Direct Response articles from July 2005

Direct Response archives from July 2005

News Focus: Fulfilment - Jersey seeks to close VAT loophole.(value added tax)
July 19, 2005... Jersey's burgeoning fulfilment industry could be curtailed by a government investigation that seeks to close a VAT loophole. Retail giants including Boots, Asda and Tesco, avoid VAT on direct sales costing less that pounds 18 by diverting...

News Focus: Merger - BBI deal will fund growth.(Bonnier Business Information)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... Prospect Swetenhams could be on the acquisition trail following a multi-million pound investment from a Scandinavian venture capitalist in parent company Bonnier Business Information (BBI). Venture capitalist Ratos has invested an...

News Focus: Post - Postal pricing sparks row.(price hike issue)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... The DMA and new online trade body Catalogue Exchange have clashed over pricing in proportion. Catalogue Exchange's founder and board member Nigel Swabey said it welcomed the proposals: 'The DMA has come up against us because we're lobbying...

News Focus: Dispute over death data cost.(Commercial bereavement registers)
July 19, 2005... Commercial bereavement registers are overpriced and lack the coverage to prevent unnecessary mailing of the dead, according to a new data consortium. Stop Dead, which is backed by Saga, Royal Mail and the Demographic Users Group, will see...

News Focus: What's new - Research - DHL Global Mail.
July 19, 2005... DHL Global Mail has launched an international direct marketing handbook entitled New Markets, New Opportunities. The free handbook reports on attitudes towards direct marketing across 17 European countries as well as the United States. It...

News Focus: What's new - Acquisitions - Cello Group.(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... Marketing services group Cello Group, has acquired Leapfrog Research & Planning - a consumer market research firm. Leapfrog was established in 1994 and works with clients including Tesco, GSK and BBC.

News Focus: What's new - Acquistions - Experian.(Experian Information Solutions Inc. acquires Future Foundation Group)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... Experian has acquired the Future Foundation Group, a consumer think-tank and strategic consultancy. It will become part of Experian's business strategies division and will continue trading as an independent company.

News Focus: What's new - Contact centres - Port@I.(launched its HomeAgent Network)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... Contact centres developer Port@I, has launched its HomeAgent Network. This is a joint venture between Port@I and Sensee, a provider of home-working solutions. This will see telephony switching equipment feeding calls through to...

News Focus: What's new - Online - EuroDirect.(launched www.mycreditzoo.co.uk)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... Data firm EuroDirect has launched www.mycreditzoo.co.uk, a free website that offers consumers credit cards and loans tailored to their personal circumstances. Consumers insert details about themselves and the site scores and matches them...

News Focus: Events planner.(Calendar)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
July 19, 2005... July 26 Return to the Welcome Call Venue: Commonwealth Club, Northumberland Avenue, London. Contact Jessica Ritchie on 020 7291 3344 September 7 DMA Annual Direct Marketing Law and Practice Conference Venue: Cumberland Hotel, London....

News Focus: Diary of a doormat.(Richard Marshall founding partner of Tullo Marshall Warren)
July 19, 2005... Richard Marshall is a founding partner of Tullo Marshall Warren, an independent direct marketing agency and lives in west London with his wife Katie and daughter Emma. As business development director, he has to keep at the top of his game, so...

News Focus: CRM - Nestle embraces loyalty scheme to reach buyers.(Customer relationship management)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... Nestle Food Services and Young's Bluecrest have adopted a CRM programme designed to help them get closer to customers in the catering trade. Foodservice Rewards is a loyalty programme that allows manufacturers to collect data on...

News Focus: Telemarketing - DMA leads war on silent calls.(Direct Marketing Association)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... DMA members have three months to comply with tougher laws within the DMA Code of Practice to help stop silent calls. The move follows nuisance calls research that found 37 per cent of consumers are unacceptably inconvenienced by silent...

News Focus: List broking - List brokers warned to focus on customer bond.(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... List brokers need to take a long-term approach to client relationships rather than sacrifice margin or share commission to obtain quick fixes, according to research among senior marketers. The research of a cross-section of decision makers...

