Precision Marketing articles from September 2007

Precision Marketing archives from September 2007

Industry summit to tackle backlash.(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... The Advertising Association (AA) is to host a cross-industry summit, bringing together the bosses of the DMA (UK), IPA, ISBA and Royal Mail, in an attempt to defend the direct marketing industry in the face of a continuing media backlash....

RBS Insurance hunts for insight director.
September 7, 2007... RBS Insurance is understood to be hunting a director of customer insight with a brief to boost retention and cross-selling opportunities across its range of brands, including Direct Line, Churchill and Privilege. The marketing department...

Land Rover CRM chief takes on Hills Euro role.
September 7, 2007... Former Land Rover direct chief Serge Sergiou has joined Colgate- Palmolive brand Hills Pet Nutrition to head up its European customer relationship marketing programme. Sergiou is charged with spearheading Hill's new marketing strategy,...

IN BRIEF: Digital roster for Learndirect.(UFI)(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... The government body behind online learning and information service Learndirect is to build a roster of agencies to handle its digital account. The organisation, UFI, aims to set up a framework of agencies to develop digital campaigns,...

IN BRIEF: Push for bingo's biggest prize.(contracts of National Bingo Gaming Association and Spinnaker)(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... The National Bingo Gaming Association is launching a fully integrated campaign to push the introduction of a new game called the Big'N. The campaign, created by Spinnaker, features email marketing which will drive players to a dedicated...

IN BRIEF: Digital boost for McCartney range.(contracts of Hain Celestial UK and Silver Chair)(Linda McCartney)(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... The company behind the Linda McCartney food brand, Hain Celestial UK, is planning its first major foray into the digital arena with the appointment of integrated agency Silver Chair. The agency has been tasked with building the brand and...

Prize draw prison threat is 'scandalous exaggeration'.(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... The Institute of Sales Promotion (ISP) has hit back at claims that marketers could go to jail for flouting the new Gambling Act, branding it a "scandalous exaggeration". ISP legal director Philip Circus believes the warning - made by...

Vet charity overhauls Petsurance strategy.
September 7, 2007... Veterinary charity PDSA is planning to overhaul the marketing strategy for its pet insurance product, Petsurance, and has appointed Flourish Direct Marketing to the brief. The Bristol based agency has been tasked with developing a new...

VSO exposes Rwanda teaching catastrophe.(contracts with Kitcatt, Nohr, Alexander and Shaw)(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... Global development charity VSO is launching a major fundraising campaign exposing the educational crisis in Rwanda, where two-thirds of teachers have been murdered. The direct mail campaign, created by Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw, asks...

SweatyBetty adopts search marketing to boost presence.
September 7, 2007... Women's sportswear retailer SweatyBetty is to implement a major search marketing strategy designed to increase online sales at its site, www.sweatyBetty.com. The company has handed the brief to marketing agency Harvest Digital,...

Wales pushes 'peak' autumn hols.
September 7, 2007... Visit Wales is bolstering its campaign to promote the 'real Wales' in a bid to drive tourism throughout the autumn season. The drive, created by Partners Andrews Aldridge, will kick off around the theme of 'autumn is our peak season' and...

Privacy fears over Facebook.
September 7, 2007... Facebook's 39 million users are facing fresh privacy concerns after the social networking website revealed plans to allow members' profiles to appear on Internet search engine results. Until now, information added to Facebook did not...

IN BRIEF: DRTV boon for small charities.(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... Specialist medical charity Merlin has become one of the first small charities to exploit new technology, enabling it to compete with the likes of the NSPCC and RSPCA with a DRTV campaign. The ad has been produced and edited by charity...

IN BRIEF: Harris takes on Wunderman role.(appointment of David Harris at Wunderman Europe)(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... Wunderman has appointed former creative partner and founder of LIDA David Harris as executive creative director to head up the creative department; the role left vacant by the exit of Steve Harrison. Prior to joining Wunderman, Harris founded...

IN BRIEF: Gocompare in TV blitz.(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... Online insurance comparison site Gocompare.com is launching a responsive TV campaign to raise awareness of the brand and drive product sales. The campaign, created by EHS Brann Cirencester, features the tagline 'Why gocompare anywhere else?'...

VisitBritain seeks agency for Americas.
September 7, 2007... VisitBritain is hunting an agency to handle a #2m integrated account to encourage tourists from the US, Canada and Latin America to travel to the UK. VisitBritain Americas, the US arm of the UK tourism agency, is looking for an agency...

