Precision Marketing articles from October 2006

Precision Marketing archives from October 2006

Baker: Direct jobs come at huge cost.
October 6, 2006... Lib Dem MP Norman Baker has dismissed fears over the future of the 800,000 people employed in direct marketing - fuelled by the current media backlash - claiming: "Jobs are not the determining factor. Otherwise, we would still be manufacturing...

Sharpen hunts new role after RMG deal.(Gary Sharpen appointed at Research Market Group Inc)(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... Sharpen Troughton Owens Response creative partner Gary Sharpen is understood to have been told he has no role in the newly merged RMG/STO, leaving him searching for a job within the WPP network. His former business partner Martin Troughton...

WWAV lures BT chief to lead North start-up.(Jon Ghazi appointed at WWAV Rapp Collins Group )(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... WWAV Rapp Collins Group has poached BT head of strategy Jon Ghazi to run a new dedicated direct response media planning and buying operation in the North. Based at WWAV Leeds, the operation is to be linked with WWAV Rapp Collins Media...

IN BRIEF: Creatives vie for DraftFCB helm.(new appointments)(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... Two of the direct marketing industry's most senior creative directors are to battle it out over who will be top dog in the newly merged DraftFCB line-up. Dan Douglass, executive creative director at FCBi, and Arthur Parshotam, who holds the...

IN BRIEF: Ebay to woo brand-owners.(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... Ebay is targeting brand-owners with a service enabling them to offer fixed-price products to consumers without having to go through the bidding process. The scheme, Ebay Express, is likely to challenge the dominance of Amazon. It is to be...

IN BRIEF: Bounty in ELC sampling drive.(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... Parenting club Bounty has joined forces with the Early Learning Centre (ELC) to launch what is claimed to be the UK's largest sampling campaign aimed at parents with pre-school children. The 'Footsteps' pack is to be available at all 210...

IN BRIEF: VCCP launches search spin-off.(new appointments of Paul Mead)(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... VCCP is aiming to steal a march on adland and direct rivals with the launch of a dedicated search engine marketing agency. The shop, which backs Stephens Francis Whitson, is launching VCCPsearch to specialise in natural search engine...

Surge in email volume fails to dent response.
October 6, 2006... Predictions that email is set to level direct mail in terms of volume have been reinforced by the DMA (UK)'s latest email benchmarking report, which shows a 13 per cent rise in the first quarter of this year. Unlike direct marketing,...

Postal levy shortfall sparks talk of legislative backlash.(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... The privatisation of the postal market is threatening to wreak havoc with advertising self-regulation - potentially sparking a raft of Government legislation, according to Winston Fletcher, chairman of the Advertising Standards Board of...

Centrepoint to target year-round donations.(Centrepoint, one of the UK's leading homelessness charities)(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... Centrepoint, one of the UK's leading homelessness charities for the young, aims to bolster its year-round donor recruitment and development programmes on the back of its long-standing 'Countdown to Christmas' campaign. The charity has...

Daily Mail 'likes direct mail' despite junk mountain jibe.(Associated Newspapers Holdings PLC)(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... Associated Newspapers title The Daily Mail has admitted it 'likes direct mail' and uses the medium extensively as part of its marketing strategy, despite mounting a sustained editorial attack on the direct industry. The paper has also...

Jonathan Clark quits as chairman.(Jonathan Clark is stepping down as chairman from Clark McKay and Walpole )(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... Clark McKay and Walpole (CMW) founder Jonathan Clark is stepping down as chairman to take an advisory role - working only one day a month - 12 years after the agency launched. CMW has seen a raft of changes since it was bought out by...

Online spend to usurp press.
October 6, 2006... Online advertising is poised to overtake press by the end of the year - breaking the #2bn mark - on the back of 40.3 per cent annual growth in the first half. The move, revealed this week by the Internet Advertising Bureau, means online...

IN BRIEF: Patron takes on Red Eye role.(new appointment of data guru Mark Patron )(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... Red Eye International has appointed data guru Mark Patron chief executive, to fuel its expansion. The company has meanwhile acquired one of the UK's top usability companies, optimum.web, to strengthen its online proposition. It follows this...

