Data Protection

Experian and the ICO

About a month ago, the disagreement between the ICO and Experian finally headed towards closure with the following sentence: “The Information Commissioner’s Appeal is dismissed.” This succinct statement was followed up by 57 closely written pages of…


Agencies Marking Their Own Homework

Agencies Marking Their Own Homework

This week I’ve been reminded of a phrase that follows all agencies around. I asked a charity to upload all of the donors they’d recruited since the drop date of their last Direct Mail campaign. I wanted to show them how many people had received a DM…


Marketing navigating the storm

Direct Marketing in the Maelstrom

I don’t often lament the fate of marketers. We have a lovely job and generally a lot of fun doing it. That said, with the cost-of-living crisis and the current economic turmoil, we might be forgiven for feeling like our job has become unnecessarily…


Analysis of Data.

CDP, SCV, CRM: TMI

Platform your LTA isn’t cutting it but you can’t switch to MTA or MMM because your CRM isn’t a CDP so can’t deliver you an SCV – sort it out PDQ! Even amongst the ‘Three-Letter-Acronym’ besotted English-speaking (texting) world, the data-driven…


Target audience segmentation.

How much data should I test?

I have some sympathy with people who need to buy data for their direct mail campaigns. Apart from learning the bewildering range of different data types and sources and understanding all the things that have been expressed to the data subject while…


Products displayed on top of desk.

Boosting Retention for D2C Brands

Direct 2 Consumer (DTC) brands are still riding the crest of a wave that began before the pandemic and was accelerated during the big stay-at-home, with many referring to this period as the boom years! Arguably their biggest challenges now are not…


Electric car at charging bay.

New Cars - who's going electric?

Two years ago, we asked our friends over at MyOffers to talk to their audience about the cars they drive and the cars they want to drive with some fascinating results. Before I start, I should share a couple of facts… The MyOffers audience…


eco-friendly handmade soap

Eco-friendly Cosmetics Anyone?

Eco friendly cosmetics are booming business in the UK, but should we pay more for sustainable products or should sustainability just be part of the deal. PDV commissioned sister company MyOffers to lift the lid on what users of cosmetics really…


targeting consumers

Which prospects are worth a letter?

Direct mail can be a powerful marketing tool, allowing businesses to reach out to potential customers in a targeted and personalized way. But with any marketing campaign, it’s important to carefully consider which prospects you should be…


couple speaking with consultant at home

How many prospects will say yes?

I joined this industry in a previous century, and we used to do things a bit differently then. Lesson one for a Green Account Exec was never, ever, give a straight answer to the question “How many prospects will say yes?” For lots of reasons, we…