8th January 2009

* Strategies for 2009

* Unplanned purchasing levels "an urban myth" says new study

* Marketing in a Downturn - A vital seminar for 2009

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

Welcome to the New Year - it is sure to

be a challenging one! In this week's issue we

suggest some strategies that could help you

stay ahead of the game. We report on a new

study that questions received wisdom about

impulse purchasing and there are details of

the upcoming events that we think you should

take a look at

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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Strategies for 2009

There are four clear strategies we think most

marketers will need to adopt in 2009 in order

to overcome the downturn in most markets:

 

1) "Get business now"

Conditions are only likely to worsen during

the year so activities aimed at pulling

purchasing decisions forward will clearly be

highly desirable - especially if in the

process they win business from competitors

2) Protect your customer base

Just as you will be targeting your

competitors customers, they will be targeting

yours. Do not forget to protect your base by

reminding customers of why they bought from

you in the first place and give them

compelling reasons to stay with you.

3) Be Direct

If you don't already know who your customers

are, find out so that you can communicate

with them one-on-one. Divert budget from

other media towards direct communication

because it shows your customers that you care

about THEM, not everyone!

4) Results matter

The marketers who will thrive in 2009 are the

ones who can show that, far from being cost,

they are a profit centre. Prove that what you

do delivers on the bottom line. Paying

lipservice to ROI just won't work any more!

 

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Unplanned purchasing levels "an urban myth" says new study

We've all heard the mantra that 70% of

supermarket purchases are unplanned - well a

new study suggests that the true level is

closer to 20%. Undertaken in the Netherlands

and reported in an article by Wharton

marketing Professor David Bell, it suggests

that there is a wild variance between people

in the level of unplanned purchases and that

previous studies have failed to take this

into account or adequately define what is

meant by "unplanned".

The study shows that people who are young and

unmarried will buy more unplanned items while

those with families will not. Also those who

travel to the supermarket by car will buy

more unplanned items as will those for whom

the visit to the store itself was unplanned

in the first place. What this says is that

stores should perhaps be focusing more effort

onto attracting the right kind of customer

into the store in the first place and less on

in-store promotion.

"Overall, traits [of customers] appear more

important than states [of stores] in

generating unplanned category purchase

incidence," the researchers write. "This

raises some important questions for both

retailers and their suppliers. Retailers may

wonder if their current in-store marketing

budgets are too high. Suppliers might want to

revisit budget allocations: Should they

re-prioritize marketing activities designed

to place the brand firmly into the shoppers'

[planned purchases]?

To read the full Wharton article, click here

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Marketing in a Downturn - A vital seminar for 2009

AGENDA

This

one-day seminar 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 £299 plus VAT, and includes

refreshements, luch and a full delegate pack.

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!