12th December 2008
* On-line media "in despair"
* Beat the Recession - boost your budget by 40%
* Marketing in a Downturn 22/01/2009
* Privacy & Data Protection 2009, Dublin, 18/2/2009

Press and TV advertising may be in trouble
and now it looks like the on-line industry
could be in difficulty too! But this time its
self-inflicted, rather than a result of the
economic woes. And on the subject of the
recession, we take a look at what you can do
immediately to ensure you aren't wasting up
to 40%
of your marketing budget.

Don't forget to register for the Marketing
in a Downturn seminar on 22nd January.
Sponsored by Database Marketing magazine this
will provide you with the tools you need to
stay ahead of the game in 2009!
James Pearson - Editor

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On-line media "in despair"

The planned single body to unify and provide
reliable website visitor metrics has imploded
as the various sides failed to reach
agreement on who would pay for what. A senior
figure at a major UK media website said "this
is a disaster for us. We desperately needed
reliable, verifiable data to show advertisers
and without it we are fair game in a
declining market".

Media owners have long been gambling that
on-line revenues would replace off-line but
this has signally failed to happen. Many
approaches have been tried - from paid-for
content, through games, shopping portals and
commission-based fees for leads or sales
generated. To date none have significantly
closed the gap caused by reducing traditional
ad revenues.

We have spoken to a number of major
advertisers and they all agree that they have
a significant level of scepticism about the
traffic numbers quoted by various media. One
said "frankly we ignore the claims - we take
the offered media charge and then go back
with 50% of it, most accept it, they are
desperate for any revenue." The alternative
is to adopt the "cost-per-click" model a la
Google. But a) they are then up against
Google and b) this then devalues the
"awareness" component of web advertising
which, according to the latest research, has
a far higher impact than was thought.

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Beat the Recession - boost your budget by 40%

Did you know that 40% of your marketing
budget is wasted? New research by MI shows
that, on average, 40% of the names in the
databases used for Direct Marketing are
either wrong or irrelevant. Which is why we
are offering a free "Fit for 09" audit of
your marketing databases.

We'll take a look at the following for you:

1) How good your data is - how many are
postally deliverable (email and snail mail)

2) How many duplicates you have

3) How old your records are

4) How closely your database matches to your
target Market

5) The error level in your database

6) How comprehensive your records are and
whether they hold enough information

The resulting report will show you exactly
where you need to focus on improving your
data and how to do it. But hurry, if you want
a "Fit for '09" audit you will need to book
it before 19th December 2008. To find out
more email tim.beadle@mieurope.eu.

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Marketing in a Downturn 22/01/2009

AGENDA
This
one-day conference from Database Marketing
magazine and Marketing Improvement is for
marketers who want to make a difference.

The best companies don't cut marketing spend
in a downturn, they do the opposite. They
know that even the toughest market conditions
still provide plenty of opportunity. This
event will help you identify how to do three
things: ensure you protect your marketing
budget, deliver results when customers are
slowing their buying and take advantage of
your competitors' difficulties.

This is a high level strategic seminar for
Marketing Managers & Directors, CRM Managers
and Directors, Direct Marketing Managers and
other senior marketing managers.

This event brings together some of the
leading practitioners from the Direct
Marketing industry. Their combined experience
and expertise gives you unrivalled access to
valuable insights that will ensure your
marketing activities deliver the results you
need. During the presentations you will hear
real-world examples from leading companies
that are putting the theory into practice -
and winning!

PRESENTATION TOPICS

8.30 Registration

9.00 Welcome

9.15 - Who thrives and who dies in a recession?

Recessions don't uniformly affect people or
businesses. This session shows you who the
winners - and losers will be so you can focus
your budgets where the business will be

9.45 - Segmentation and targeting
strategies

Behaviours change in a recession, traditional
segmentations work less well or break down
completely. How can you spot this BEFORE it
happens? Which targeting strategies will be
the most cost-effective?

10-15 - Managing credit risk

How do you avoid selling to people who can't
afford to pay? Make no mistake, controlling
the credit risk becomes a significant part of
the marketers job in a recession

10.45 - Coffee

11.15 - Behavioural Marketing

Most marketing focuses on attitudinal
marketing - but attitudes change in a
recession and quickly. You need to be able to
market based on behaviour. This session looks
at how you can get the behavioural data you
need

11.45 - Monetising your Database

You need to put a value on your customer data
to justify investment. How much is it worth
and how do you prove it?

12.15 CRM vs. SCV

Customer Relationship Management or Single
Customer View - which is the right approach
in a tight market? We evaluate the arguments
for and against each.

12.45 - Q&A

13.00 Lunch

14.00 - 4.00pm Workshop

The optional afternoon workshop is your
opportunity to drill down into specific areas
of interest and learn how to implement the
learnings from the morning into your own
organisation. Led by two senior specialists
from Marketing Improvement, spaces on the
workshop are strictly limited so book early!

REGISTER NOW
The fee per delegate
is just £249 plus VAT, for those booking on
or before Friday 5th December 2008. To book,
or to find out more, please click on the link
below or call Cara Thomson at Database
Marketing Magazine on 0141 222 5381 or email
cthomson@55north.com

Click here for more information

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Privacy & Data Protection 2009, Dublin, 18/2/2009

Jack Straw has recently said that he intends
to make data breaches a criminal offence. PA
Consulting, among others, has found that
breaking Data Privacy law can have ruinous
consequences. And in turbulent times
consumers are ever more cautious about who
they trust with their personal data.

This event will ensure you keep ahead of the
rapidly changing data privacy environment.
Taking place at the Law
Society in Dublin it is your opportunity to
understand how you Data Privacy can impact
your organisation and your marketing efforts.

Two Days
The conference runs over
two days - the Agenda on Day 1 is designed
for the Data Privacy professional, Day 2,
however is designed for the needs of
marketing professionals. During the day there
are keynote presentations on Data Protection
and Marketing Strategies; Permission-based
marketing and Web 2.0 and Data Privacy.

Superb Speakers
There is a
fantastic line-up of speakers and with Day 2
having such a strong emphasis on marketing
and related issues we believe it is a "must
attend" event!

Click here for the full Agenda