This year, the DMA awards will feature three more digital categories to reflect the adaptation of direct marketing as people spend more time online.

Last year there were three digital categories – email, digital execution and digital journey. Now there are six – online advertising, email, campaign websites, mobile marketing, eCRM, and new applications/use of new technology. The last is designed to include things such as widgets, social networking and branded content.

The direct marketing sector struggles with image problems. Its ‘junk mail’ tag, in particular, has proved difficult to shake off, despite significant improvements in targeting and more responsible attitudes being adopted by the majority of brands and agencies that use direct mail. 

Other reputation issues persist just as obdurately. Despite sterling efforts by bodies such as the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) to improve the sector’s environmental performance, the public perception is that the medium still lacks ‘green’ credentials.

TNT Post customers will be able to access a web-based carbon calculator, to measure the carbon impact of all contributing mail fulfillment elements used to produce and deliver their mailings.

The service comes in response to the government’s target of reducing carbon emissions by 20% by 2020 and the Direct Marketing Association’s 2003 agreement with the government, which commits the direct marketing industry to reduce its environmental impact over the next 10 years.

by Vince Shiers, Managing Director of RQA Europe, specialist recall and product safety consultants

I love my BlackBerry. It means I can get the job done wherever I am and whenever I have a few minutes to spare. On the other hand, I hate it too. Why? Because it means I can get the job done wherever I am and whenever I have a few minutes to spare!

In my line of business, working for a product recall consultancy, someone in the team has to be on call to respond in emergency situations at any time of the day or night. Many businesses boast that they are available ‘24/7, 365 days a year’. At RQA it happens to be true. With product safety, there’s no nine-to-five.

As recall consultants, we are used to being contacted late at night or early in the morning, and having our social lives interrupted by emails and calls. It doesn’t matter if it’s your birthday or Christmas Day, whether you’re on the golf course or at your child’s Carol service, when a recall incident arises, you have to swing into action.

by David Pickering, Eclipse Marketing 

Stories about consumer product safety are almost never out of the headlines. In last year’s ‘summer of recalls’, leading manufacturers in the toy, electronics and confectionery sectors were caught up in extensive and very public incidents. Who’s next?

So manufacturers should be thinking could it happen to us, but how well will we react when it does? With the European Commission reporting a 56% increase in consumer safety alerts from EU member states in 2007, it is more important than ever that manufacturers are prepared.