Direct Response articles from March 2004

Direct Response archives from March 2004

News Focus: The Law - DM coup as personal data redefined.
March 16, 2004... The direct marketing industry could benefit from a landmark legal ruling on the definition of personal data, as contained in the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA). The DPA is the most significant piece of legislation affecting the practice of...

News Focus: Electoral Roll - Opt-out voter rates rising, says report.(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... Opt-out rates for the latest Electoral Roll have risen to more than a quarter of voters, according to early estimates. An interim report by EuroDirect, one of three licensed re-sellers of the full register of voter data, points to opt-out...

News Focus: Directories - DM Guide offers easy search facilities with website launch.
March 16, 2004... The latest edition of the Direct Marketing Guide, the industry's longest-established direct marketing company directory, is to have a website for the first time. The launch of the site, www.dmg-directory.co.uk, means advertisers can update...

News Focus: Exhibitions - Spam filters hit marketers.(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... Legitimate e-marketers may find their e-mails blocked due to new filtering technology, delegates to next month's International Direct Marketing Fair 2004 (IDMF) will hear. Justin Anderson, managing director of digital marketing consultancy...

News Focus: Events Planner.(direct marketing)(Illustration)(Calendar)
March 16, 2004... February 2004 10-11 Technology for Marketing Show Venue: Olympia, London. Visit: www.t-f-m.co.uk March 2004 2 IDM B2B Marketing Conference Venue: Earls Court. Visit: www.theidm.co.uk 2-4 The International Direct Marketing Fair...

What's new: SMS - Experian.(partnered with Txt4 to offer SMS advertising)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... Experian is partnering with mobile response company Txt4 to offer consumer profiling of respondents to SMS advertising. Demographic, behavioural and financial information will be available on those who respond to SMS campaigns.

What's new: Lists and data - Wyvern Direct Response.(Highbury Direct Media Mergers)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... Publisher Highbury House Communications has merged its list and media management businesses Highbury Direct Media (HDM) and Wyvern Direct Response. The business will carry the Wyvern Direct Response brand. The first product of the merger is a...

What's new: Data Locator.(Data Locator Interactive launched an interactive website )(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... Data Locator Interactive, the online division of Data Locator Group, has launched an interactive website known as Vouch4me.com. The site will capture data on consumers not typically prevalent on traditional lifestyle databases.

What's new: Postal services - Royal Mail.(SmartStamp)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... Royal Mail has launched the UK's first digital stamp, to be called SmartStamp. The service is aimed at SMEs and will enable customers to create their own stamp designs on their computers. Businesses will be able to personalise First and Second...

What's new: Industry.(FEDMA has launched a customer relationship management advisory board)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... European DM association group FEDMA has launched a CRM (customer relationship management) advisory board to promote the concept and principles of CRM to a wider audience, through specialised seminars and research projects.

What's new: Software - AFD.(AFD Software )(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... AFD software has launched Censation, a new geodemographic classification system delivered within all its address management software.

What's new: Agencies - JDA.(expanded after acquisitions)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... Leeds-based agency JDA has expanded after acquiring PR and corporate brand design specialist, Blueprint Marketing Services.

What's new: People - Prospect Swetenhams.(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... Mark Arnold, head of data broking at Zed Media, has joined Prospect Swetenhams as director of list broking operations. He plugs the gap left by data provision MD Amaya Tasker, who left the company to travel. Arnold's arrival is the first...

News Focus: Postal Services - Speedmail widens net to deliver on postal services.(Deutsche Post Mail Services (UK) Ltd.)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... Deutsche Post Global Mail (UK) is to expand the London-based mail delivery capabilities of its newly-acquired postal service Speedmail International to all major cities in the UK. The move will accelerate the race to provide the first real...

News Focus: Industry Awards - DMA honours best practice in new awards.(Direct Marketing Association)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has launched a set of awards aimed at rewarding best practice. The DMA Excellence 2004 awards will sit alongside the DMA's flagship awards, the case study-based DMA Awards held annually in December....

News Focus: Diary of a Doormat.
March 16, 2004... Tim Hunter is deputy director of fundraising at the children's charity, the NSPCC. He recently moved to the muesli-belt of Stoke Newington, London. Tim is married to Clare and life is currently dominated by fitting out the new house and...

Opinion: Ignore the older folks at your peril.
March 16, 2004... Last year, the Independent on Sunday reviewed Selfridges' restaurant. Paraphrasing the gist of the piece, what really shook me was this statement: ''It's not a restaurant you'd want to take your parents to. It's more a place for them to...