Castrol in global repositioning.
September 7, 2007... Motor oil and lubricant manufacturer Castrol is launching a major global re-positioning of its Castrol Professional brand. The company has appointed Carlson Marketing to handle a full strategic and implementation review of the global...

IN BRIEF: 'Direct mail costs soar' under PiP.(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... Two-thirds of businesses have seen direct mail costs soar under Royal Mail's pricing in proportion (PiP) scheme, according to a study, which debunks the postal operator's claim that "most of our customers will not be greatly affected". The...

IN BRIEF: Double whammy for call centres.(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... The vast majority of British consumers would ditch a brand if it switched its contact centre overseas or made it hard to speak to an operator, according to two separate studies which expose how cost- cutting strategies are alienating customers....

IN BRIEF: 31m consumers now shop online.(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... The online retail market has risen by 7,700 per cent over the past decade and is now worth #13.8bn - equivalent to more than 5 per cent of total retail expenditure - according to a new report, which claims that over 31 million UK consumers now...

Bmi in online overhaul to attract businesses.
September 7, 2007... The airline bmi is returning to its roots with a relaunch of its online presence in a move designed to attract the business travel market. A revamped website, designed and produced by digital agency twentysix London, aims to provide...

'Alarm over affiliate marketing'.(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... Digital agencies are letting down their clients by failing to grasp the intricacies of affiliate marketing, according to a new study, which exposes an "alarming lack of understanding of the issues". When asked about the effect affiliate...

Google deal would be El Dorado of Web.(Google Inc. planning to acquire DoubleClick Inc.)
September 7, 2007... Google's planned acquisition of DoubleClick is facing major legal challenges, so what is Google really playing for? In Japan, credit card firms are testing contextual advertising on credit card statements. Each statement carries full colour...

Otto builds customer insight with Experian.
September 7, 2007... Home shopping group Otto UK is to build a detailed picture of its customer base by interrogating the data it holds across all its brands. The company, whose brands comprise Freemans, Grattan, Montage, Oli and Look Again, is aiming to...

Brands 'wasting data from loyalty schemes'.
September 7, 2007... Brand owners are failing to use the data they gather as part of their loyalty programmes, according to a new study, which claims consumers do not believe they receive relevant marketing communications from participating companies. The...

Information Arts aligns with Dun & Bradstreet.
September 7, 2007... B2B specialist Information Arts is joining forces with business information giant Dun & Bradstreet as part of a strategic data agreement. The alliance will allow Information Arts to incorporate D&B's UK business database with its own, in...

The good, the bad and the accurate.(analysis of transportation in London)
September 7, 2007... At lunch with friends recently, the conversation turned to the issue of transport in London. We covered the usual gripes of congestion charging, tube overcrowding, etc, when a lawyer friend mentioned a letter he had received from TFL telling...

ANALYSIS: Industry leaps to the defence of Data Protection Act.
September 7, 2007... With the Tories struggling in the popularity contests, the pressure is on to come up with new initiatives to appear relevant. Yet, taking on the DPA was perhaps not well judged The Data Protection Act (DPA) may be the bane of most direct...

ANALYSIS: United front gives B2B marketers a shot in the arm.
September 7, 2007... Most direct marketers have welcomed the new Best Practice Alliance for the business-to-business sector. As ever the devil is in the detail, so how will it work? The days when business-to-business (B2B) was regarded as the poor relation...

ANALYSIS: Are you alienating customers by shutting them out?
September 7, 2007... The rush to cut costs by using voice recognition systems and outsourcing overseas is leaving many consumers feeling frustrated at the lack of a human touch - and it's even worse online With the vast majority of consumers claiming they would...

OPINION: Raising commercial value of creativity.(Column)
September 7, 2007... It's interesting that when a group of creative directors get together now the conversation quickly turns from winning that elusive Cannes gold, the latest co-created effort on YouTube or the Phil Collins gorilla ad for Cadbury's to the...

LETTER: Establish an email policy to expose the phishers.(Letter to the editor)
September 7, 2007... Undoubtedly, the use of more sophisticated technology will go a long way to combat the growing problem of phishing ('Gone phishing', PM August 24). However, until technology gets ahead of the problem brands need to do more to protect...

LETTER: How to get the most from leads.(Letter to the editor)
September 7, 2007... The clear disconnection between the basic definition of what constitutes a good lead from marketing and what offers real value to sales has continued to cause friction. As a result, with no way of documenting whether or not a lead has been...

LETTER: Standard needs to be set for ECM.(Letter to the editor)
September 7, 2007... Information is one of the most valuable assets of any organisation, so the confusion and inconsistency of information endured today as organisations struggle to manage multiple sources of unstructured data, from purchase orders to contracts,...

