions during the 'jump season', from November to April. The initiative, through 141 Worldwide, kicks off with a mailing to existing and...

Smart Car bids for closer bond with customers.(DaimlerChrysler AG launches an online newsletter 'The Park & Read')(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... Car manufacturer DaimlerChrysler is aiming to improve relationships with owners of the environmentally friendly Smart marque with the launch of an online newsletter. The Park & Read initiative, created by agency Rapier, is part of a wider...

Otto UK online brief for Tequila\Manchester.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... Mail order company Otto UK has appointed Tequila\Manchester to handle an online customer management programme for a further three catalogues - Grattan, Look Again and Freemans. The agency, already incumbent on Otto-owned Kaleidoscope,...

Egypt plots attack on India to be 'call centre capital'.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... The Egyptian Government is to take on the might of India with a plan to make the country the leading customer contact outsourcing destination. The authorities are leading a push to alert global businesses to Egypt's outsourcing...

Scotland alerts firms to smoking in public ruling.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... The Scottish Government is launching a major direct marketing campaign to inform businesses of the total ban on smoking in enclosed public places, which will be enforced from March 26. The campaign kicks off with a mailing, created by The...

Video Arts push urges clients to upgrade to DVD.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... Training video producer Video Arts is adding a seasonal twist to the drive to urge owners of its videos to convert to DVD format. Direct agency Partners Andrews Aldridge is handling the campaign, which urges recipients to 'save money this...

Interflora develops 'reminder' scheme.
November 11, 2005... Interflora, the international network of florists, is launching a direct marketing campaign as part of its repositioning as a 'flower expert'. The initiative, created by WWAV Rapp Collins Leeds, is part of the company's new customer...

Blue Cross in call for added help over Xmas.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... Animal welfare charity Blue Cross is sending out a two-part mailing to boost donations this Christmas. The first instalment will be sent to 125,000 existing donors this month. It will be followed by a second next month, urging recipients...

World charity bids to step up donor loyalty.(World Emergency Relief account hands over to Cascaid)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... World Emergency Relief (WER), the international development charity, has handed its #8m fundraising account to charity specialist Cascaid, following a four-way competitive pitch. Cascaid will be aiming to develop WER's current donor base...

CMW in management shake-up.(Clark McKay and Walpole)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... Clark McKay and Walpole is restructuring its senior management, with client services director Martin Nieri taking on the newly created role of deputy managing director. Managing director Janet McKay and Nieri will preside over two new...

Shopzilla seeks agency for UK launch.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... Shopzilla, the largest shopping search engine in the US, is looking for an agency as it extends its operations into the UK. The firm is planning a seven-figure launch for next year, after testing the website in Britain. It has so far signed up...

NTL secures affinity deals.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... Cable firm NTL is in talks with a number of companies over an affinity marketing scheme. Lloyd James Group is managing the programme, which includes data management, campaign processing and production. It will target 500,000 of NTL's 3.4...

Sony Walkman unveils integrated push.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... Sony Walkman is launching an integrated campaign through design and marketing agency Tonic. The TV activity, which begins next week, links the user to a microsite, where consumers can explore six zones, each representing key features. The...

Page & Moy kicks off online drive for sales.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... Tour operator and holiday retailer Page & Moy has appointed agency All Response Media Digital to handle the media planning and buying for its first digital marketing campaign. The initiative, which is aiming to boost customer acquisitions...

Whale and dolphin charity hands brief to Whitewater.(Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... International charity the Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) has appointed London agency Whitewater to handle its direct marketing programme following a five-way competitive pitch. Whitewater's first execution for the charity is...

I Want One of Those site in Xmas inserts push.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... Online retailer of alternative gifts Iwantoneofthose.co.uk is launching a direct push to boost visitor numbers to its site in the run-up to Christmas. The campaign, created by EHS Brann, will consist of posters in tube carriages on the...

Ex-Joshua chief to head Proximity data operations.(Julie Screech at Proximity London)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... Proximity London has appointed ex-Joshua director Julie Screech head of data. Screech replaces Marc O'Regan, who recently resigned to take the role of director of customer intelligence at the Kantar Group, part of WPP. She will head a...

UK and Holland 'leading European suppression'.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... Brand owners in the UK and Holland are the top users of suppression files in Europe, according to new research. The study was carried out by Experian, which set out to chronicle the European suppression landscape by analysing millions of...

Filipino online loyalty tool launches.(Asiagate Networks introduces Message Guru customer relationship management tool)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... Manila, the Philippines: Direct marketers based in the Philippines are being offered a simple way to create customer management programmes, using a new service called Message Guru. The product, created by Filipino outfit Asiagate...

US direct mail users poised for hike in postal rates.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... Washington: The US direct marketing industry is bracing itself for a rise in postal costs after the independent Postal Rate Commission approved a 2 cent increase in the price of postage stamps. The recommendation, which will now go before...

India facing up to best practice.
November 11, 2005... Mumbai: Last year, a Delhi schoolboy shot an intimate video clip on his mobile phone of himself and his girlfriend and passed it to his friends. The message quickly spread among excited teens. Pretty soon, school boards were restricting the...

ANALYSIS: Could paying for ideas boost agency coffers?
November 11, 2005... In agencies' efforts to get a better deal, some are demanding payment for their ideas. But, even if client companies were to agree to this way of remuneration, would agencies really be any better off? Vickie Lamb investigates Should...

ANALYSIS: Wells draws up TNT battle plan.(TNT Mail UK chief executive Nick Wells)
November 11, 2005... With just under two months to go until the postal market is open to full competition, TNT Mail UK chief executive Nick Wells reveals how the TPG-owned group is planning to break Royal Mail's 350-year grip on the delivery business. Jessica...