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Direct Marketing

No Saturday mail could be a headache for Netflix, old-school bill payers

Frank Washkuch November 17, 2009

The Atlantic's Daniel Indiviglio reacted to the US Postal Service's November 16 announcement that it lost $3.8 billion during fiscal year 2009 by saying that cutting Saturday service "is a pretty reasonable idea."

Silver Apples Gala - Polished Affair Celebrates Past and Future

Carol Krol November 14, 2009

The Direct Marketing Club of New York honored the giants of direct marketing this week at the DMCNY's Silver Apple Awards at New York's Hudson Theater. The cocktail reception burst at the seams in the art-deco theater lobby; current honorees rubbed shoulders alongside a number of past honorees, many of whom were in attendance. Gawkers like me simply took it all in. I've covered direct marketing now for a dozen years, so I enjoyed seeing the mix of past and present movers and shakers and speaking with some of them.

Reader's Digest Association reshuffles marketing operations, names US CMO

Frank Washkuch November 10, 2009

As part of its effort to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Reader's Digest Association has reorganized its marketing structure and named a CMO for the US. The company named Lisa Karpinski its US CMO, responsible for marketing strategies across the company's brands. Based in Milwaukee, she will oversee marketing team members for all US titles.

Editorial: This holiday season, may the best direct win

Cara Wood November 06, 2009

A troubled 2009 has seen cutbacks and ad budget freezes across all industries. Both consumers and executives have dithered in purchase decisions, absorbing information, coupons, custom content, product reviews, free trials and freebies before signing the check or invoice.

Lazarus inducted into DMA Hall of Fame

Carol Krol October 21, 2009

Shelly Lazarus, chairwoman of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, became the latest industry luminary to be inducted into the Direct Marketing Association's Hall of Fame. Lazarus was honored by the association on October 20 at its annual conference in San Diego. It is the second time the group has honored Lazarus. DMA named her Woman of the Year in 2002.

Haggin Marketing rebrands as SolutionSet, merges business units

Frank Washkuch October 19, 2009

Haggin Marketing combined its four divisions into one unit and rebranded itself SolutionSet on October 19. The company merged its original direct and retail marketing group with digital marketing and technology, database marketing and franchise and local marketing units it picked up via acquisition over the past three years.

Direct media owners to see rise in ad revenue next year: Magna report

Nathan Golia October 14, 2009

Magna, an agency in the Interpublic Group division Mediabrands, predicted this week that revenue for owners of direct media — a diverse group comprising search engines, the US Postal Service and phone directories, among others — will rise 3.3% next year. That rise occurs when national and local brand-based advertisers are included and revenue is evaluated as a whole.

Survey: Job market recovery for DMers better than average

Frank Washkuch October 13, 2009

The job market for direct and digital marketers is recovering more quickly than the rest of the nation, according to statistics released on October 13 by executive placement firm Bernhart Associates. The survey, which tallied the responses of 359 companies from September 28 to October 12, found that 30% of respondents said they will add staff members during the remainder of 2009, up 10% from the third quarter.

Ogilvy wins CDW AOR account, including direct and digital advertising

Chantal Todé October 08, 2009

IT products and services direct seller CDW has named Ogilvy & Mather its advertising agency of record. The agency is responsible for traditional advertising, direct marketing and digital. Ogilvy & Mather, Chicago, is the lead agency on the account.

Michelin launches $20 million ad campaign, featuring digital and direct elements

Carol Krol October 06, 2009

Michelin launched a $20 million global consumer advertising campaign on October 6. The integrated effort, handled by agency of record TBWA, includes TV, print and online elements, as well as direct mail and point-of-sale materials through its dealer network.

Direct Brands appoints Fine president and CEO

Carol Krol September 30, 2009

Direct Brands, a direct marketer of books, DVDs and recorded music, has named Deborah Fine president and CEO. Direct Brands and sister company Bookspan, owned by Najafi Companies, include the Book-of-the-Month Club, Columbia House, Doubleday Book Club and The Literary Guild. Previously, Fine was president of NBC Universal's iVillage Properties, a group of online communities including iVillage.com and YourTotalHealth.com with 27 million members.

