In the week starting October 27, I found these articles of interest at the DMI News website powered by Direct Marketing International

1. Majority of consumers will change brand to help environment survey says
New research has shown massive consumer support for environmental issues and green DM initiatives – and marketers are advised not to ignore the findings.

Ninety per cent of people believe everyone has a responsibility to play their part in reducing global warming; 92 per cent are prepared to devote time to achieving a greener lifestyle and all but 37 per cent are prepared to pay an extra £10 on each flight to offset their carbon footprint.

These are the surprisingly altruistic findings of a major study by online research company CCB fast.MAP, in which more than 2,200 consumers voiced their feelings about various environmental issues.

Article found at: DMI News
Read full article here

2. Data divas Rosemary Smith and Jenny Moseley explain changes in USA and UK telemarketing regulations

Almost simultaneously on both sides of the Atlantic, changes have been made to the rules covering telemarketing. It seems that a combination of consumer pressure and government concern means the sector will be under the spotlight for the foreseeable future.

In the USA, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) – which is charged with regulating telemarketing – has reacted to significant consumer complaint and announced that pre-recorded telesales messages now require signed opt-in, in writing, from the consumer. Unsolicited recorded calls have been banned in the UK since 2003 and the Information Commissioner has taken action under the PECR regulations (including rapping political parties on the knuckles for use of this technology).

Article found at: DMI News
Read full article here

3. Ian Hughes shares his recession survival tips

By the time you read this article, anything may have happened. Even though the lead time between me writing it and you reading it is only a matter of days, the world is evolving faster than any of us could imagine.

Airlines, banks and construction have all had a rough time (and that’s just the A-B-Cs).
Who would have thought that Fannie and Freddie would be nationalised? (Actually, I did predict it two months ago, but I was joking.) Who would have imagined that Lehman would go under or that Merrill would be bought? Who would have guessed that XL and Alitalia would disappear, or SAS, for that matter.

So, in such uncertain times, what ray of hope can we offer? Well, I did try to be positive in my column here last month, by focusing on the fact that, in a recession, there is a flight to DM, because those who can spend through a recession often win coming out the other side.
But what can we do, as business people, to ensure we survive? Well, survival is one of the things I have learned to do best, having crashed and burned during the last .com bust and having run a telecoms company during that bust.

So, here’s Ian’s handy guide to surviving a recession:

1) It’s all about value
People get worked up about value. They think it refers to price; it doesn’t, it refers to a perception of utility in the mind of the consumer. Something that has a poor utility value achieves a low price point. A lot of companies lose sight of the value they offer. I work in an information business where the value of our data is only as good as the use our customers have for it. That means, I am always thinking about what people will do with my information and how it will add value.
I always think about my customers. I’m not saying I am perfect, but asking the ‘why do customers buy this and what can we do to increase the value of that purchase?’ question is always a good technique

Article found at: DMI News

Read full article here

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