How to... target customers intelligently and cut costs.
March 16, 2004... Targeting customers has become needlessly slap-dash as companies are not making full use of their data expertise. Nick Silk explains how to improve your campaigns and get results that last Recent studies have shown that UK consumers are...

Legal Eagle.(questions on Data Protection Act)
March 16, 2004... The Data Protection Act is the focus for James Milligan as he clarifies the length of time data can be kept and rules on data disclosure to third parties Q I have a question arising out of the recent media coverage of the Data Protection...

Creative Masterclass: Creative masterclass on... interactive TV advertising.
March 16, 2004... Now that iTV has taken off with the viewing public, clients should consider interactive ads. Jon Williams presents a detailed guide Have you ever pressed the red button on your remote? There is a worrying fact that while most advertising...

Data Clinic: Ask the experts.(databases, mailing lists, car dealership)
March 16, 2004... Leading data specialists answer reader's real-life data problems. This month our panel covers how to use car dealer data, identifying new energy customers and SIC codes I work for a car dealership and we store customer data once cars are...

Data Clinic: Get connected.
March 16, 2004... Introduction to this section set in this style, runs on from the section heading as per dummy setting. Author Name in black and can be found in the character style menu. www.address.com Body - full out. Style for the opening paragraph...

Data Clinic: How to buy... name of data.
March 16, 2004... Introduction to this section set in this style, set to one column width at six lines maximum. Author Name in black and in the character style menu. Body BOLD Body - full out. Style for opening paragraph of each sub section. Body BOLD at...

Data Clinic: DataTalk.(Direct Marketing Association, business databases)
March 16, 2004... That B2B data is ripe for a quality audit scheme run by the DMA is not in question. Yet plans for how that audit is conducted has caused tensions. Michael Howe argues the DMA's point of view The Direct Marketing Association's Business List...

Data Clinic: What I do in data.(John Wallinger)(Craik Jones Watson Mitchell Voekel)(Interview)
March 16, 2004... John Wallinger, head of data planning, Craik Jones Watson Mitchell Voekel Q: How did you arrive in this job? I started work straight after school. My first job in the marketing department of Rank Xerox opened the door to data. I'd...

Data Clinic: What is... A static model?(mathematical models)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... Static models are used to build information that remains true over a period of time. They are used to segment and describe individuals, as opposed to predicting the likelihood of an individual behaving in a desired way. Unlike dynamic...

Data Clinic: Data Health Check - Marcus Evans.(databases, management software)
March 16, 2004... Duplication in your database can be a real problem, especially if you're an events organiser and send mail to thousands of delegates each year, reports Noelle McElhatton. The case Marcus Evans is an international training, conferences...

Data Clinic: Case Study - William Hill.(online betting, email marketing)
March 16, 2004... When the betting tax was abolished in 2001, William Hill wasted no time in acquiring an online presence and then turning this interest into real bets, reports Noelle McElhatton The UK betting market is looking rosy. Conditions, as they say,...

Data Clinic: Technique - Managing and maximising lifetime customer value.(databases, mailing lists)
March 16, 2004... Customers can stick with you over a lifetime, or never come back for more, says Chris Warren, who reveals how you can harness today's sophisticated databases to drive loayalty and value from your customers Extracting the maximum value from...

Marketing Software: Push button marketing.(database tools, direct marketing)
March 16, 2004... With powerful and simple-to-use database tools at their disposal, do marketers still need the help of specialist analysts? There was a time, not so long ago, when a 28-day delivery was considered acceptable in the mail order business. These...

Consumer Data: The richest data.(affluent consumers)
March 16, 2004... Affluent consumers are desireable targets yet are hard to reach. But close examination of list variables can be highly revealing, says Robert McLuhan Businesses that sell luxury or high-value items naturally prefer to target affluent...

Print: Up close and personal.(printers, direct mail)
March 16, 2004... More effort is needed to personalise your mail, but with the right printer and software, your response rates will be hugely boosted. The advent of database-driven, one-to-one personalisation is a powerful tool for enhancing customer...

Secrets of my Success: David Eldridge, Founding partner and CEO, Alterian.(chief executive officer)(Biography)
March 16, 2004... It's been an interesting career path so far; from running a software company based in my bedroom to managing a Deloitte & Touche Technology Fast 50 winner which began life above a cafe in Weston-super-Mare. Allow me to elaborate... I've...

Editorial: The real world of clients.(Iceland Home Shopping, database management)(Editorial)
March 16, 2004... The other day a colleague of mine spotted someone reading a copy of Direct Response on the Tube. Apparently our Tube traveller was reading the Legal Eagle page, which was pleasing to hear. Pleasing, because though law is a turgid subject,...