News Focus: Data - IPT lifestyle survey goes live.(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... Digital direct marketing firm IPT has launched a personalised lifestyle survey it claims is the first of its kind. The online IPT Lifestyle surveys allow consumers to only answer questions on topics in which they are interested. The...

News Focus: Legal Eagle.
July 19, 2005... James Milligan is legal and public affairs adviser at the Direct Marketing Association. This column is not intended to constitute legal advice. For specific legal advice, contact your solicitor. For DMA membership details, contact Sean Moore on...

News Focus: Insight - Customer data remains key.(Customer Insight)
July 19, 2005... Customer insight is a rising force in organisations, but implementation remains tricky and the subject misunderstood, according to an industry debate on the topic. Speaking at the event organised by recruitment consultancy EQ Consulting,...

Movers: Appointment at Virgin Holidays.(appointment of David Coutts)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... David Coutts is the new marketing director at Virgin Holidays, where he will be responsible for marketing communications, brand, CRM and its loyalty club. He joins from telecommunications firm Orange where he was marketing director for Orange...

Movers: Appointment at Preference Service.(appoints Delroy Jordan)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... Delroy Jordan has been appointed as new business director at the Preference Service, where he will head the new business team. He joins from lifestyle data company Pure Data, which he co-founded.

Movers: Appointment at Holistic List Management.(appoints Nicola Gibbons, Chris Oliver and Chris Ridd )(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... Nicola Gibbons is the new account executive at Holistic List Management. She will be responsible for selling the firm's portfolio of lists, including BMG and UK Lifestyle. Gibbons joins from The Preference Service. Chris Oliver and Chris...

Movers: Appointment at Proximity London.(David Farley appointed)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... David Farley has been promoted to head of design - a newly created role - at Proximity London. Farley was previously a senior designer at the agency.

Opinion - Ken Gofton - Don't give the long term short shrift.(Marketing industry)
July 19, 2005... Dear oh dear, Damart! As everyone surely knows by now, the company got its thermal long johns in a twist over a promotion devised in-house. Letters were sent out in envelopes emblazoned with messages saying 'From the Finance Director',...

How to ... boost leads using text response.(Telemarketing)
July 19, 2005... Text can be used to manage more efficient response from traditional advertising media, providing high quality data, more rapid fulfilment, and the ability to gauge leads precisely, says Tim Carrigan. Mobile has received a mixed reception...

Creative Masterclass: Creative masterclass on ... delegation.
July 19, 2005... When you have a project to deliver and a team of people to head up, the ability to delegate, and do it well, is essential, says Laura Marsden. 'I have a great opportunity for you to write some good copy and get your name in print,' said my...

Data Clinic: Ask the experts.(Direct Marketing Tips)
July 19, 2005... This month our panel of specialists looks at targeting the over 50s using attitudinal analysis, interpreting segmentation data using creative solutions, and making mass mailing meaningful. I'm looking to target people in their 50s and 60s -...

Data Clinic: Data Health Check.(Ramada Jarvis hotels)
July 19, 2005... Ramada Jarvis While preparing to promote Scotland for its tourism campaign, Ramada Jarvis desperately needed to clean its data before proceeding. The Case Hotel chain Ramada Jarvis has 53 properties situated across the UK. The company...

Data Clinic: Case Study.(Somerfield PLC Incentivise its Customers)
July 19, 2005... Somerfield Although it needed to incentivise its customers, Somerfield did not have the budget to launch an expensive promotion, so it looked to the US for a tried and tested solution. Ever since loyalty schemes became big business with the...

Data Clinic: How to buy ... DM radio.
July 19, 2005... Since radio's invention in 1895, its popularity has never ceased and today its lure as a DM resource is pricking up listeners' ears. Radio is sometimes overlooked for DM campaigns, but it can generate mass listener response to adverts,...