DMA poised to shift focus to interactive

Carol Krol September 21, 2009

The Direct Marketing Association is considering repositioning its entire organization around interactive marketing, including a name change, industry sources told DMNews. This reflects increasing industry focus on digital marketing. Some industry sources said the pivot is critical to the group's survival.

US ad spending down 14% in first half, but FSIs and Internet see gains

Carol Krol September 16, 2009

Total measured advertising spending during the first half of this year dropped 14.3% to $60.9 billion, compared with the same period in 2008, according TNS Media Intelligence. The data, released September 16, also reveals ad spending during the second quarter was down 13.9% compared to the same period of last year, representing its fifth consecutive quarter of year-over-year declines.

Acxiom names Taylor VP, corporate marketing

Frank Washkuch September 08, 2009

Interactive marketing firm Acxiom appointed Erin Taylor VP of corporate marketing, effective September 1. The former director of direct marketing at Alltel, she is charged with positioning the company to reflect market leadership and increasing its creative services and advertising capabilities.

Lakshmi-Ratan out at DMA

Carol Krol September 02, 2009

Ramesh Lakshmi-Ratan, the Direct Marketing Association's EVP and COO, will resign effective September 18, DMNews has learned. Lakshmi-Ratan, who will join an unnamed DMA member company, was promoted to the COO post in June 2006.

Dealing with rejection: Is it good marketing?

Carol Krol August 18, 2009

The New York Times launches mail order club

Carol Krol August 17, 2009

The New York Times Company announced on August 17 it has launched The New York Times Wine Club, a mail order club that has the potential to provide the embattled publisher with another source of revenue. The newspaper partnered with Global Wine Company, an outsourcer that operates wine mail order clubs for consumer brands such as Omaha Steaks, to handle the business on a turn-key basis.

How do I know I am interviewing with the best company for my experience and goals?

Kelli Wood, director of HR, Engauge August 17, 2009

A job search can be daunting — particularly in today's economy. You'll ask, Is the position you've identified a match for your skill set? Does it align with your career goals? Will the company you're interviewing with pick you?

E-mail, fastest growing direct marketing segment, expands double digits

Carol Krol August 04, 2009

E-mail marketing spending will continue to expand at double-digit rates — 18.5% per year — for the next five years, according to Veronis Suhler Stevenson, a private equity firm, in its annual Communications Industry Forecast published on August 3. VSS specializes in the information and media industries. VSS puts the total spend for e-mail at $11.9 billion in 2008 and, by 2013, it forecasts e-mail will be a $27.8 billion business.

UPS Q2 revenue dips nearly 17%

Cara Wood July 24, 2009

International shipping company UPS reported a 16.7% decline in revenue to $10.83 billion for its second quarter ending June 30, down from $13 billion in Q2 2008. Price reduction due to lower fuel charges, as well as the global recession, were cited as the root causes for the company's under performance.

RMD nabs new clients, plans direct response component

Carol Krol July 21, 2009

RMD Advertising, a Columbus, OH-based ad agency, announced Tuesday it has become agency of record for three new clients: Anomatic Corp., Orlando Baking Co. and Sandridge Foods. In each case, RMD was tapped in order to help these companies promote their brands, launch new products and increase sales and awareness. RMD said it will do so using an integrated approach that includes advertising, public relations and Web marketing.

Problem Solver: How can b-to-b marketers stretch their marketing budget to generate leads in this economy?

Carol Krol July 20, 2009

With too few dollars in the ever-shrinking b-to-b marketing budget, marketers are hard-pressed to quickly generate qualified, sales-ready leads. M. H. (Mac) McIntosh, president and principal consultant of Mac McIntosh Inc., suggests eight tips for making the most of a minimal budget.

New kid on the block does direct marketers proud

Carol Krol July 16, 2009

DM job losses show signs of bottoming out

Chantal Todé July 13, 2009

The direct marketing job market may have hit a bottom, according to the latest quarterly employment report from Bernhart Associates Executive Search. According to the survey, 20% of respondents said they will be adding staff during the current summer quarter, up from 16% in the spring. A record 402 companies responded to the random survey, which was e-mailed the week of June 22.