LONDON - DSG International (DSGi) is boosting its £2.5m digital and direct marketing spend in a bid to reinvigorate sales across its Currys, Currys.digital and PC World stores.

The beleaguered electronics retailer has appointed new agencies, and plans to bolster the below-the-line portion of its £80m annual spend in an effort to stave off competition from US rival Best Buy, which plans to enter Europe through a joint venture with Carphone Warehouse.

John Browett, who joined DSGi as chief executive last September from Tesco, recently embarked on a wide-ranging business review that will result in the closure of almost 80 Currys digital stores. The company hopes the shake-up will contribute to a £50m cut in costs in 2008/09.

The retailer is yet to brief its agencies on specific projects, but it is understood that they will work to help the company transform its business over the next three years.

Postcomm, the independent regulator for postal services, has refuted suggestions that it will recommend a reduction in postal deliveries.

The regulator has become embroiled in battle with the Daily Telegraph after the newspaper suggested Postcomm will slash postal deliveries from six to five days a week.

Postcomm has stated the Saturday delivery is enshrined in law, in the Postal Service Act 2000, which it has no power to change.

A statement from Postcomm reads: “Our commitment to secure a universal service valued by customers is just as strong as Royal Mail’s and we do not want to see any denigration of the service.

However, Postcomm chairman Nigel Stapelton says the only threat to Saturday deliveries is if Royal Mail fails to take up the challenge of becoming an efficient universal service provider.

He states: “Royal Mail acknowledges that the universal service is a major asset and it is one which Postcomm is determined to secure. We believe that a universal service, providing all that is reasonably required by consumers, can be internally financed by Royal Mail if the issues of efficiency and pensions are vigorously tackled.”

Direct mail was the reason for most complaints made by members of the public according to the first annual review carried out by the Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB).

31.1% of total complaints received by the FRSB related to direct mail, 21.17% related to data protection issues and 21.1% to telephone fundraising. This came as a bit of a surprise, as it was expected that most complaints about fundraising would be about face to face situations, but only 13.6% of total complaints were made about this.

The report goes on to say that direct mail is causing concern and problems for many charities and supporters, but in its first year, the FRSB, set up to provide the charity sector with a self-regulatory body, seems to having a significant impact. Public trust and confidence in charity fundraising is crucial and the major responsibility of the FRSB is to be the voice of the public and ensure that sector codes of fundraising practice takes its interest into account.

This was the first time ever that the public’s attitudes to direct mail have been sought and their feedback has been sent to the Institute of Fundraising.

Hard-selling advertisers are finding the sell not so hard nowadays as they get the consumer to do their work for them.

The minds behind the latest must-see advert - Thunderbirds’ genius Brains grooving to 90s euro-dance hit ‘Rythym is a dancer’ - are pulling the consumer puppet-strings again as the ninety second video is posted all over the net for millions to see.

In a blog by the Canadian Marketing Association, the poster considers the impact that direct marketing has on the environment. By focusing on customer data, he says that companies can dramatically change the environmental impact of their direct mail initiatives.