IN BRIEF: Young guns award goes nationwide.(obituaries)(Obituary)(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... The Young Spark Award - launched in Scotland last year in memory of WWAV Rapp Collins Edinburgh managing director John Young, who died of cancer last summer (PM June 17 2005) - is being expanded to cover the whole of the UK. The scheme is...

IN BRIEF: Telegraph hires DLG for subscriptions.(Daily Telegraph PLC hires DLG Media)(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... The Telegraph Group, one of the first newspaper publishers to adopt a subscription marketing strategy, is aiming to boost the number of customers signed up to the scheme. It has handed the task to DLG Media, formerly Ventura Media. The account...

IN BRIEF: Butlins hands brief to Fox Kalomaski.(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... Bourne Leisure-owned holiday resort operator Butlins has appointed Fox Kalomaski to handle all direct marketing activity except the TV account, which it is taking inhouse. The company previously used Clark McKay and Walpole. Copyright:...

Presky Maves lands Three Barrels task.(First Drinks Brands Ltd contracts with Presky Maves)(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... First Drinks, the firm behind Glenfiddich, is planning to replicate the brand's customer management programme - and develop a database marketing strategy - for brandy brand Three Barrels. The company has handed the account to Presky Maves,...

Royal Mail unveils relocation file.(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... Royal Mail is taking on the likes of Experian, Acxiom and LBM with the launch of the Business Movers File - claimed to be a new source of information on firms that have relocated within the UK. The file, updated monthly, is designed to...

IN BRIEF: Postwatch boss probes Annies affair.(Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority )(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... New Postwatch chief executive Howard Webber has pledged to get to grips with the 'Roger Annies episode' when he takes up the role at the end of the month. Webber, who succeeds Gregor McGregor, plans to find out what was behind the dispute...

IN BRIEF: GMTV pulls MBNA 'junk king' report.(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... GMTV is understood to have been forced to axe a report exposing MBNA as the 'king of junk mail' after the US credit card company threatened legal action over the legitimacy of the figures. The scheduled news item was planned late last week,...

IN BRIEF: DMA offers firms 'fight-back bullets'.(Direct Marketing Association)(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... DMA (UK) bosses are fighting a new barrage of negative press coverage by arming members with 'crib-sheets' full of facts about the industry, providing what managing director James Kelly describes as "the bullets to fight back". The industry...

Waitrose hands direct brief to Kitcatt Nohr.(Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw appointed at Waitrose)(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... Waitrose has appointed Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw to handle its integrated direct marketing account. The agency has been hired following a three-way pitch, conducted by the Haystack Group - just three months after Manning Gottlieb OMD was...

Energy Saving Trust in public blitz.(Energy Saving Trust )(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... Not-for-profit organisation the Energy Saving Trust (EST) is encouraging consumers to slash carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent - to meet Government targets - through changing their behaviour. An integrated campaign dubbed 'I commit' is...

Look beyond online to build customer loyalty.
October 6, 2006... For some time now, certain sectors within direct marketing have been experiencing terminal decline. Acquisition campaigns have been delivering ever-decreasing efficiencies while customer value is eroded by a switching society and declining...

US DMA sets deadline for postal reform law.
October 6, 2006... Washington US DMA chiefs are urging members of the House and Senate to agree on postal reform legislation before Congress adjourns, or risk jeopardising the future of the universal service. The trade body stresses that ensuring the US...

India call centres set to triple US bank work.(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... Delhi India's outsourcing industry will be able to process up to 30 per cent of US bank transactions by 2010, according to the National Association of Software & Services Companies (Nasscom). This ambitious target is more than triple the...

G2 purchases Spanish data firm MDS Boole.(G2 acquired with MDS Boole )(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... Madrid WPP Group-owned G2 has bought a majority stake in Spanish data firm MDS Boole for an undisclosed sum. The company, which is based in Madrid, boasts a client list that includes Nokia, Diageo, Seat and Vodafone. Founded in 2003,...

