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			<title>Marketing Matters May/Jun 2012 ISSUE 26</title>
			<description>Marketing Matters May/Jun 2012 ISSUE 26</description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Monday 14th 2012f May 2012 08:45:59 AM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters May/Jun 2012 ISSUE 26</subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters





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 May/June 2012 ISSUE 26


 
 
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NEWS


 
 
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 FRANKLY THINKING The recent unprecedented rise in the cost of postage has hit businesses hard, but pensioners and other vulnerable groups even harder, courtesy of the industry lapdog, Ofcom.
 Those buying second-class stamps now have to pay 50 pence each for them, a rise of 39% from the previous 36 pence. Those with franking machines now pay a minimum second-class rate of 31 pence, up 11% from 28 pence.
 Naturally most are aware that the billions of extra profit generated will be spent on improvements to the service, and certainly not on much more generous salaries, expenses and pensions for Royal Mail senior management, perish the thought. 
 Those that are not could be wondering if the huge price gap now yawning between franked and stamped mail doesn't open up a market for selling a franked mail service to those who now have to pay through the nose for stamps. Our libraries, for instance, hit by the same e-revolution that has decreased postal demand, might be able to raise some much-needed revenue in this way, while providing a valuable service for local people bringing in their mail to be franked. Just a thought.......... 
  
 BOOTS CON PENSIONERS Marketeers at Boots have told millions of pensioners that the loyalty benefits on their Advantage cards have been "upgraded" when in fact they have been downgraded. 
 Until recently the over-60's got a 10% discount on own-brand products, and then 4 Advantage points (4 pence) for every pound spent. This meant that products priced at &pound;10 would cost &pound;9 with the 10% discount and then attract a further discount of 4 pence in the pound on &pound;9 (36 pence) making a total of &pound;8.64. Now, under what Boot's slippery marketeers describe as an upgrade the number of Advantage points has been increased to 10 per &pound;1 but the 10% discount scrapped, so what used to cost &pound;8.64 now costs &pound;9. 
 Unfortunately for Boot's wily marketing department other Boot's staff were more honest with customers telling them that under the new scheme "You are actually slightly worse off", a comment that was picked up by the BBC's Watchdog programme, along with some comments from pensioners such as "Boots are obviously assuming that anyone over 60 can&#8217;t do the maths".
  
 ADVANCE FEE FRAUDS STILL ACTIVE Enough UK business types are still gullible enough to make the advance fee frauds worth chancing, it seems. 
 An example is the letter recently received from someone calling himself Thwaite Ho, from China. Our Thwaite claims to be to be a private investment manager managing the 17.5 million dollar estate of a deceased chap with the same family name as the recipients of his letter, and generously offers to share the money, urging that he be contacted soonest via his fax number or email address. 
 Of course anyone with more than one brain cell will know that the next stages are that Thwaite and his gang demand increasing amounts of fees for bank costs, legal costs and any others they can think up, prior to requesting details of their victim's bank account - to pay millions of dollars into of course - and then obligingly emptying it. 
 Sadly, as Thwaite and our Fraud Squad know, greed will suck a proportion of our business population into this one. 
  
 CONSCIENCE BEFORE ACCOUNTANCY Latest firm to be censured for legal tax avoidance is SABMiller, brewers of Grolsch and Peroni beers. 
 According to Ethical Consumer magazine research from ActionAid showed that the firm avoids millions in tax by shifting profits out of poor countries, such as those in Africa, and into tax havens like Switzerland. If SABMiller paid tax in Africa then ActionAid have calculated that an additional 250,000 African children could get an education. 
 Students at the University of Edinburgh have boycotted all SABMiller beers.
  
 LESS PRODUCT, SAME PRICE (OR MORE.) Supermarkets are now selling smaller packs for the same price, or more, in the quest for profits, according to Which? the consumer's association. 
 Examples given were: 

 o Morrisons. 

 Branston Smooth Pickle. Was 405g for &pound;1.47. Now 360g for &pound;1.54.  Cheerios Crunchers. Was 375g for &pound;2.09. Now 360g for &pound;2.09  Streamline reduced sugar blackcurrant jam. Was 454g for &pound;1.69. Now 400g for &pound;1.69.  Ambrosia Creamed Semolina. Was 425g for 86 pence. Now 400g for 86 pence 
 o Sainsbury's. 

 Fox Malted Milk Creams. Was 200g for &pound;1.09. Now 160g for &pound;1.19 .  Dairylea Cheese Spread. Was 200g for 99 pence. Now 160g for 99 pence.  Birds Eye Crispy Chicken. Was 360g for &pound;2.00. Now 340g for &pound;2.00 
 o Asda 

 Bernard Matthews Turkey Ham. Was 340g for &pound;2.66. Now 300g for &pound;2.66.  Fairy All in One Dishwasher Tablets. Was 28 tablets for &pound;5.00. Now 26 tablets for &pound;5.00  Pampers Baby-Dry nappies. Was 32 nappies for &pound;6.48. Now 30 nappies for &pound;6.48. 
 They'll get you one way or the other, it seems.
  
