In a bid to promote its own marketing products and services, Royal Mail is launching a direct mail drive which it hopes will engage customers by appealing to all of the five senses. They hope that by moving away from the traditional leaflet and letter format to a media pack including a CD, customers will take a “seed” idea and “grow” it into their own, customised marketing solution.

2008 has been the most successful year to date for the YDMA with more than 150 teams from across the UK submitting their direct marketing campaigns to the competition.

Pupils from 12 schools across the UK have beaten off tough competition to become YDMA finalists. The winning teams will be announced at a ceremony at The Magic Circle Headquarters in London on 13 June.

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.

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.

Eclipse Marketing is delighted to have reached number 38 in Marketing magazine’s annual ranking of the UK’s biggest direct marketing and sales promotion agencies. The list relates to agencies’ position in 2007.

 Here’s the top 42: