In search of quality

Abstract

PurposeIn February 2005, Lloyd James Group conducted an analysis of the list market, which showed an 8 percent decline in commercially available lists. The purpose of this paper is to consider the implication of this modest decline in commercially available data, looking at where those declines are occurring, where the growth areas are, and what other techniques are coming into play to partner work alongside traditional list usage to deliver the results that managers and shareholders are demanding. The paper aims to consider how one such additional technique – affinity marketing – is being used across a number of sectors with retail operations, and how this compares with sectors with no retail presence.Design/methodology/approachThe first piece of research discussed, In Search of Quality, was carried out in Q1 of 2005. The research was carried out through data sources: lists and data sources, Marketing UK, Catalogue and e‐Business Annual, Precision Marketing, DMIS, FEDMA, World Advertising Research Centre, Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, Office of National Statistics, PriceWaterhouse Coopers, KPMG. The second research paper discussed, A Growing Affinity, was carried out in October/November 2005 through telemarketing and e‐mail field work by Marketing UK. The research base was the UK top 1,000 companies in the banking, charity, credit card, hotel, insurance, retail, telecoms, travel and utility sectors. Future research would look at consumer perceptions of and reactions to affinity‐based campaign where a known organisation introducing a third party to the consumer and look at the perceived logic of different kinds of combinations.FindingsOver the past couple of decades, marketing in the UK has evolved considerably. A key aspect of this change has been the shift away from the use of mass marketing techniques in favour of a more tailored approach, with retail organisations attempting to deliver a more personalised marketing message to distinct groups of consumers. This development will continue, not with one technique in particular winning out over others, but with the marketer using an increasing range of tools – commercial lists and other third party data, affinity, inserts and further piggy‐back techniques, co‐branding, sponsorship, and more – to reach responsive consumers within their catchments in an increasingly fragmented marketing communications world.Originality/valueThis paper provides retail marketers with an outline of practical options available for use to enhance marketing campaigns and maintain critical volumes as well as quality. The conclusion is that marketers must use a combination of tools and channels to achieve the desired reach and rate of response in the face of data scarcity and increased media fragmentation.