 LATTE NOTICE Wetherspoons fans who love the group's quality Lavazza coffee at 69 pence a cup have recently been a bit let down over the sudden cancellation of the coffee collectors card promotion. 
 Under this scheme drinkers got a free large mug of the stuff for every five cups or mugs they bought, with a collectors card being stamped each time. However now this excellent promotion has been cancelled it has left a number of Wetherspoons customers with stamped coffee cards that are useless, staff telling them that "the promotion cost us more than it was worth". 
 Wetherspoons have a well-deserved reputation for straight dealing in their marketing and they might have therefore considered honouring the cards with stamps on in some way, whilst not giving out any new ones. One for their marketing team to consider? 
  
 ANOTHER GOOD ONE FOR WATCHDOG Another worthwhile target for acid Annie Robinson and her Watchdog team would be their employers, the BBC. 
 For years now their TV Licensing division has employed vacuous bluster and bullying to collect its licence fees, largely undeserved in the opinion of many. One feature is that they write inviting previous licence holders to advise them that they no longer need one, and then tell them that they will be getting a visit from their investigators anyway, on the basis that they could be lying. Another is that they keep threatening to send in their investigators if they don&#8217;t get a response and then fail to back up their threats with action. 
 Not impressive, so go for them Annie, unless of course it's more than your job's worth........... 
 READER REPLY
 1) From Su Hayward-Lewis  Subject: Supermarket Labelling 
 When will supermarkets learn the we customers don't care about how many calories in 100grams. We just want to know the calorie content of the whole packet or tin including their own brands which you sometimes need a magnifying glass to read and still can't find!!! I have put items back on the shelf because I can't find information on the packet. 
 All supermarkets need to develop the KISS policy - Keep it simple stupid...... 
 Su Hayward-Lewis 
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			<title>Marketing Matters Mar/Apr 2012 ISSUE 25</title>
			<description>Marketing Matters Mar/Apr 2012 ISSUE 25</description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Monday 12th 2012f March 2012 12:01:18 PM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters Mar/Apr 2012 ISSUE 25</subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters





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 March/April 2012 ISSUE 25


 
 
 Marketingmatters


 
 
 Advertisements - 1 issue &pound;160 (SEO Member &pound;128), 3 issues for &pound;120 (SEO Member &pound;96) per issue, 6 issues only &pound;90 (SEO Member &pound;72) per issue.
NEWS


 
 
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 BANKER'S DRAUGHTS A chill wind continues to blow through the disgraced banking sector, the latest manifestation being the punishment of grubby Barclays, headed by very well paid Bob Diamond, for exploiting a legal tax loophole to avoid paying millions in corporation tax. The loopholes are being closed by HMRC, themselves vilified and mistrusted by the public for the curious sweetheart tax deals they made with Goldman Sachs and Vodafone. 
 This provides yet another example of where a large company would have done rather better to have listened to their PR people, rather than their lawyers and accountants. And one from a sector that has demonstrably lost its moral compass. 
  
 RUPERT BARED The media Murdochs must be as popular as bankers. This is going by the elation that has greeted a pub landlady winning the legal right to bypass Murdoch's Sky high prices for receiving Premier League football matches at &pound;8,400 a year, by using a cheap Greek decoder for &pound;800 a year. 
 Initially Karen Murphy of the Red, White and Blue pub in Portsmouth was convicted of illegally using a foreign decoder and ordered by our High Court to pay almost &pound;8,000 in fines and costs. However the European Court of Justice overturned the conviction in October 2011, ruling that to have a system that excluded competition was contrary to EU law.
 Surprisingly, or perhaps not, this important feel-good story about the little guys beating the big ones failed to gain any prominence in Rupert's The Times or The Sun, so neither newspaper found space to mention that the name of the Greek station used was Nova. 
  
 AVON LIE TO SELL Claims by cosmetics firm Avon that they do not test their products on animals have been exposed as lies by animal welfare group Uncaged. 
 The false claims were made by Avon to better market its products. It stated on its UK website "Avon do not test products or ingredients on animals, nor do we request others to do so on our behalf" However on its global website it makes it clear that it still carries out toxicity testing of new cosmetic chemicals on animals because this allows it to innovate and maximise its profits, a very different story to the one its UK customers are being told. 
  
 FUNDING THE BONUS PAYMENTS? An ad from the Royal Bank of Scotland which claimed it would never close a branch if it was the last one in town has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for being misleading. 
 The adjudication was made after the ASA was told about an RBS bank, the Natwest in Farsley, Yorks, which was the last bank there and which was recently closed by RBS to save money. 
 It has been estimated that 1500 high street bank branches will close in the next six years 
  
 LET THEM WAIT Call centres beloved of some marketeers are being targeted by a new phone app that only puts its users through to the call dialled when someone at the other end answers. 
 This aspect, claim the inventors of WeQ4U saves around 30 pence per minute and around 45 hours a year waiting on phones. The firm is currently drawing up a blacklist of companies with the longest waiting times for their call centres. 
  
