Precision Marketing articles from November 2008

Precision Marketing archives from November 2008

LEADER: A new beginning.(Column)
November 14, 2008... Five days into the new job (as I write) and my feet haven't yet touched the floor. In that short time, the amount I've learned from colleagues and the several industry people I've already met and chatted to is incredible. It's always...

NEWS ROUNDUP: Downturn focuses marketers on CRM.
November 14, 2008... Over 80 per cent of marketers are investing in CRM because of the economic downturn, a new report reveals. More than half of businesses are investing in growing brand loyalty among existing clients in the weaker economic conditions, according...

NEWS ROUNDUP: Comparethemarket.com appoints VCCP for #20m brief.
November 14, 2008... Comparethemarket.com has retained VCCP to handle its #20m integrated account. The agency won the account following a competitive pitch, handled by the AAR. The brand's marketing strategy takes a multi-media approach, focusing on consumer...

NEWS ROUNDUP: Littlewood's Shop Direct axes up to 400 staff.
November 14, 2008... Littlewood's Shop Direct Group, the UK's leading online and home shopping retailer, is axing up to 400 call centre jobs in a bid to move away from traditional mail order to online. As part of the ongoing transformation from a catalogue to an...

NEWS ROUNDUP: DMA appoints Metcalfe as chair.(Direct Marketing Association appoints David Metcalfe )(Brief article)
November 14, 2008... The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has appointed David Metcalfe as its new chair of its board and advisory council, following a recent restructure. Metcalfe was previously vice-chair of the board. Metcalfe is currently the head of...

NEWS ROUNDUP: M&S reviews marketing budget.(Marks and Spencer PLC)(Brief article)
November 14, 2008... Marks & Spencer is understood to be reviewing all its marketing spend that could lead to a review of its agency arrangements. The high street retailer is expected to be cutting its TV advertising budgets, as part of a review of its media...

NEWS ROUNDUP: Button takes head of CRM role at HMV.
November 14, 2008... Music giant HMV has appointed Lexus' direct marketer Matt Button to the newly created role of head of CRM. Button, will report to marketing director Graham Sim and will be tasked with developing HMV's CRM strategy, bringing together both...

NEWS ROUNDUP: Proximity tops DMA shortlist.
November 14, 2008... Proximity London heads the shortlist for the 2008 DMA Awards, securing eight nominations for clients Royal Mail, Volkswagen and TV Licensing. Story has seven short listed nominations and is the top agency for securing the most nominations...

NEWS ROUNDUP: Nissan gears up for direct mail push.
November 14, 2008... Nissan is launching a direct mail drive to promote its new Nissan Note Acenta S. The campaign, created by Tullo Marshall Warren (TMW), aims to encourage prospective customers to experience the B-MPV car that incorporates 'friendly...

NEWS ROUNDUP: Unicef seeks agency for high value donor account.
November 14, 2008... International welfare charity Unicef is seeking a retained agency to handle its high value donor fund-raising account. The programme will be part of the charity's direct marketing activities. The review will not affect the relationship with...

NEWS ROUNDUP: Email marketers must focus on targeting.
November 14, 2008... Email marketers are ignoring the hidden costs of email marketing, and wasting thousands of pounds, a new report shows. The E- Consultancy/Adestra Email Marketing Industry Census 2008, shows digital marketers are spending too much time on...

NEWS ROUNDUP: Internet Advertising Bureau appoints head of mobile.
November 14, 2008... The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) has appointed Orange's former head of marketing Jonathan Mew as its first head of mobile, in a bid to grow the sector in the UK. Copyright: Centaur Communications Ltd. and licensors

NEWS ROUNDUP: Energy Saving Trust reviews #2m digital task.
November 14, 2008... Energy Saving Trust is seeking a lead digital agency to handle its #2m online marketing account. The UK's leading organisation set up to address the damaging effects of climate change, is seeking an agency to handle its online brand,...