News Focus: Database marketing - Database use confined to marketing.(Direct Mail Information Service)
March 16, 2004... Marketing departments are the main creators and users of databases but their use by other business functions are at an all time low, research from the Direct Mail Information Service (DMIS) has revealed. In telephone interviews to 100...

News Focus: Postal Services: Royal Mail access price finally set.(Royal Mail Group PLC)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... Would-be competitors to Royal Mail have welcomed the first agreement on the price that the postal service will charge for accessing its delivery network. Business Post subsidiary UK Mail has agreed that it should pay 13p and 13.375p per...

News Focus: Law - New guidelines issued on data protection law.(Richard Thomas, information commissioner on data security )(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... Richard Thomas, the Information Commissioner, has issued guidelines on what makes data 'personal' in the light of a recent Court of Appeal judgment in the subject access case of Durant v Financial Services Authority (Direct Response, February...

News Focus: E-Marketing - E-mail plan 'not workable'.(Microsoft, direct marketing)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... A controversial proposal by Bill Gates, chairman of computer giant Microsoft, to curb spam by fixing a price on e-mails has been met with mixed reactions from the direct marketing industry. During a speech at last month's World Economic...

News Focus: Events planner.(Calendar)
March 16, 2004... MARCH 2004 2: IDM B2B Marketing Conference Venue: Earls Court. Visit: www.theidm.co.uk 2-4: The International Direct Marketing Fair Venue: Earls Court 2, London. Visit: www.idmf.co.uk 18: DMA Data Protection Conference...

What's new: Mail production - SV.two.(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... Andy Ruddle, former director of enterprise solutions at print giant Vertis, has joined forces with Peter Croft, a founder of both Impressions Direct and the Lettershop Group, to launch a direct mail production service, SV.two. The new company...

What's new: Agencies - Golley Slater Direct.(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... Independent marketing services group Golley Slater has created a new direct marketing arm called Golley Slater Direct. The company's focus will be on data-driven marketing based around data management and planning and creative services.

What's new: Business data - Equifax.(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... Equifax has teamed with Thomson Directories to access its business database containing over two million UK listings of companies, including smaller organisations and non-limited businesses. The new agreement also provides a feedback mechanism...

What's new: Database software - Pomegranate.(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... Former Claritas and Abacus chief Mark Patron and ex-WWAV Rapp Collins data director Tony Masters have launched database software, called Pomegranate, that allows clients to merge their attitudinal research data with behavioural and demographic...

What's new: Data collection - IPT.(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... Data provider Interactive Prospect Targeting (IPT) is to open a call centre in India with the aim of collecting four million prospect names a year to add to the company's lifestyle database. The call centre will collect permission-based data...

People: Direct Response.(Christina Papas)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... Christina Papas, formerly editorial assistant on Haymarket's direct marketing titles Direct Response and Marketing Direct, has joined Direct Response full time as a reporter.

People: Data consultancies - CD Consultancy.(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... Lee Witherell and Tim Banks, two former Claritas managers, have set up a new service, CD Consultancy, to help clients extract value from their consumer data and help them make their data analysis work self-financing. Witherall was client...

News Focus: Diary of a doormat.(Adam Segura, Billington Cartmell )
March 16, 2004... Adam Segura is head of direct marketing at Billington Cartmell and ex-founding partner of Dunnhumby Cinnamon. He lives in Parsons Green in London with a bachelor mate, a table football game (with Fulham FC teamkits) and an omnipotent X-box. ...

News Focus: Retail CRM - Dunhill to roll out UK CRM system globally.(Customer Relationship Management, Computer Software Group )(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... Luxury goods retailer dunhill has developed a CRM system that takes the personalised shopping experience to another level. The Talent for Retail system, developed with the Computer Software Group (CSG), allows customer information to be...

News Focus: Data management - QAS unveils integrated data tool.(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... Address management software provider QAS has launched QuickAddress DataWorld, a product suite that builds on the company's flagship QuickAddress software by providing a single integration platform for users to access additional datasets beyond...

News Focus: Opinion - Deceitful callers drove me to defeat.(direct marketing)
March 16, 2004... Guilt is written all over the column's face this month. It has failed. It is weak. It has given in to temptation. It has signed up to the Telephone Preference Service. Why should this be an admission of defeat? Because, as an observer...

How to get the best from direct response press.(print advertising, newspaper advertisements)
March 16, 2004... Not getting the volume of response from your press ad that you'd hoped for? Simon Foster presents a guide to the misconceptions surrounding press advertising and to optimising response. Many advertisers find direct response press a tough...