 BENT TWITS The Advertising Standards Authority is probing a stunt by Mars to promote its Snickers bar on Twitter. 
 Reportedly Mars paid Rio Ferdinand, Ian Botham, Katie Price and Amir Khan to post images of themselves with Snickers bars on the social networking site to coincide with a TV ad campaign. 
  
 DO YOU KEN, KEN? Another moral compass is needed, it seems, for former London mayor Ken Livingstone. 
 Our Ken, who has described tax avoiders as "rich bastards" who "don't get it" apparently had fees for his media work while he was mayor paid to his private company, Silverta Ltd, for the purposes of, er, tax avoidance. It is ,of course, something of a PR disaster when someone is hoisted with their own petard. 
 Claims that Silverta is short for a silver-tongued unmentionable, are, like Mr Livingstone perhaps, not to be trusted........... 
  
 RUFF IDEA News that Barkers, makers of dog food has screened a TV ad with a high frequency sound that only canines can hear has been met with some scepticism. After all if humans can&#8217;t hear it how can anyone know it has gone out, unless they have dog that barked at the screen at the appropriate moment, of course. Or was it just a cunning stunt to generate some publicity? 
 Meanwhile a rumour that the secret sound was a message to dogs to bite their owners if they didn't buy them Barkers should, in our view, be treated as just silly.
  
 SOFA KING INTELLECTUAL Meanwhile an ad by furniture firm Sofa King which stated that its prices were "Sofa King Low" has been banned by the ASA for being offensive. 
 The ad appeared in the Northampton Herald and Post, who told the ASA that they had received two complaints about the slogan, and that Sofa King used it on their shop front and on their vehicles. Sofa King stated that they had been delighting their target market with it for nine years. 
 READER REPLY
 1) From John Eaton  Please tell me that your short news clip about the French Government forcing children to eat meat in order to help the French Agricultural industry, is a joke? But, no, it's not April 1st yet. And the French are so obsessive about their agriculture that the story might just possibly be true - in which case, what on earth are the French going to do about such a sinister and autocratic development? 
 I had always thought the UK Government was as near to Big Brother as exists in any Western democracy - but the implications of this autocratic measure - (the Man in the French equivalent of Whitehall [who always knows best] deciding what your child can and can't eat) - are truly frightening. 
 What about children who are vegetarian or might be allergic to meat, quite apart from the deprivation of freedom of choice for those parents or children who would prefer to decide what they put into their bodies? And what happens to those rebellious children who simply leave the meat uneaten, on their plates - are they taken to one side after the meal, and force-fed?! 
 The implications of this totalitarian measure are truly horrendous. 
 John Eaton 
  
 2) From Philip McGarvey "SIR DAVE AND THE BBC FAKE IT  Following the disclosure that some of the wildlife shots of polar bear cubs supposedly at loose in the Wild were actually filmed in a zoo, imagine how upset viewers are going to be when they learn how the Walking with Dinosaurs series was really filmed." 
 I have been conned! (Can I get my licence fee back now?) 
 Philip McGarvey
  
 3) From Karen Are 'mugs' declining? Or do the supermarkets have a better reality check on the standard of maths currently being taught in schools than the rest of us? Sadly, few young people have the mathematical skills to work out the offers in supermarkets these days so they are only re-exploiting those already left high and dry by the ever-changing education system. Teach maths that matters, skills for life rather than govt statistics, then the oligopolies couldn't hoodwink us. 
 Karen (mother to two teenagers, who are now adept at working out &pound; per kilo deals) 
  
 4) From Veronica-Mae Soar Everyone seem to be up in arms about the "deception" of filming wild animals which are not in the wild. Frankly I don't now what all the fuss is about. I don't care a hoot where the more sensitive filming was done - which could clearly not be done in situ. What we were seeing was what happens in the wild but which we would not be able to see at all without some 'in-house' filming. Wildlife sequences are often filmed in carefully set-up conditions as that is the only possible way of filming them at all. The voice-over told us that this is what would be happening under the snow - it did not tell us the camera was under the snow at that specific location. A few moments thought and most intelligent folk would realise that. It does not detract one iota from the wonder of the sequences.
 Regards Veronica-Mae Soar (MRS) 
  
 5) From Peter Day  Dear Sir 
 Oh! What a shame - Tesco profits are down. Serves them right! They said that Cadbury's Cr&egrave;me Eggs were made available immediately after Christmas because customers asked for them - What utter rubbish! I guess they would have said the same about Hot Cross Buns too. When they truly start listening to customers they might get things right and see an improvement in profits. 
 They are still using different measures for price comparisons on certain ranges of products - yoghurts and sauces for instance. They have said that packs of 6 tomatoes are a 'Price Drop' item - they are but the tomatoes are smaller so gram for gram I bet there is at best no difference. 
 Well that's enough of a rant at Tesco for this month - Hope they are listening. 
 Peter Day  
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 One issue is just &pound;160 (SEO Member &pound;128) 
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 Six issues for &pound;90 (SEO Member &pound;72) per issue. 
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 FREE MEMBERSHIP TO SEO Free membership to the Society of Event Organisers (SEO) is available to those running events, or supplying the events market. Members, now more than 600, get the SEO's email newsletter Event Organisers Update, and a 20% discount on advertising, and on training courses in event organisation and marketing. 
 Tel. 01767 312986, email peter.cotterell@eou.org.uk visit www.seoevent.co.uk
  