NEWS ROUNDUP: Prospect Swetenhams and Market Monitor merge into ICC.(Prospect Swetenhams merges with Market Monitor )(Brief article)
November 14, 2008... Bisnode has merged Prospect Swetenhams and Market Monitor into credit and risk information business ICC, in a move that will signal an end for the marketing services brands. Prospect Swetenhams and Market Monitor will become ICC's Marketing...

NEWS ROUNDUP: N&P appoints Alterian to boost online.(Norwich and Peterborough Building Society)(Brief article)
November 14, 2008... Norwich and Peterborough (N&P) Building Society has appointed Alterian to boost its online customer experience. The UK's 13th largest building society will use Alterian's Content Management system to create a more sophisticated and...

NEWS ROUNDUP: Broadsystem scoops Marriott business.(Brief article)
November 14, 2008... Hotel group Marriott UK and Ireland has appointed customer communications specialist Broadsystem to manage its entire direct marketing programme. Broadsystem has been tasked with the design, build and management of a bespoke CRM platform, and...

NEWS ROUNDUP: Dyer quits Caspian.(Caspian List & Data Management Ltd)(Sue Dyer)(Brief article)
November 14, 2008... Caspian List and Data management director Sue Dyer has left the business after four years in her role. Dyer joined Caspian in 2004 as director. It is unknown if she has a job to go too. Caspian founder Irit Reed will now take over Dyer's...

NEWS ROUNDUP: John Lewis appoints Experian CheetahMail.
November 14, 2008... John Lewis has appointed Experian CheetahMail as its UK e-mail marketing partner. John Lewis Partnership will use Experian's global e- mail marketing and customer intelligence service to optimise all of its permission-based e-mail marketing...

NEWS ROUNDUP: The REaD Group acquires meta-morphix.
November 14, 2008... The REaD Group has acquired sole ownership of meta-morphix, after securing Tri-Direct's 50 per cent stake in the business. The London- based data bureau has now increased its 50 per cent share to 100 per cent, following the buyout. ...

ANALYSIS: Funds dry up for industry takeovers.
November 14, 2008... 2008 has been very different to 2007 as UK plcs start to put the brakes on their merger and acquisition programmes While 2007 might have been considered a robust year for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in direct marketing, 2008 might be...

ANALYSIS: Channeling the right messages.
November 14, 2008... D'MAND research reveals that consumers are taking more notice of the communications they receive. Quality data and intelligent targeting are more important than ever Now is the time when marketing effectiveness can cover itself in glory....

ANALYSIS: Charities suffer as consumers cutback.
November 14, 2008... Now that consumers have less disposable income to spend charities are starting to suffer. Clearly, the challenge for charities is to retain their existing supporters With high interest rates, low levels of lending and an increasing job...

CONSUMER INSIGHT: Targeting the UK's most affluent consumers.
November 14, 2008... While many are starting to feel the pinch there are still sectors of society with cash to spend. It is vital to understand what makes these consumers tick in order to reach them These are some of the most affluent people in the UK. They...

PROFILE - DAVID METCALFE: Direct talking.
November 14, 2008... As chairman of the DMA David Metcalfe faces a number of challenges, including improving direct mail's image and focusing on the environment and data protection While some might argue the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has previously...

OPINION: Small businesses use B2B data too.(Column)
November 14, 2008... In the B2B data industry, we are all guilty of talking a different language - a data language which has the propensity to exclude the small business segment. Despite making up the majority of our business community, small business owners seem...

LETTER: We need to drive change.(Letter to the editor)
November 14, 2008... After reading your green feature (Data with green labels, October 2008) I can't help but feel that time and time again, we as an industry discuss and debate the complications around environmental issues, but what are we really doing to...

LETTER: Don't neglect catalogues.(Letter to the editor)
November 14, 2008... Your article on the importance of integrated marketing in the home shopping arena (The allure of online shopping, PM September) made some interesting assertions. However, it would appear that in the brave new world of e-commerce, companies are...