VIEWPOINT: Why DRTV and Web are not ideal couple.
September 7, 2007... DRTV is increasingly being used to drive consumers to the Web, but a phone call is more effective for selling high value products and charity fundraising DRTV's star has been in the ascendant for some time now, and with good reason....

LEADER: Industry signs up for a trip to Relate.
September 7, 2007... 'It's fair to say that this year witnessed direct marketing sink to new depths of despair. After all, Telephone Preference Service registrations rocketed, the mailing industry was accused of being rife with fraud, mailing volumes nose-dived...

PROFILE: It's all comparative.
September 7, 2007... Hayley Parsons Despite Direct Line's recent attack on comparison websites, the managing director of Gocompare.com feels the market can only continue to expand Charlie Mckelvey To most people, the prospect of working in insurance is...

CONSUMER INSIGHT: When prudence comes out to play.
September 7, 2007... As the ageing population grows, marketers should be aware that the grey market is not one amorphous mass. Within this segment lies a group of cautious pensioners with a keen eye on the purse strings The population is ageing and the...

Creative Critique: 07.09.07.
September 7, 2007... By Aaron Martin and Garry Munns, joint creative directors of Arc UK Now in its second year, the Young Direct Marketing Awards are going from strength to strength. This year's collection of colourful, highly glittered, gold star encrusted...

VERTICAL MARKETS: Salutary lessons.
September 7, 2007... Getting a marketing message to teachers can be a tricky business, but targeting the right individuals with relevant material that can help them in the classroom can have a positive effect on cut-through The good news for any organisation...

FIELD MARKETING: Decline of the dollybirds.
September 7, 2007... Field marketers are no longer exclusively young, blonde and female as agents who reflect the target audience gain a more positive response David Reed Thirty is the new 20, at least as far as recruiting product demonstrators goes. To...

SEARCH MARKETING: Searching made simple.
September 7, 2007... Advanced branding and copywriting techniques could be a total waste of time on the Internet, where users are more likely to use the most basic search terms David Reed Remember those brand values you have lovingly built up over the...

LIST/INSERT FILE: Darnley offers file of learners.
September 7, 2007... Distance learning course company Darnley Career Academy has unveiled its database of 160,000 buyers and responders through Evolution DM. The academy sells over 75 courses covering GCSE, A-Level, HNC, HNDs and vocational courses....

LIST/INSERT FILE: Wealthy buyers of quality furniture.
September 7, 2007... Dibor Mail Order has made its database of 80,000 affluent buyers available through Lloyd James Group. The company sells bespoke furniture and home accessories inspired by country and French traditions. Buyers from the Dibor catalogue...

LIST/INSERT FILE: Important names in construction.
September 7, 2007... KHL Direct has released its international construction database for rental. This worldwide file consists of over 150,000 construction industry related professionals. The names on the file are subscribers to a number of industry magazines,...

LIST/INSERT FILE: Garden retailer updates list.
September 7, 2007... Gardening mail order firm Plantiflor has updated its database of names available for rent. Encompassing Bakker Spalding, Spalding Plant & Bulb Company and Bakker Ireland, Plantiflor provides an ideal opportunity to target mail order...

LIST/INSERT FILE: File covers footie memorabilia fans.
September 7, 2007... Football enthusiasts' website Toffs is releasing its newly updated list through Go Direct Marketing. Toffs sells football memorabilia, including hats, scarves, DVDs and old- fashioned shirts with teams represented. Toffs was founded in...

MOVING PEOPLE: Adviva adds three recruits to sales team.(appointments of James Stapleton, Abbie Whitby and Stephanie Ross)(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... Advertising network Adviva has made three new appointments to its sales team. James Stapleton, Abbie Whitby and Stephanie Ross have joined the company as account executives. Stapleton joins from digital magazine Monkey, Whitby from IMG and...

MOVING PEOPLE: Murphy made Vertical Marketing account exec.(appointment of Jo Murphy as account executive)(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... Vertical Marketing has strengthened its client support team with the appointment of Jo Murphy as account executive. Originally recruited for the position of PR co-ordinator, the role quickly expanded to include account executive...

MOVING PEOPLE: Mental health campaign chooses interim chief.
September 7, 2007... Moving People, a new wellbeing campaign formed by a coalition of mental health organisations, has appointed Sue Baker as its first interim director. Previously director of marketing and business development at drug and alcohol charity...