 AFFORDABLE WEBSITES We have website domain names starting from &pound;3.65 per year and a range of hosting packages starting from &pound;1.98 per month, so getting your website online or keeping your existing website online is not as expensive as you would think. 
 Our business hosting even includes website development support, support hours that you can use as you see fit to improve your website. 
 Website domain name and hosting details: www.sg7.eu
 For more details or help with your website please feel free to call us on 01375 401637.
 email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
  
 CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com 
  
 EMAIL MARKETING Newsletter, promotion, event invitation or just staying in touch?
 We can provide a low-cost, effective solution, tailored to your needs.
 Our bulk rates are as low as 0.3p per email, or &pound;3 per thousand.
 Tel: 01375 401637 email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz 
  
 CHARITY MATTERS ADVERTISEMENTS Sent to around 23,000 readers, you can have up to 150 words in the announcements section from &pound;66 per issue.

 1 issue is just &pound;95 (SEO Member &pound;76) 
 3 issues for &pound;75 (SEO Member &pound;60) per issue 
 6 issues for only &pound;66 (SEO Member &pound;52) per issue. 
 email: theteam@ezinematters.com
  
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 www.ezinematters.com - Charity Matters - Marketing Matters 
 
 


 
 
 
 


 
 
 Marketing Matters, a free monthly eZine we think you will find a useful and informative resource. It is distributed monthly to approximately 59,000 selected marketing professionals based throughout the UK and is designed to help keep you abreast of issues of potential interest.
 We welcome any comments you may have on how we could improve the content of our newsletter to ensure that it remains relevant to you. Please email us at theteam@ezinematters.com with your input.
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 The views of the editor are not necessarily those of the publishers. 
 Editor:  Peter Cotterell Tel: 01767 312986 
 Published and distributed by: eZinematters.com, Firs Studio, Royston Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6QY Tel: 01375 401637
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			<title>Marketing Matters Jan/Feb 2012 ISSUE 24</title>
			<description>Marketing Matters Jan/Feb 2012 ISSUE 24</description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Thursday 12th 2012f January 2012 10:30:41 AM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters Jan/Feb 2012 ISSUE 24</subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters





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 %%[004 optional] Company%% To %%[001] Name%%
 
 January/February 2012 ISSUE 24


 
 
 Marketingmatters


 
 
 Advertisements - 1 issue &pound;160 (SEO Member &pound;128), 3 issues for &pound;120 (SEO Member &pound;96) per issue, 6 issues only &pound;90 (SEO Member &pound;72) per issue.
NEWS


 
 
 eZinematters.com
 
 
   www.eZinematters.com
 
 distributed by 
 CHEAP LUNCH Arguably proving that corporate hospitality works Private Eye and others have revealed that HM Revenue and Customs boss, Dave Hartnett, dined rather well with top types at Vodafone and Goldman Sachs, prior to letting them off billions in disputed taxes. 
 Coincidentally Hartnett has recently resigned, following criticism of his charitable acts to very rich companies, and the 107 breakfasts, lunches and dinners he has enjoyed over the last three years. 
  
 WRONG TRACK  News that train fares are to rise again this year, at more than the rate of inflation, has coincided with the revelation that fares in the UK are up to ten times more than those in, for example, Italy, and three and a half times those in France. 
 The high costs have forced a re-think by many on the costs of trips, and the viability of alternative transport to trains. A recent survey by One Poll revealed that 66% of people are put off taking short breaks in the UK by train fares.
 The train operating companies claim that the additional income is spent on improvements to services, rather than salaries, perks and pensions for management. However an investigation by the Daily Telegraph showed that the commercial director of one company, Peter Williams of East Coast, spent &pound;1,400 of his firm's money on seven flights between Glasgow and London, despite personally extolling the virtues of train travel to customers, and East Coast having trains running on the route, which would have been free for him to use. 
  
 SIR DAVE AND THE BBC FAKE IT  Sad to note that trusted and respected presenter Sir David Attenborough has blotted his integrity copybook, again, as has the BBC.
 Apparently footage of polar bear cubs was shot in a Dutch zoo for the BBC's much-admired Frozen Planet documentary, but presented by Attenborough as happening in the Arctic wilderness. And a caterpillar, supposedly freezing under a rock in the wild, was filmed in a box. 
 The deception of TV viewers in this way by the BBC/Attenborough team is reportedly not uncommon. In 1997 polar bear cub footage was shot in a Frankfurt zoo and presented as happening in the wild. And in 2001 a lobster spawning sequence that was presented as taking place off the coast of Nova Scotia was filmed in an aquarium in the UK.
 According to Attenborough and the BBC being honest with viewers during the programmes would have ruined the atmosphere and spoilt the mood. Faking it for entertainment is, apparently, the nature of the industry. 
  
