Coming to our Census

The first definitive results from Census 2011 have been released

The CSO recently released ‘This is Ireland – Highlights from Census 2011 Part 1’.

This report looks at the first definitive results of the most recent census which was conducted just over a year ago.

It makes for a really interesting read and you’ll notice that the information is much more accessible than previous CSO publications. This wasn’t an (more…)

7 Deadly Direct Mail Sins

Some fatal direct mail don’ts for the mail marketer.

When it comes to getting a response, direct mail remains one of the most effective channels of marketing communication. When done well, direct mail gets results.

Quite often though, direct mail isn’t done well and we frequently see the same mistakes happening time and time again.

Here are 7 common mistakes that we see direct mail marketers making quite regularly. (more…)

The Household Charge

With a few direct marketing basics could the Irish government have achieved a better response to their Household Charge campaign?

So, after much furore and a lot of hot air from both sides of the ‘pay/don’t pay’ divide, the dust has settled and it transpires that almost half of Irish householders have failed to pay the charge. The State has never seen this level of tax avoidance and such a widespread failure to comply.

After all of the recent austerity measures that have been heaped upon the populous, was this just (more…)

What are QR Codes?

QR codes: Overused Gimmick or Useful Marketing tool? You decide…

Unless you are living in a cave you will at some point in the last year have seen one of these on product packaging, posters, or adverts…

These are QR (Quick Response) codes. They are a progression from the original old-school barcodes, which everybody will be familiar with as a code found on all types of consumer goods, vouchers, coupons etc, which are scanned in shops at the till.

A barcode is basically a graphical representation of some data, usually a list of numbers or (more…)

Custom Colours

Colours can do so much more than simply make your brand look pretty.

Colours can be a powerful tool in communicating with customers and eliciting the response you want. Direct marketers measure everything. Not because we enjoy it but because we want to know which combination of data, medium, response mechanism, call to action, lettercopy, and offer will generate the best return. We develop complex test matrices for pilot campaigns, we pore over stats and agonise over the subtlest of nuances between this direct mail copy and that. (more…)

We’re Hiring

Positions in our Software Development Department

In 2010, we set up a Software Development department to address our clients’ web-based data management requirements.

We now manage web projects for a range of clients, and as a result we are expanding our team with the following roles: (more…)

Getting Personal

Big brands putting you in the picture with product personalisation.

More and more big brands are offering their customers and fans the opportunity to put a personal spin on their favourite products. It’s an ancient concept and the idea of having names and personal messages applied to jewellery, cufflinks, clothing, handkerchiefs and other traditional gifts is familiar to us.

So, it wasn’t a major surprise when Apple began offering an engraving service that allowed customers to personalise their iPods and iPads. Recently (more…)

Missing a Trick

Awesome events can offer much more than a good impression.

The field of experiential marketing has evolved significantly in recent years. The level of investment in high-quality, high-impact events aimed at showing brands in a good light has sky-rocketed.

Elaborate product launches, entertaining sales events, exciting exhibitions and various other forms of powerful promotional events are all great at drawing crowds, creating favourable media coverage, boosting short-term sales and building positive impressions (more…)

Green with Pride

Successfully leveraging sponsorship is more about great ideas than massive budgets.

Ireland are back on football’s big stage. Last night we booked our place at our first European Championship Finals since 1988; a joyous occasion for football fans nationwide and a major coup for the Boys in Green’s main sponsor, Three.

With a 4-0 lead over Estonia going into last night’s game, the stage was set more for a celebration than a nail-biting clincher. A full-house, a (more…)

31 Direct Marketing Ploys

I read an interesting e-book this morning from Drayton Bird.

For those of you unfamiliar with Drayton, he is a bit of a direct marketing legend. In fact, legendary ad man, David Ogilvy said; “Drayton knows more about direct marketing than anybody else in the world.”

It says so on the cover of Drayton’s book.

It’s a great read for any marketer.

The tips, tricks, and tactics that Drayton calls ploys are all very basic. Obvious. Simple. There is (more…)