LETTER: Invest for the long term.(Letter to the editor)
November 14, 2008... Does it have to be a fact of life that marketing budgets face the axe when times get tough? Market conditions are certainly pretty troublesome right now, but where there are threats there are opportunities. It's well documented that brands...

LETTER: Do we need another label?(Letter to the editor)
November 14, 2008... David Reed raises some excellent points over the merits of applying a green label to data usage (Data with green labels, PM October). For all the good such a label would provide, two key problems remain. Data quality is likely to be a...

VIEWPOINT: And the winner is.(Viewpoint essay)
November 14, 2008... Awards should be treated like an investment and have their own line in the marketing budget to account for the time and cost investment needed to enter. Applying for business awards takes a lot of time, effort and skill. Many businesses...

OPINION: Integration is the key to search success.(Brief article)(Column)
November 14, 2008... Everyone expects that search marketing spend will be the most recession proof area of all. I sit on the IAB's Search Council, alongside other agencies, clients and the three major search engines. The prevailing mood is far from being...

CREATIVE CRITIQUE: NOVEMBER 2008.
November 14, 2008... Rena Varsani and Greg Bedford, Senior Creative Team, Meteorite In an increasingly serious times where all talk revolves around weighty issues like the economy or property prices, we though we'd give you some light relief. All of these...

ACT ON CO2: Targeted creativity.
November 14, 2008... Should you invest in creativity or targeting? Clearly one without the other doesn't work, but finding the right combination of the two for your market will achieve the best results A penny-pinching dad who stomps around his house turning...

FOCUS ON LEAD GENERATION: Flocking for consumer leads.
November 14, 2008... When it comes to online leads quality is better than quantity, but that can come at a price. However, as Marketers slow down for Christmas now could be the perfect time to strike, says David Reed Christmas is coming. For many traders,...

VERTICAL MARKETS: How to keep the tills ringing.
November 14, 2008... In a downturn retail marketers need be creative, and the need to avoid cluttering stores with promotional material means online, email and mobile promotions will be critical to success As the economic downturn begins to bite, retailers...

CONTACT CENTRE SURVEY: Staying in close contact.
November 14, 2008... PM's annual round up of the contact centre supplier market gives you all the key stats on the industry's key players and emerging trends First of all, the big picture. The combined turnover for the 19 contact centres featured in this...

FOCUS ON SINGLE CUSTOMER VIEW: Getting a global picture.(Company overview)
November 14, 2008... Marketers are increasingly looking for customer information that is unified at an international level. Suppliers that can meet this need will reap huge benefits, says David Reed Think global, act local has been a management mantra for some...

FOCUS ON SINGLE CUSTOMER VIEW: CASE STUDY - One single source.
November 14, 2008... Procter and Gamble's large scale Pan-European database will be the first of its kind with a 360deg SCV Five years ago, Procter & Gamble (P&G) wanted to lift its locally managed databases into one central base. One solid foundation,...

FOCUS ON SINGLE CUSTOMER VIEW: CASE STUDY - Deeper facts & figures.
November 14, 2008... Marketing deficit Since the digital revolution, the newspaper industry has understood the need to re-strategize from a volume-driven to a revenue-driven sales approach. Although Wegener NieuwsMedia has a successful online media offer,...

FOCUS ON SINGLE CUSTOMER VIEW: Striking the right balance.
November 14, 2008... A single customer view can uncover a wealth of opportunities. However, depending on the frequency of interactions, it's important to get the balance right to avoid being overwhelmed by data, says David Reed Think of a single customer...

FOCUS ON SINGLE CUSTOMER VIEW: CASE STUDY - Racing ahead.(Company overview)
November 14, 2008... When Betfair's SCV database went live the data team were swamped with requests. A "Data Literacy" project gave the marketers a better understanding of the new resource Established in 2000, Betfair currently handles a massive 5 million...