Nice Work: Kathryn Jefferies.(officials and employees of Equi Media Ltd.)(Viewpoint essay)(Brief article)
September 7, 2007... Kathryn Jefferies Head of offline media and insight Equi=Media Responsibilities I lead the offline team to define and implement client strategies and work very closely with our digital and search specialists to create truly integrated...

Redwood backtracks over 'junk mail' super-VAT plan.(John Redwood)(value added tax)(Brief article)
September 21, 2007... Conservative MP John Redwood has dismissed the findings of his own report, which recommends a 'super-VAT' on anti-social goods such as 'junk mail', claiming he knew nothing about the proposal. The move follows the publication of his...

Industry backs green standard.
September 21, 2007... BSI British Standards is backing a new scheme spearheaded by the DMA (UK) to give the direct marketing industry its first environmental standard, in an effort to cut through the 'greenwash' and prove companies' green credentials. The...

Friends of the Earth launches first DRTV ad.
September 21, 2007... Friends of the Earth is launching what it claims is the first DRTV campaign for a pressure group, to raise awareness about climate change. The ad, created by Watson Phillips Norman (WPN), will break on digital and satellite channels next...

IN BRIEF: Orchid hires Harvest Digital.(Orchid Travel )(Brief article)
September 21, 2007... Thomas Cook-owned Orchid Travel has appointed online marketing agency Harvest Digital to coordinate a search marketing campaign driving traffic to its revamped website. Harvest Digital will optimise the latest price points in the search...

IN BRIEF: Direct Line shuns Tesco.(Brief article)
September 21, 2007... Direct Line products will not be available on Tesco's online car insurance comparison service, launched with Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), debunking industry speculation that they would be on offer. The site, TescoCompare.com, marks the first...

IN BRIEF: Coors pushes draught system.(Brief article)
September 21, 2007... Lager brand Coors is launching an integrated campaign to promote its compact draught system, designed for hotels, restaurants and cafes without storage cellars. The campaign, devised by 141 Worldwide/London, aims to communicate the benefits of...

Emerging markets 'spurn rise of digital marketing'.
September 21, 2007... Green strategies may be being widely adopted in western Europe - with brand owners reducing direct mail volumes and boosting email marketing - but on an international scale mailings still account for 70 per cent of direct marketing activity....

Futuristic London the focus for Barclaycard.
September 21, 2007... Barclaycard is supporting the launch of its new credit card OnePulse with a direct marketing campaign depicting a futuristic London. Barclays and Barclaycard customers will be sent a mailpack explaining the functions of the OnePulse...

Direct push for latest Lexus IS 250 model.
September 21, 2007... Lexus is gearing up to launch a direct mail campaign to drive consumers into dealerships to take a test drive in the new IS 250 model. The initiative, handled by Partners Andrews Aldridge, will target prospect customers and encourage them...

WWF targets youth with call to arms over climate change.
September 21, 2007... WWF International is repositioning itself as an environmental charity to expose how climate change is affecting the natural habit of many species - potentially threatening them with extinction. The move, which sees the charity switch...

Royal Mail invests in mega-trucks.
September 21, 2007... Royal Mail is investing #8.5m in a new fleet of mega-trucks, claiming that the army of 14 metre vehicles will boost the company's environmental record. The postal giant has added 140 giant double-decker trailers to its fleet of delivery...

Expedia pushes mobile savings.(Expedia.Co.UK)(Brief article)
September 21, 2007... Travel website Expedia.co.uk is launching a campaign that it claims will save its customers a fortune on roaming mobile phone tariffs. The drive, developed by Meteorite and Sim4Travel, offers anyone who books with Expedia a free...

IN BRIEF: Direct blitz to back digital TV.(Brief article)
September 21, 2007... Digital UK is launching a major direct marketing push to back its national #8m campaign to promote the digital TV switchover, which begins in Whitehaven, Cumbria next month. The integrated campaign, created by AMV BBDO, is the latest phase...

IN BRIEF: Oxfam launches online shop.(Brief article)
September 21, 2007... Oxfam is launching what it claims is the UK's first online charity shop, in a move anticipated to raise an extra #2m a year for the charity. The online shop will feature 50,000 items at first, increasing to 120,000 by spring of 2008. Items on...

IN BRIEF: Citroen hires marketing chief.(Brief article)
September 21, 2007... Citroen UK has appointed Ian Hughes marketing director following the retirement of Mike Ibett, after 21 years in the role. Hughes, who is currently UK fleet sales and remarketing, will retain his responsibilities to bring a strong focus...