Data Clinic.(Direct response television)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... Get connected DRTV has become an involved and interesting medium where research and case studies have proved to be invaluable marketing tools. Simon White lists his favourite websites. As a group head in DRTV, I have seen markets getting...

Data Clinic: DataTalk.
July 19, 2005... As data requirements become more complex, list providers need to move from a volume-based model to one that stresses innovation if the market is to adapt for the future, says Steve Willocks. The pressure on marketers to perform and deliver...

Data Clinic: What I do in data - Paul Furness, data delivery director, Wegener DM.(Interview)(Interview)
July 19, 2005... Q: How did you arrive in this job? I was recruited by Steve Cook, commercial director at Wegener Business Data Solutions. He and I met at Dun & Bradstreet and we kept in touch when Steve left to join Wegener. In the 21 years I was at Dun &...

Data Clinic: What is ..(Data transformation)(Brief Article)
July 19, 2005... Data transformation Also referred to as data scrubbing or data cleansing, data transformation is the process of converting data from one form, for instance a string of data containing name, address and date of birth, into individual pieces...

Data Clinic: Technique - Safety rules for the transfer of data.
July 19, 2005... With the advent of email and the internet, data transfer solutions have become increasingly diverse. Martin Rides guides you through the protection maze and talks about the pros and cons of each approach. Data security solutions have...

Data Clinic: A manager's view.(opinion)
July 19, 2005... Putting a potential list manager through their paces before entrusting them with your data is vital if you want to get the best from your database, says Chris Grey. For some companies having a good list manager can often mean the...

Data Clinic: Which list? A round-up of new or updated consumer, business and online lists.(user statistics of various companies lists)
July 19, 2005... New Lists Consumer BBC Worldwide Dennis List Solutions has been appointed to relaunch and manage BBC Worldwide's portfolio of more than 750,000 active and lapsed subscribers, and mail order buyers. The portfolio currently consists...

E-Marketing: Maintaining contact.(Electronic mail)(customer relationship management)
July 19, 2005... Online media are a cheap and easy way to keep in contact with customers and provide an ideal platform for your CRM strategy. Digital marketing is a medium that threatens to outstrip all others. Some pounds 14 billion is already...

Print Management: Controlling influence.(printing industry)
July 19, 2005... Direct marketers can be torn between the cost saving print management promises, and the loss of control it threatens. David Murphy reports. The idea of paying a print management company to source you the best deal for any given print job...

B2C Lists: Quality control.(business to consumer)
July 19, 2005... Direct marketers no longer have an infinite quantity of data to work with, and so must learn to do more with less. Rob McLuhan reports. It has been a long time coming, but blanket mailings seem finally to be on the way out. Companies are...

Secrets of my success: Drayton Bird - Founder, The Drayton Bird Partnership.
July 19, 2005... I am one of that select group who can proudly place after their names the legend, BA, Manchester (failed). I greatly enjoyed telling this to a packed audience there 10 years ago, but maybe it foretold what I believe: that I could have done...

DMA: DMA view on ... DM budgets expected to rise.
July 19, 2005... The significance of the DM industry in terms of consumer participation and its economic impact has already been firmly established in two major reports published by the DMA earlier this year. Now, a final piece of research aims to complete...

DMA: The facts on ... code changes.(Direct Marketing Association)(Telephone Preference Service)
July 19, 2005... Less than a third of households that have a phone in the UK have registered with the Telephone Preference Service. This is one of the startling statistics to emerge from a new DMA report, the first full-scale review of nuisance calls in the UK....

DMA Comment - Customer magazines deliver on targeting, content and branding.
July 19, 2005... There are many similarities between customer magazines and direct mail, but there is a difference in intention. Where a direct mail pack is often about promoting a particular product or service, customer magazines are used to develop brand...

DMA Bulletin Board.
July 19, 2005... Reduced price ruling The OFT has successfully challenged a high street retailer's permanent '70 per cent off' advertising strategy. The High Court ruled that the company had published misleading advertisements because the 'reduced prices'...