Despite Economic Downturn, Opportunities Still Abound for Smart Direct Marketers

Despite Economic Downturn, Opportunities Still Abound for Smart Direct Marketers

Virtual seminar brings marketers fresh perspectives for gaining ground in a tough economy

Schaumburg, Ill., Nov. 14, 2008 — Smart marketers know that in challenging economic times, it’s the marketing resources that often are the first to be trimmed. They also know that reduced emphasis on marketing generally leads to fewer sales, not improved revenues.

Experian Marketing Services, in conjunction with the Direct Marketing Association, will host a virtual seminar on Nov. 19, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern time, for direct marketers who often find their goals sidelined and budgets cut in the name of cost savings due to a slow economy. Featuring several analytical and data integration experts from Experian Marketing Services, the seminar will walk marketers through key steps to more effectively prove their value and produce measurable results that can transform their departments from cost centers to profit generators.

“Smart marketers know that even in tight economic times, the budgets cut from marketing efforts only result in lost sales, not improved revenues — and now is the time for marketers to make this fact known,” said Nancy Shaver, seminar speaker and insight strategist for Experian Marketing Services. “By following a few easy steps, every marketer can shift perceptions of their discipline from discretionary cost center to proven and essential value generator.”

The seminar, which also will feature Experian Marketing Services’ Ken Bianchetti, senior director of Product Marketing, and Doug Gilbert, senior director of Product Marketing and Postal Affairs, also will drill down into important strategies for any marketer currently facing economic challenges. These strategies include:

• Practical advice on how to move marketing from being thought of as a cost center to being truly valued as a revenue generator
• Recommendations on how to deal with the changing economic climate and emerge in a stronger, more confident position
• Knowledge to apply science to marketing to help maximize profit from every marketing dollar spent
• Strategies to defend your customer base by focusing on creating a positive customer experience
• An understanding of how analyzing channel response can show the value of any mailing and its effect on Internet and in-store sales — allowing for better marketing integration and strategic planning
• How engaging with customers during a slowdown and how superior customer experience provide the opportunity for sustained competitive advantage
• The numbers behind loyalty — you’ll hear real case studies about how increased customer loyalty and greater retention impact the bottom line
• How marketing campaigns can be highly successful through customer-centric, cost- effective tactics
• Ways that promotion response analysis enables critical decision making, including where to spend advertising dollars to ensure the biggest impact on sales and profitability
• How multichannel response analysis can show the relationships between promotional channels and how accurate analysis of each channel empowers marketers to allocate marketing resources correctly

For more information, visit http://www.the-dma.org/councilevents/experianNov08/.

About Experian
Experian® is a global leader in providing information, analytical and marketing services to organizations and consumers to help manage the risk and reward of commercial and financial decisions.

Combining its unique information tools and deep understanding of individuals, markets and economies, Experian partners with organizations around the world to establish and strengthen customer relationships and provide their businesses with competitive advantage.

For consumers, Experian delivers critical information that enables them to make financial and purchasing decisions with greater control and confidence. Clients include organizations from financial services, retail and catalog, telecommunications, utilities, media, insurance, automotive, leisure, e-commerce, manufacturing, property and government sectors.

Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Experian has corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, and has operational headquarters in Costa Mesa, Calif., and Nottingham, UK. The Group employs approximately 15,500 people in 38 countries worldwide, supporting clients in more than 65 countries around the world. Continuing sales for the year ended March 31, 2008, were in excess of $4 billion.

For more information, visit www.experianplc.com.

Experian and the marks used herein are service marks or registered trademarks of Experian Information Solutions, Inc.

Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Contact:
Christopher Fielder
Experian Public Relations
1 224 698 8628 Telephone
christopher.fielder@experian.com Email

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