Signs that legislative waters are calming.(international direct marketing )
October 6, 2006... International marketers search the globe constantly for a direct marketing utopia - somewhere where relevant global campaigns can be planned and integrated effectively, and go out to a receptive and responsive consumer audience. What they most...

ANALYSIS: Cost-savings being lost in UK postal services maze.
October 6, 2006... New entrants into the postal market have been quick off the blocks in luring major brand-owners. But the market's complexity and a lack of known form are deterring some clients from switching When the postal market opened up to full...

POSTAL SERVICES: The Facts.(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... All you ever wanted to know about the postal market but were too afraid to ask * The UK addressed mail market was worth about #6.5bn in 2004-05. The licensed area - mail that weighs less than 350g and costs less than #1 to deliver -...

Why the rise of email data hygiene comes at a price.(e-marketing )
October 6, 2006... The surge in e-marketing response stems largely from the providers' ability to address the curse of dirty data. But will companies be prepared to pay a premium? The DMA (UK)'s most recent email benchmarking report, showing a 30 per cent...

Is Smarteez a sign of insight leapfrogging creativity?
October 6, 2006... The launch of Smarteez points to a demand for agencies to become more technically literate and focused on consumer insight, in order to avoid producing loss-making creative solutions Liquorice has raised a few eyebrows by all but...

CONSUMER INSIGHT: City centres housing business leaders of tomorrow.
October 6, 2006... Anyone after newly wealthy individuals who are using free credit to finance a post-student lifestyle in central metropolitan areas look no further Last month we unearthed the UK's Cream of the Crop (PM September 22): a group of consumers...

CONSUMER INSIGHT: The Facts.(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... Up & Coming Elite - A day in the life Toby and Claudia met while studying at the LSE. Now Toby is on a 'fast- track' starting salary with a large oil firm, while Claudia works in the sales department of a small publishing company. ...

OPINION: Integration a natural not structural state.(Brief article)(Column)
October 6, 2006... Integration got a bad name in the Eighties, as ad agencies tried their hand at direct marketing, and vice versa. It became a byword for mediocrity across all media. Nowadays, though, I think all of us agree that joined up marketing works best....

LETTER: Email downtime needs to be examined closely.(Letter to the editor)
October 6, 2006... Email is now a business-critical application. So why is it that most companies cannot boast 100 per cent email uptime over the past month, let alone year? Not only is email now consuming a disproportionate amount of IT resource, but regular...

LETTER: Is Dan Bannister missing point.(Letter to the editor)
October 6, 2006... I'll give Dan Bannister the benefit of the doubt (Integration, PM August 11). I assume when he referred to emailing a broader audience of 'coulds' it was to support a new product launch, rather than just cold prospecting. Otherwise this...

LETTER: Dan Bannister's way will hurt this industry.(Letter to the editor)
October 6, 2006... Just when I thought email marketing was turning a corner, gaining consumer acceptance and realising what is spam and what isn't, I read Dan Bannister's Column "Email can lure 'coulds' as well as the 'shoulds'' (PM August 11). While I...

VIEWPOINT: Simple way to combat the fear and loathing.
October 6, 2006... Direct marketers need to address an increasingly consumer-centric world in which the recipient determines the time and manner in which they are communicated with These are strange times for our industry. While consumers are rushing to...

LEADER: Time for retail giant to have a big heart?(Tesco PLC)
October 6, 2006... So, the Tesco steamroller continues unabated; this week recording pre- tax profits of just over #1bn in the 26 weeks to the end of August, as sales increased to #22bn. But while this is great news for shareholders, who've seen their shares...

PROFILE: Jackson jets into RMG hot seat.(Linda Jackson of RMG Connect)
October 6, 2006... Linda Jackson: Despite turbulent times at RMG Connect, the agency's new EMEA chief executive - drafted in from New York - is upbeat about her role Charlie McKelvey The past few days at 1 Knightsbridge Green, London SW1 - home to RMG...