 EAT YOUR MEAT  The French government has decreed that all schoolchildren have to eat meat if they want to have a school lunch, and bringing a packed lunch as a vegetarian alternative has also been banned. 
 The measures have been brought in to protect French agriculture and maintain the demand for meat, and its price. They are to be extended to kindergartens, colleges, prisons, hospitals and old people's homes. 
 In the UK vegetarians such as Sir Paul McCartney have condemned the moves as a violation of human rights. 
  
 WHAT'S YOUR POISON?  Fake vodka containing anti-freeze ingredients that can cause blindness has been seized by trading standards officers in the run-up to Christmas. 
 Brands being faked and sold in small shops and off-licences for as little as &pound;6 a bottle include Glen's, Smirnoff, Arctic Ice, Red Admiral and Spar own-brand Imperial. One shopkeeper in Surrey was fined &pound;16,000 for selling fake Glen's which contained 235 times the legal limit of methanol, an ingredient in anti-freeze. 
 Poorly printed labels with spelling errors and drink that smells of nail varnish are some signs to look out for. 
  
 TESCO PULL IT OFF  Tesco marketing tactics seem to be aimed at customers who really do believe everything they read. 
 The store group's Christmas con was "Half price turkeys", which were in some cases more than full price turkeys in other stores. 
 Time for Tesco marketeers to get a reality check - the number of mugs out there is rapidly decreasing. 
  
 MORE SUPERMARKET CONS  Other cons rely on customer misconceptions, according to a recent Panorama TV documentary, The Truth About Supermarkets. 
 o Loose is always cheaper. In Morrisons some apples were &pound;2.99 a kilo loose, &pound;1.87 a kilo in a pack. However in ASDA loose was cheaper on red onions - 86p a kilo loose, &pound;2.85 a kilo in a net. 
 o Buy more for less. In Sainsbury's Cornish Pasties were &pound;1.12 each, or at three for &pound;5, rather more. This is a variation on the "bigger pack - better value" myth. 
 In fairness some special offers on regular sizes deeply undercut prices on larger sizes. ASDA are currently offering 500 gm jars of Dolmio sauce for &pound;1, or &pound;2 per kilo, alongside 750 gm Family Size jars for &pound;2.98, or almost double the price at &pound;3.96 a kilo. 
  
 FOODIE TREATS  News that Nigella Lawson declared her love for salted caramel by having it poured over her head and photographing the creepy result for the front cover of a magazine she was guest - editing has no doubt got marketeers thinking of the Next Big Thing in this vein. 
 Some early possibilities are the TV cook covered in raw eggs, semolina, teriyaki sauce, strawberry jam and yoghurt, or bathing in a nice liver, kidney and bacon casserole. And other TV types could get in on the act, such as Gordon Ramsay immersed in very hot and sour soup, baked beans or English mustard. 
 Watch this space.......... 
 READER REPLY
 1) From D. Sullivan  Dear Sir/Madam, 
 I had considered your e-zine to be "above board" and an informational publication with reliable information. However, discovering, in this issue, your article about "Etchical" boycotts and its link to a domain that is "for sale" and non-existent and giving publicity to the ill-conceived Israeli boycott I am quite unimpressed. Don't you think that NOT having a boycott against Iran, Syria, Egypt and Libya and their repressive regimes but against the ONLY democratic nation in the Middle East - Israel - where both Jewish and Arab MK's are both representing their people in the Knesset is a bit unusual? And before one goes China bashing - I have witnessed outdoor Christmas manger scenes in the centre of large cities in China - the same seasonal scenes that are now deemed "unlawful" and "repressive" here in the U. K. Maybe Christians in China (estimated to be over 100 million) should be boycotting British products in their shops there?? Just a thought. 
 D. Sullivan 
  
 Editor's response.  Thanks for your thoughts on these important matters. We were able to correct the website for Ethical Consumer magazine to www.ethicalconsumer.org for most readers, thanks to your timely warning. Apologies for the error. 
 Peter Cotterell.
  
 2) From Sarah Dudley Hi, 
 I have today been emailed your &#8216;Marketing Matters&#8217; newsletter and thought it would be really great to share with our delegates. 
 Please could you let me know whether you would be happy for us to tweet about any articles of interest, of course mentioning yourselves as the source? 
 Regards,  Sarah Joanne Dudley  Marketing Executive, CIM Learning and Development  The Chartered Institute of Marketing 
  
 Editors response. We would be pleased for our newsletters to be shared with your delegates in the way suggested. Charity Matters and Event Organisers Update could also be of interest to you.
 Peter Cotterell 
 ANNOUNCEMENTS 
 MARKETING MATTERS ADVERTISEMENTS For up to 150 words per issue in Marketing Matters announcements section which is sent to around 59,000 readers. 

