Bright thoughts

The EC’s recent proposals to tighten up data protection legislation have ruffled a few feathers including the DMA’s.  They’ve posted an article saying the changes would have “costly ramifications for companies involved with direct marketing, and in turn detrimental consequences for the UK economy”. Now, I’m a relative novice in the world of direct marketing.  In fact I’m only 5 ...

Last year I wrote a piece bemoaning the confusion and muddle surrounding VAT and postage (click here if you want to read the backstory). The good news is that things have now become much clearer. The bad news, is that charities and financial services clients, (who can’t reclaim VAT), will have to start paying VAT on their direct mail postage – unless they reconfigure their supply chains in a ...

2: Feeling good, while doing good! How self-interest and altruism work together in prize-led fundraising Would you like to… ..wake up in the city that never sleeps. To dress in the best Fifth Avenue has to offer, before strolling down to the Village to find that special little coffee shop that does the best breakfast in the world – sausage and pancakes and maple syrup and ...

I recently attended the International Fundraising Conference. It was great to meet passionate fundraisers, who had some interesting ideas to improve the performance of worldwide fundraising. Even though the presentations and debates covered a wide range of subjects, there were a couple of themes that ran across the sessions. One that particularly connected with me was a real back to basics poi...

1: I can win this Prize-led fundraising can make my Creative colleagues outside this specialist area shudder in horror. ‘Where’s the art, the creativity, the DMA awards!’ they cry.  ‘Surely the Creative is all the same’ they whisper, ‘how can you tell what works…?’ they ask. Well, I don’t know where the DMA awards are (though I’m sure it’s only a question of time) but ...

The direct/ below the line marketing industry goes through periods where norms and ways of doing things become accepted, and other times when things radically change, with the old rule books discarded and new models developed. I think it's fair to say that 121 marketing is in a game-changing, revolutionary phase right now. The drivers for this are clear: the explosion of sophisticated custom...

'Shocking charity direct debit cancellations rates could get worse.' This recent article posted on Civil Society got me thinking again about how peculiar it is that many charities single-mindedly focus on obtaining direct debit sign ups. Think-time needed for cash supporters Relentless focus on direct debits (I refuse to call it ‘Regular Giving’) is all well and good but is not the be all...

As all good marketers and fundraisers know, the very best direct marketing campaigns are personal, relevant and timely. Personalised URLs (pURLs) are a powerful tool – neatly bridging the gap between an email or printed communication, and a fully personalised online customer experience. But how can you ensure that customer data is kept secure when using pURLs? It’s a question that’s parti...

You probably haven’t been following the Finance Act 2011 too closely. But if you work in marketing for a financial services company, or are a charity fundraiser, Section 75 of the Act might have a big impact on the way you do business. If you are a creative agency supplying printed marketing communications to either the financial services or charity sector, it certainly will. The relevant sec...

Yikes. It seems that Royal Mail has taken temporary leave of their senses. Several of these postcards landed on Brightsource desks this morning. As you can see, the postcard is a jolly piece of B2B direct mail, offering people an opportunity to win an iPad2 in return for updating their contact details. The postcard caught my eye on a colleague’s desk. Why? Firstly, because the contact deta...