Creative Critique: 06.10.06.(Direct Marketing Association's Young Direct Marketing Awards)
October 6, 2006... By Aaron Martin and Garry Munns, creative directors, Ark UK There's been many times in our career when we've felt a bit mean, perhaps rejecting yet another round of creative from a team, or sending back a brief for the third time. But...

VERTICAL MARKETS: Santa flaws.(Christmas sales )
October 6, 2006... Christmas may represent boom time for e-tailers, but many stand accused of poor stock control, broken delivery promises and shabby customer service. Time is of the essence Online Christmas shopping is set to break all records this year....

VERTICAL MARKETS: The switch to tighter targeting.(prices of gas)
October 6, 2006... In the highly competitive utilities market, firms are increasingly relying on complex data analysis to lure not just any customers, but the most profitable ones Since the utilities market was privatised in 1997, a battle has raged to...

MAILING ISSUES: When the levy breaks.
October 6, 2006... Whether clients choose Royal Mail or a competitor, they are unlikely to avoid the cost of maintaining best practice standards. And neither should they, if consumers are to be kept on side David Reed Restaurant bills often arrive with...

SUPPRESSION: Suppressed intentions.(waste management of postal service)
October 6, 2006... Suppliers may currently be the driving force behind surges in the suppression market, but is an industry-wide file becoming a pressing concern? David Reed No marketer likes to think their carefully targeted, finely crafted mailshots...

LIST/INSERT FILE: Brora database put up for sale.
October 6, 2006... Clothing retailer Brora has unveiled its list through Fig Tree Direct Marketing. The company offers classic clothing for women, men, children and babies via a mail order service and website. Brora's range includes linen skirts and...

LIST/INSERT FILE: Executives list enters market.
October 6, 2006... Go Direct is offering a file of 215,000 names compiled from a variety of public domain sources. The company is offering a file of executives and their home addresses from a variety of professions, including accountants, doctors and...

LIST/INSERT FILE: Buyers of promo items revealed.
October 6, 2006... Kensington Specialities, a source of promotional products for small businesses or trade show events, has unveiled its list through McCarthy O'Connor. The list comprises more than 10,000 names of buyers of promotional items such as writing...

LIST/INSERT FILE: Thomas Pink reveals names.(user statistics)(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... Thomas Pink, the luxury shirt brand, has increased its list of 0- to 12- month buyers by 18,000. The list, offered through Uni-Marketing, is available immediately. It comprises affluent and professional buyers between the age of 25 and...

LIST/INSERT FILE: Wilmington file gets upgrade.
October 6, 2006... Wilmington Direct Marketing has unveiled its file through McCarthy O'Connor. The company specialises in providing lists of business professionals across 33 market sectors in the UK and around the world. The data comprises individuals...

MOVING PEOPLE: Piczo names Seth managing director.(appointment of Chris Seth as managing director )(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... Piczo, a social networking site with over 10 million teenage users worldwide, has appointed Chris Seth managing director. With over 16 years' experience in digital media and advertising, from the perspective of both media owner and agency, Seth...

MOVING PEOPLE: Communique360 hires media chief.(appointment of Anita Rayat as media and communications planning director)(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... Communique360 has named Anita Rayat media and communications planning director. Rayat was previously media director at Proximity, on accounts such as CITB Construction Skills, the RNLI, Save the Children and Sainsbury's To You. Sunita Spires,...

MOVING PEOPLE: Group Nexus/H picks marketing boss.(appointment of Meg Woolford as marketing manager)(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... Group Nexus/H has handed Meg Woolford the newly created post of group marketing manager. Woolford will oversee UK public relations and marketing, and new business opportunities for both Nexus/H and Media by Design. She is to focus primarily on...

MOVING PEOPLE: WDMP names four new recruits.(new appointments )(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... WDMP, the marketing communications agency, has made several appointments. It has lured Kingsley Taylor to senior account manager. Taylor will have responsibility for running the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors account, having previously...

MOVING PEOPLE: Ashley Bolser lures Bollard and Pond.(appointments of Catherine Bollard as senior account manager and Stuart Pond as account executive)(Brief article)
October 6, 2006... Ashley Bolser Agency - the full service direct marketing agency - has recruited Catherine Bollard and Stuart Pond to its Leeds-based team. Bollard joins as senior account manager, to work across a number of accounts including Asda Financial...