 One issue is just &pound;160 (SEO Member &pound;128) 
 Three issues for &pound;120 (SEO Member &pound;96) per issue. 
 Six issues for &pound;90 (SEO Member &pound;72) per issue. 
 email: theteam@ezinematters.com
  
 FREE MEMBERSHIP TO SEO Free membership to the Society of Event Organisers (SEO) is available to those running events, or supplying the events market. Members, now more than 600, get the SEO's email newsletter Event Organisers Update, and a 20% discount on advertising, and on training courses in event organisation and marketing. 
 Tel. 01767 312986, email peter.cotterell@eou.org.uk visit www.seoevent.co.uk
  
 AFFORDABLE WEBSITES We have website domain names starting from &pound;3.65 per year and a range of hosting packages starting from &pound;1.98 per month, so getting your website online or keeping your existing website online is not as expensive as you would think. 
 Our business hosting even includes website development support, support hours that you can use as you see fit to improve your website. 
 Website domain name and hosting details: www.sg7.eu
 For more details or help with your website please feel free to call us on 01462 896679.
 email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
  
 CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com 
  
 EMAIL MARKETING Newsletter, promotion, event invitation or just staying in touch?
 We can provide a low-cost, effective solution, tailored to your needs.
 Our bulk rates are as low as 0.3p per email, or &pound;3 per thousand.
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz 
  
 CHARITY MATTERS ADVERTISEMENTS Sent to around 23,000 readers, you can have up to 150 words in the announcements section from &pound;66 per issue.

 1 issue is just &pound;95 (SEO Member &pound;76) 
 3 issues for &pound;75 (SEO Member &pound;60) per issue 
 6 issues for only &pound;66 (SEO Member &pound;52) per issue. 
 email: theteam@ezinematters.com
  
 FREE NEWSLETTERS

 www.eou.org.uk - Event Organisers Update 

 www.ezinematters.com - Charity Matters - Marketing Matters 
 
 


 
 
 
 


 
 
 Marketing Matters, a free monthly eZine we think you will find a useful and informative resource. It is distributed monthly to approximately 59,000 selected marketing professionals based throughout the UK and is designed to help keep you abreast of issues of potential interest.
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 The views of the editor are not necessarily those of the publishers. 
 Editor:  Peter Cotterell Tel: 01767 312986 
 Published and distributed by: eZinematters.com, Firs Studio, Royston Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6QY Tel: 01462 896679 
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			<title>Marketing Matters Nov/Dec 2011 ISSUE 23</title>
			<description>Marketing Matters Nov/Dec 2011 ISSUE 23</description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Wednesday 30th 2011f November 2011 04:15:40 PM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters Nov/Dec 2011 ISSUE 23</subject>
			<content><![CDATA[

Marketingmatters





 If you wish to unsubscribe %%emailaddress%% from this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link: Unsubscribe 


 
 
 
 


 
 
 %%[004 optional] Company%% To %%[001] Name%%
 
 November/December 2011 ISSUE 23




 
 
 Marketingmatters






 
 
 Advertisements - 1 issue &pound;160 (SEO Member &pound;128), 3 issues for &pound;120 (SEO Member &pound;96) per issue, 6 issues only &pound;90 (SEO Member &pound;72) per issue.
NEWS


 
 
 eZinematters.com
 
 
   www.eZinematters.com
 
 distributed by 


 GET THE BOYCOTT LIST The latest issue of Ethical Consumer magazine focuses on the effect of boycotts of products and services over the last 20 years and offers a list of all the on-going ones. 
 Companies targeted, for a variety of reasons include Adidas, Air France-KLM, Bacardi, British Heart Foundation, Burberry, Caterpillar, Chevron-Texaco, Coca-Cola, Estee Lauder, Johnson and Johnson, Kellog's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Kurt Geiger, L'Oreal, Mars, Motorola, Nestle, Proctor and Gamble, and Unilever. Retailers targeted are Boots, Harrods and Tesco, and countries boycotted are Canada, China, Israel and Mauritius. 
 The word boycott derives from a Captain Boycott, a deeply unpopular English Land Agent in Ireland who suffered, in the late 1800's a campaign of ostracism in which workers refused to harvest his corn and the postman refused to deliver his mail, resulting in him fleeing Ireland in 1880 in an Army ambulance as no local driver would take him to the station. 
 www.ethicalconsumer.org
  
 BARCLAYS WORST Barclays was the UK's worst bank, going on the number of complaints, in the first six months of this year, say the Financial Services Authority (FSA) 
 The bank drew more than 250,000 complaints, more than 10% of which were still unresolved after two months. A former contender for worst bank, Santander, drew around 150,000 complaints and had around 2% still unresolved after two months. 
 Last month the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) revealed that complaints against banks and other financial organisations had doubled in the last 12 months. 
  
 PARCEL SCAM With Christmas fast approaching the frequency of the Undelivered Parcel Scam will be increasing. 
 As most readers will know this is where we receive emails, or cards through the door, advising us to call a telephone number to trace a parcel addressed to us that a parcel delivery service was unable to deliver. The number turns out to be a premium rate one that costs at least &pound;1.50 a minute, billed through your friendly telephone service provider, who take a lucrative cut of the fraud and squeal. if challenged, that they are simply the utterly innocent "conduit" for the fraudsters. 
 Dont make any of them richer at this festive time. www.crimestoppers-uk.org
  
 IMAGE PROBLEM A basic annual salary of &pound;1 million is "very low", according to Sir Martin Sorrell, head of advertising agency WPP. 
 Sorrell was being interviewed on BBC's Radio 4 Today programme when he revealed that he has to struggle along on the above amount, made less challenging by an additional &pound;3.2 million in incentives. 
 Some have wondered what planet Sorrell is living on. For our part we wonder why a man who makes such a screw-up of his own public image should be heading a firm whose job it is to look after other people's. 
  
