News

With supermarket discount wars raging have loyalty schemes have lost their lustre?

From Marks & Spencer's ‘Dine in for two for £10' deal to the resurgence of cut-price basic brands, discounts and promotions have become the centrepoint of many brands' marketing strategies during the downturn. In contrast, loyalty programmes, which require that both consumers and brands invest in long-term rewards, are facing challenging times.

LONDON - The wine company's profits are plummeting as corporate and overseas sales fall off.

Predictions that consumers are now spending more time slumped in front of the television drinking, rather than out at the pub, have done little to help the performance of wine specialist Majestic Wine.

LONDON - Insurer More Th>n won the Customer Relationship Marketing prize at the Marketing Society Golden Jubilee Awards last night for an initiative that improved retention rates.

In the unglamorous world of insurance marketing, the More Th>n brand has emerged as a front runner when it comes to innovation and creativity. And Pete Markey, the brand’s marketing director, has been at the forefront of this success.

The Institute of Sales Promotion awarded SFW with a Bronze in the Financial Services category at their prestigious ISP awards, held at London Hilton on June 4th. The award was accepted by Hannah Wallis and Rosie Boon, the creative team who devised the Russian Doll House DRTV film for MORE TH>N. It is the first time SFW has entered the ISP competition, which rewards campaigns and creative work that is specifically created to drive sales.

LONDON - Data from loyalty cards, postcode targeting and surveys have given marketers unprecedented insights into the way people shop, as well as providing them with the names, addresses, preferences and life stages of millions of consumers.

Combined with information gleaned from the web and customer relationship marketing programmes, brands can employ unparalleled levels of targeting and personalised communications.

"Why, you may wonder, would the IPA look to reintroduce the copy test (www.ipacopytest.co.uk) at a time when the industry is struggling to keep hold of its best talent and the bean counters try to discard everyone who doesn’t bring in the revenue?

LONDON - The direct marketing agency Stephens Francis Whitson has appointed Helena Wood and Isabelle O'Sullivan as senior planners.