Royal Mail is taking progressive steps to remain relevant to marketing practioners through the launch of a separate data and direct mail service.
At the beginning of the month Royal Mail unveiled Data Sure, a solution that will carry out initial data audits for companies, before cleansing and enhancing databases and issuing profiling reports with recommendations.
The data tool will see the company compete against the likes of Information Arts and Blue Sheep that already have a firm hold in the market.
“All businesses are under greater pressure than ever to win new business and improve sales, but budgets to achieve this have never been tighter in such difficult economic times,” says Tony Lamb, head of data development at Royal Mail. “Often the fastest and most cost-effective route to win new business is from existing customers, or prospects that look most like existing customers,” he adds.
But Simon Lawrence, CEO of Information Arts does not believe the service will rival the products offered by other industry experts: “This service may be of particular interest to SMEs. Maybe the Royal Mail has seen a gap in the market, but I don’t expect it to affect us. It doesn’t seem to be offering anything new,” he says.
The post office will be supplementing several data products already within their portfolio, such as the business changes file, with information from other B2B data providers D&B and Experian.
In an effort to promote DM to ad agencies, Royal Mail has rolled out an online service Mail Media Centre, www.mmc.co.uk. The resource will provide guidance from experts and the industry on creative DM.
The MMC website was designed by TMW and launched in March, using a sensory campaign to demonstrate the appeal of physical DMs. Thirty thousand heat packs were mailed out to key targets in the industry to support the campaign’s strapline âit’s cold out there’.
The website features B2C DMs in the âCreative Showreel’ that provides best practice examples from the industry all over the world – from the UK to Australia and Brussels.
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