Crisis calls on firms to ditch Xmas cards.
September 21, 2007... Homelessness charity Crisis is embarking on a major print and online campaign in an attempt to raise #1m for its Open Christmas centres around the UK. The push, created by WWAV Rapp Collins London and supported by the Financial Times,...

British Energy claims low footprint.
September 21, 2007... British Energy is promoting itself as the UK's greenest utilities company, by claiming it has the lowest carbon footprint. The majority Government-owned electricity provider will include its new strapline, 'Powering the low carbon...

IN BRIEF: Fresh talks to settle postal strike.(Communications Workers Union )(Brief article)
September 21, 2007... The prospect of an end to the postal dispute - first launched in June - has moved a step closer after the Communications Workers Union (CWU) agreed to hold fresh talks with Royal Mail. The move follows an invite from Royal Mail to sit down...

IN BRIEF: Top firms fail to protect data.(Brief article)
September 21, 2007... The UK's top companies are putting their customers at risk by failing to implement security technology - costing as little as #500 - risking the wrath of data watchdog, the Information Commissioner. According to a new report, only 20 per...

IN BRIEF: MC&C lures head of digital.(Brief article)
September 21, 2007... Direct response media specialist Mike Colling & Company (MC&C) has appointed former WWAV Rapp Collins online media chief James Quint as head of digital. Quint joins the company following seven years at WWAV, where he was responsible for all...

Fiat pushes CO2 cuts with eco-technology.
September 21, 2007... Fiat Automobiles is aiming to show drivers how much CO2 their driving creates, as part of a campaign to promote the company's EcoDrive technology. An animated video, created by digital marketing agency AKQA, depicts the thinking behind...

Reed pushes carbon neutral status.
September 21, 2007... The UK's largest independent recruitment agency, Reed Personnel Services, is embarking on an online campaign to promote itself as a carbon neutral company. Reed claims to be the UK's first recruitment business to be awarded carbon...

The steps towards successful integration.
September 21, 2007... London agencies are often perceived as the most dynamic element in an increasingly fast-moving world of change but you could walk round most of them and, like a scene out of Life on Mars, see management models reminiscent of 20 or 30 years...

Brands admit lack of green data strategy.
September 21, 2007... The majority of companies confess that they have no plans to implement a green strategy for their data centres, despite mounting concerns over the damage computer systems are wreaking on the environment. Experts claim that data centres...

EuroDirect tool targets financial sector firms.(Brief article)
September 21, 2007... Financial services firms are being targeted with a tailored version of EuroDirect's Cameo classification system, which the company claims will boost customer analysis, profiling and prospect targeting. Cameo Personal Finanace classifies...

Email users offered carbon offseting option.
September 21, 2007... GoCarbonFree is launching what it claims is the first carbon offsetting email programme in the world. Formerly Vivid Medianet, the company is a lead generation specialist and a UK top three provider of email data. Websites such as Loopy...

Waiting for the data bomb to explode.
September 21, 2007... There has been a time bomb ticking away in direct marketing agencies since the mid Eighties, and it is on track to detonate soon. This plastic explosive is used at virtually every pitch, and is often positioned as the seal of accountability,...

Direct mail versus digital: which one is more green?
September 21, 2007... On the surface you may think the question below is a no-brainer, but while Royal Mail is attempting to address its environmental impact, is the digital industry doing enough to ensure its green credentials? There is no doubt that more and...

Automotive industry promotes emissionary position.
September 21, 2007... With environmental issues at the top of the global agenda, car brands are reducing their carbon footprint by revamping their marketing strategies and pushing new technologies If one message was made clear at last week's Frankfurt Motor...

Top brands fuel take-up of sustainable energy.
September 21, 2007... Energy suppliers are increasingly trying to make their product more efficient and sustainable. But will encouraging carbon conscious consumers to reduce energy consumption work in the long term? If you have ever driven past a...

OPINION: Industry must take lead to shape future.(Column)
September 21, 2007... On September 16, my hometown of Sydney came to a decision. Just like the hosepipe bans in the south of England, water shortages have become commonplace in New South Wales, so temporary restrictions are regularly set in place to keep things...

LETTER: Human touch is needed for customer satisfaction.(Letter to the editor)
September 21, 2007... It is not surprising to read that consumers are frustrated at the lack of human interaction when contacting the customer service arm of a company ('Are you alienating customers by shutting them out?' PM September 7). Customers want to...

LETTER: History is the key to online loyalty.(Letter to the editor)
September 21, 2007... The dramatic rise in e-retail sales ('The battle for online customer loyalty heats up', PM August 24) has also been accompanied by the rise in price-comparison sites. In order to avoid price competition, companies use loyalty schemes to help...