Baker faces backyard revolt.(Norman Baker)(Brief article)
October 20, 2006... Up to 20 businesses in Norman Baker's Lewes constituency could go to the wall if the Lib Dem MP has his way, according to Angela Walledge - former DMA (UK) Agencies Council member - who lives in the area. Walledge, whose business...

Royal Mail zonal pricing scheme to squeeze mail order firm profits.(Royal Mail Group PLC)(Brief article)
October 20, 2006... The mail order industry is bracing itself for the launch of Royal Mail's zonal pricing scheme, which is likely to hit the sector more than any other - and in one fell swoop wipe out the gains it made over pricing in proportion (PIP). The...

DLG 'biggest UK lifestyle group' in Wegener deal.(Wegener Direct Marketing)(Brief article)
October 20, 2006... DLG bosses claim the deal which has seen them buy Wegener DM UK from its Dutch parent, for about E20m (#13.4m), means the business has overtaken Experian and Acxiom as the country's biggest provider of lifestyle data. The move, confirmed...

IN BRIEF: Loyd Grossman in online overhaul.(advertising campaign )(Brief article)
October 20, 2006... Premier Foods is backing its Loyd Grossman 'Taste is everything' advertising campaign with a major online overhaul. The company has undertaken lengthy research to understand how Loyd Grossman's target audience interacts with branded and...

IN BRIEF: Perkins heads up investment fund.(Officials and employees)(Brief article)
October 20, 2006... Former Wegener DM chief David Perkins is heading up a new investment firm which has bought data analytics company Marketing Databasics. The move sees holding company Indicia Group acquire Marketing Databasics from call centre and fulfilment...

IN BRIEF: NU in 'pay-as-you-go' drive.(contracts of Norwich Union Direct and TDA)(Brief article)
October 20, 2006... Norwich Union Direct has appointed TDA to handle the direct account for the first of its ground-breaking insurance products - pay-as-you-go car cover - first revealed in Precision Marketing (PM October 21, 2005). The firm's new range takes...

IN BRIEF: Royal Mail unveils house-share data.(houses in multiple occupation)(Brief article)
October 20, 2006... Royal Mail has launched what it claims is the UK's first data file that helps companies target consumers living in houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). Following a dramatic rise in the growth of HMOs, the Multiple Residence File has been...

Energy Saving Trust pack to lure 'green' local authorities.
October 20, 2006... The Energy Saving Trust (EST) is aiming to tackle climate change at a local level by encouraging every local authority in England to sign up to the Nottingham Declaration. Tullo Marshall Warren (TMW) has created an integrated campaign,...

Early Learning Centre in largest ever drive.(Brief article)
October 20, 2006... Early Learning Centre (ELC) is bolstering its positioning as a fun and educational brand for children through its biggest marketing campaign to date. The integrated drive, developed by MC&C with creative work through United London, will...

Glenfiddich release eyes customer base.(Toasted Oak Reserve)(Brief article)
October 20, 2006... Glenfiddich is launching a targeted direct mail campaign to introduce limited edition Toasted Oak Reserve whisky to its database of customers. The company has previously identified customers' specific tastes through a customer management...

Industry forced to hold its breath on recycling targets.
October 20, 2006... The direct marketing industry may have to wait until the end of the year to find out if it has met Government recycling targets. This is despite last week's announcement that the general target to recycle and compost 25 per cent of household...

Honda to roll out mobile service.(Honda Motor Europe Ltd.)(Brief article)
October 20, 2006... Honda is launching a major customer management and data capture drive through its first mobile phone service. Honda Mobile offers a range of features for customers, such as advanced calculators to monitor fuel and other travel expenses,...

L&G poised to widen review.(contracts of Legal and General Group PLC and Creative Brief )(Brief article)
October 20, 2006... Legal & General (L&G) is understood to be expanding its creative review to include direct marketing. The UK's third-largest life insurer has appointed Creative Brief to handle the pitch. It won the account over Agency Assessments and the...