Legal Eagle.(interview, Direct marketing legalities)(Interview)
March 16, 2004... Two recent judgments on data protection law by the Court of Appeal and the European Court of Justice come under the microscope of James Milligan. Q: Can you explain the implications of the recent Court of Appeal ruling on the meaning of...

Creative masterclass on managing creative teams.(direct marketing)
March 16, 2004... Creatives have a reputation for being a tricky bunch, but are they really that difficult to work with? Simon Kershaw has some tips on working together. Not all clients get to meet - let alone understand - their agency creative teams. Yet...

Data Clinic: Ask the experts.
March 16, 2004... Our panel of data specialists this month covers how to meet your customer statementing deadlines, assess the cost/benefit of a sales rep visit and do a DIY mail campaign. We are in charge of a home shopping company's customer statement...

Data Clinic: Get connected.(direct marketing, use of websites)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... Tim Sykes of Langham Works, a channel-neutral agency, uses the web for competitive intelligence, statistics on DM and a handy route planner to client meetings. Ease on the eye and simple navigation are the two things I look for in a...

Data Clinic: How to buy enhancement.(data enhancement)
March 16, 2004... Data enhancement can help you improve your direct marketing activity, says Martin Bradbury, but follow these guidelines to get the most from the exercise. Sophisticated data with a high level of appropriate attributes can enable marketers...

Data Clinic: DataTalk.(Derbyshire Building Society)
March 16, 2004... Churn in the mortgage market means retention as well as acquisition is now the name of the game. For the Derbyshire Building Society, striking a balance between both is key, says Glyn Hughes. When it comes to managing customers, the phrases...

Data Clinic: What I do in data.(Interview)
March 16, 2004... Q: How did you arrive in this job? I started at Nissan exactly a year ago. Before that I was working at Hilton International in database marketing. My qualifications in languages are unrelated to the job, though I did my CIM Diploma two...

Data Clinic: What is - A relational database?(EF Codd)(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... The relational database was invented in 1970 by EF Codd while he worked at IBM. It organises data in table form, reducing counting inefficiencies and making data more accessible. A simple relational database is where two or more tables of...

Data Clinic: Case study - Iceland Home Shopping.(grocery delivery market)
March 16, 2004... To improve targeting, the retailer developed a predictive scorecard of customer spending. In some markets, financial services to name but one, minute response rates are the accepted part of blanket mailings. At an average cost of pounds 1...

Data Clinic: Technique - Acquisition via channel preference modelling.(direct marketing)
March 16, 2004... Communicating effectively with customers starts with the right channel of approach, says Gordon Hill. Channel preference modelling provides the key to quality customer acquisition strategies - whatever the medium. In these days of...

Data Clinic: A broker's view.(direct marketing, marketing industry)
March 16, 2004... If acting as both list broker and manager is like juggling watermelons, Hugh Bessant believes that transparency and commitment to a client's interests aid dexterity. As a Turkish proverb wisely observes, you cannot hold two watermelons in...

Data Clinic: Which list?(marketing industry)
March 16, 2004... A round-up of new or updated consumer, business and online lists. NEW LISTS Consumer The Sleepover Company Isis Direct is managing the new Sleepover Company list. The catalogue offers sleepover essentials, including toys and...

Digital Print - Fast and flexible.(case studies of printing firms)
March 16, 2004... For short-run business-to-business marketing communications, digital print is coming into its own says Judy Attwell. Five years ago digital print seemed set to conquer the direct marketing world with its unique combination of speed,...

Field Marketing - Data locator.(Data gathering in the field)
March 16, 2004... Data gathering in the field is a well-established option for brand owners, says Rob McLuhan. The trick is then to extract useful intelligence from that data. Field marketers have always been active in gathering data, but as long as this...

IDMF Show Preview: A fine event for networking.(International Direct Marketing Fair)
March 16, 2004... It's almost March and that can only mean one thing: the definitive marketing event is around the corner, and, in all of its 26 years, the International Direct Marketing Fair has never promised a more content-led and networking-driven show. ...

Exhibitor Preview: IDM Fair.(international direct marketing)
March 16, 2004... From database solutions, software, mailing and print production to fulfilment techniques and promotional ideas, this year's IDM Fair has it all. Our preview aims to give you a flavour of the exhibitors. DATA & DATABASE SERVICES Acxes...

Secrets of my success: Nick Wells, Managing director, Circular Distributors.(personal experiences)
March 16, 2004... While thinking about career for this piece, I do have to remind myself how lucky I've been. It's amazing how, as a young account handler at Circular Distributors who happened to join the direct marketing and door-to-door distribution industry...