IN BRIEF: Public 'hands ID to bin raiders'.(identity theft)(Brief article)
October 20, 2006... Consumers are being urged to stop putting vital information in the bin, or face the prospect of falling victim to the UK's fastest growing crime: identity theft. The stark warning comes after a team examined the rubbish bins of a street in...

IN BRIEF: 40M people face bank probe.(bank accounts)(Brief article)
October 20, 2006... The Government is aiming to tackle the UK's #1 trillion debt mountain by allowing banks to share information on millions of accounts without their holders' permission, to prevent consumers from taking out loans and credit cards they cannot...

IN BRIEF: Thomson hands brief to WDMP.(Brief article)
October 20, 2006... Thomson, the UK's largest air-inclusive tour operator, has appointed WDMP to handle its #2m customer contact strategy and customer management account. The company is launching an online and direct marketing blitz. Copyright: Centaur...

IN BRIEF: BBC pushes children's books.(Brief article)
October 20, 2006... The BBC is promoting its three main education titles for children aged four to seven, to increase brand awareness and boost sales. An integrated campaign, which will include press ads and online activity, has been created by DS-J. The drive is...

Carbon Trust targets schools and colleges.(Brief article)
October 20, 2006... The Carbon Trust is unleashing a new integrated marketing campaign to encourage students and teachers to reduce the amount of energy they use in school. The push is to combat climate change and could save schools and further education...

Smart unveils fortwo model blitz.
October 20, 2006... DaimlerChrysler 'funky' brand smart is launching an online drive to promote its compact fortwo. A microsite has been designed to engage prospects considering buying a smart fortwo and provides visitors with a fun and interactive guide...

Joshua G2 snaps up Canderel business.(Brief article)
October 20, 2006... Merisant has appointed Joshua G2 to handle the integrated account for low-calorie sweetener Canderel, replacing Tequila\London after less than a year working on the business. The agency is to handle all promotional marketing in the UK,...

Virgin Trains staff in charity blitz.(Virgin Unite)(Brief article)
October 20, 2006... Virgin Group's charity arm, Virgin Unite, is urging Virgin Trains employees to raise money for its chosen charity for 2006: Heaven's Angels. The campaign is to include direct mail and posters, with the strapline: 'Fun saves lives.' It...

Single profit and loss key to joint approach.
October 20, 2006... Traditional ad agencies have long been criticised for their narrow world view. Everyone's heard the cliche: 'The answer's a 30-second TV ad; now what's the question?' But there are plenty of direct agencies out there that should be wary of...

South Africa hands #50m task to Ogilvy.(The South African tourist board)(Ogilvy Adams and Rinehart)(Brief article)
October 20, 2006... South Africa The South African tourist board is launching a major integrated campaign in an attempt to overtake Australia as consumers' destination of choice. The drive will run on all continents. The account, believed to be worth...

AIM Proximity trio to launch NZ data shop.(New Zealand)(Brief article)
October 20, 2006... New Zealand Three AIM Proximity bosses have left the agency to set up a rival company that will specialise in data-driven direct marketing. AIM Proximity group account director Simon Breed and colleagues Hamish Tavers and Mark Wilson are...

Ad Pepper Media unveils Australia office.
October 20, 2006... Sydney International online advertising network Ad Pepper Media is to open an office in Sydney, Australia. The first step in the company's expansion plans for the region, the office is designed to enable it to serve international clients...

Why firms are going to the Philippines.(quality of advertising )
October 20, 2006... The chairman of BBDO in Manila, David Guerrero, this month stated that the quality of advertising in the Philippines is fairly decent, and put forward recent Lions, Clios and One Show Pencils as examples. If further proof was needed, he...

ANALYSIS: Is it safe to trust your data to an Indian call centre?
October 20, 2006... With call centre fraud a global problem, the debate rages over whether C4 was right to focus on India. Either way, many observers believe no amount of bad publicity will halt the offshoring bandwagon The UK contact centre industry could...