 SEXUALISATION The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is introducing tough new rules governing racy and provocative images on billboards, which are claimed to have the effect of sexualising children. 
 Some images which have been used by the clothing and perfume companies will be banned from placement within 100 yards of schools and the more sexual will be banned altogether. 
  
 FTC BUTTS IN Trainer makers Reebok have been fined 25 million dollars (&pound;16 million) in the USA by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for falsely claiming that their EasyTone product was proven to tone it's customer's buttock muscles 28% more than its rivals. 
 In the UK the face of Reebok, (in the USA the fanny?) is model Kelly Brock, who poses on billboards in just a pair of EasyTones, showing off a possibly airbrushed posterior that might or might not have been toned by them. 
  
 TOP TASTES FOR XMAS A recent blind tasting by a team at foodie magazine Delicious found that some of the cheapest Christmas fare available tasted the best, after tasting 121 samples. 
 An Asda Christmas Pudding at &pound;3 beat others up to &pound;14, a Tesco Christmas Cake at &pound;10 beat others up to &pound;23, Co-op mince pies at &pound;2 beat others up to &pound;9.25 and champagne from Morrisons at &pound;19.99 beat others up to &pound;30.99. Those beaten included products at luxury prices from Heston Blumenthal, Fortnum and Mason, Waitrose and Harrods.
  
 TWEET TOO FAR Sending helpful tweets can be bad for your wealth, it seems. 
 The &pound;60,000 a year head of Greewich Tourism, Neil McCullam, told his fellow twitters about a trip he was making to Woolwich, which has something of a name for pickpockets, and advised that he was going to "make sure wallet is not visible" Sadly his employers did not share his sense of duty to warn the public about such things and he was sacked for his honesty. 
 Watch your wallet in Woolwich... 
  
 SMELLS REET TASTY  A new fragrance, Eau de Burton has been launched containing notes of products associated with Burton-on-Trent. 
 These include smells of brown ale, Branston Pickle and Marmite and the product retails for &pound;36.50 for 500ml. 
 Of course those wanting to save the money could just splash on some beer and dab a little yeast extract behind the ears...
  
 OSCARS FOR THEM Full marks to Ken Livingstone for revealing that the official signing of the host city contract for next year's London Olympics by Sebastian Coe and the IOC was just an empty stunt to maximise press coverage - the contract had already been signed the night before.(Evening Standard)
 In his book, You Can't Say That, Livingstone reveals that it was the habit of some cities offered the games, especially New York, to try to wriggle out of promises made before agreeing to sign contracts. All five cities in the running were forced to sign their contracts the night before the vote and the winning city, in this case London signed a copy of their contract the next day for the world's media. 
 Both Jacqes Rogge of the Olympic Committee and our own Seb Coe should, we feel, receive Oscars for their acting performances.
  
 ABBREVIATION HELL On February 28 at Earls Court 2 marketeers can visit three exhibitions, TFM&A, OA&A and DMX. 
 Translated this means Technology For Marketing and Advertising, Online Advertising and Affiliate Expo and the new Direct Marketing Expo.
 www.t-f-m.co.uk/visit
 ANNOUNCEMENTS 
 MARKETING MATTERS ADVERTISEMENTS For up to 150 words per issue in Marketing Matters announcements section which is sent to around 59,000 readers. 

 One issue is just &pound;160 (SEO Member &pound;128) 
 Three issues for &pound;120 (SEO Member &pound;96) per issue. 
 Six issues for &pound;90 (SEO Member &pound;72) per issue. 
 email: theteam@ezinematters.com
  
 NEW THREE-WEEK QUALIFICATION IN EVENTS The Society of Event Organisers (SEO) are presenting a new qualification for organisers, the Diploma in Event Organisation (DEO).
 This is aimed at those with little or no experience and will cover all the most important aspects of conceiving, planning and running events, including conferences, seminars, training, exhibitions, product launches, incentives and social events. All material will be delivered by practising organisers and suppliers and delegates will also get an overview of the events sector and practical help in securing a job, once they have booked. 
 The first presentation of the DEO, which includes an examination with a 70% pass mark, is being held in Manchester, in a number of different venues in and around the city, August 6-24th, 2012 . Tuition fee is &pound;1,400 for SEO members - free sign-up at www.seoevent.co.uk - and a range of accommodation options in all price ranges is being prepared. 
 To register interest email to peter.cotterell@eou.org.uk or telephone 01767 312986 
  
 AFFORDABLE WEBSITES We have website domain names starting from &pound;3.65 per year and a range of hosting packages starting from &pound;1.98 per month, so getting your website online or keeping your existing website online is not as expensive as you would think. 
 Our business hosting even includes website development support, support hours that you can use as you see fit to improve your website. 
 Website domain name and hosting details: www.sg7.eu
 For more details or help with your website please feel free to call us on 01462 896679.
 email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
  
 CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com
  
 ONE-TO-ONE TRAINING FOR 2012 A new in-house training offer for any dates in 2012 is being made by the SEO on its Certificate in Conference Organisation (CCO) qualification. For SEO members only this can be delivered as one-to-one tuition at delegate's own premises for a fee of &pound;725 plus second-class rail travel and budget accommodation for three nights, if needed. There is no VAT as the society has deregistered and additional delegates can attend for &pound;75. 
 For venue members of the SEO the offer is also made on the Certificate in Conference Venue Marketing (CCVM) qualification. 
 Free sign-up to SEO and details of both qualifications is at www.seoevent.co.uk To discuss dates email to peter.cotterell@eou.org.uk or telephone 01767 312986 
  
 EMAIL MARKETING Newsletter, promotion, event invitation or just staying in touch?
 We can provide a low-cost, effective solution, tailored to your needs.
 Our bulk rates are as low as 0.3p per email, or &pound;3 per thousand.
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz 
  
 CHARITY MATTERS ADVERTISEMENTS Sent to around 23,000 readers, you can have up to 150 words in the announcements section from &pound;66 per issue.

 1 issue is just &pound;95 (SEO Member &pound;76) 
 3 issues for &pound;75 (SEO Member &pound;60) per issue 
 6 issues for only &pound;66 (SEO Member &pound;52) per issue. 
 email: theteam@ezinematters.com
  
 FREE NEWSLETTERS

 www.eou.org.uk - Event Organisers Update  - International Event Organisers Update  

 www.ezinematters.com - Charity Matters - Marketing Matters 
 
 




 
 
 
 


 
 
 Marketing Matters, a free monthly eZine we think you will find a useful and informative resource. It is distributed monthly to approximately 59,000 selected marketing professionals based throughout the UK and is designed to help keep you abreast of issues of potential interest.
 We welcome any comments you may have on how we could improve the content of our newsletter to ensure that it remains relevant to you. Please email us at theteam@ezinematters.com with your input.
 If you wish to unsubscribe %%emailaddress%% from this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link: Unsubscribe
 Please DO NOT use the reply button.
  
 Unsubscribe - %%emailaddress%% If you wish to unsubscribe to this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link: %%unsubscribelink%%
 %%emailaddress%% Subscription Options Click here to update your details
 Subscribe www.ezinematters.com
 Forward to a friend Click here to send this email to a friend






 
 
 
 
 The views of the editor are not necessarily those of the publishers. 
 Editor:  Peter Cotterell Tel: 01767 312986 
 Published and distributed by: eZinematters.com, Firs Studio, Royston Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6QY Tel: 01462 896679 
 theteam@ezinematters.com
 Newsletter distributed by SG7.biz for eZinematters.com info@sg7.biz  Tel: +44 (0)1462 896679


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			<title>Marketing Matters Sep/Oct 2011 ISSUE 22</title>
			<description>Marketing Matters Sep/Oct 2011 ISSUE 22</description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Thursday 22nd 2011f September 2011 10:32:31 AM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters Sep/Oct 2011 ISSUE 22</subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters







 
 
 
 


 
 
 %%[004 optional] Company%% To %%[001] Name%%
 
 September/October 2011 ISSUE 22


 
 
 Marketingmatters


 
 
 Advertisements - 1 issue &pound;160 (SEO Member &pound;128), 3 issues for &pound;120 (SEO Member &pound;96) per issue, 6 issues only &pound;90 (SEO Member &pound;72) per issue.
NEWS


 
 
 eZinematters.com
 
 
   www.eZinematters.com
 
 distributed by 
 WE STILL HATE BANKERS  There is still deep-seated public anger against the banks three years on from the financial crisis caused by their greed and stupidity, and from which the taxpayer bailed them out. 
 A report commissioned by The City UK showed that 56% of the public felt it would be no bad thing for the UK economy if bankers carried out their threat to relocate, although the tax they pay on their earnings is appreciated. 
 The banks have been forced to set aside &pound;7.4 billion to compensate customers who were mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI) by bank sales staff anxious to earn a turn. More than &pound;3 billion of this is accounted for by Lloyds, the taxpayer- subsidised group run by former Santander executive Antonio Horta-Osorio for the pittance of around &pound;5 million a year, and which, in the personal experience of the writer, still has lots to learn about sales ethics. 
 And more courageous un-named bankers have been whining to the press that the &pound;7 billion cost of the reasonable and long-overdue reforms to stop another financial meltdown and bail-out will need to be raised from the withdrawal of free banking, though quite how the banking cartel intends to do this without infringing Competition Law has not been revealed.
 Meanwhile the Bank of England has disclosed that there are some (un-named) banks that will still expect another bail-out from the taxpayers they are squeezing to fund their profligate life-styles, in the event of another crisis. 
  
 AND ENERGY COMPANIES Following close behind the bankers on the hate list are energy companies, which are currently coming across as very customer-unfriendly.

 o NPower is to raise prices to 3.3 million cash-strapped and captive customers, despite the company already showing impressive profits so far this year. The company has also been identified by Ofcom as using the much-hated automatic dialling systems that leave the line silent, leave marketing messages or hang up. 
 o British Gas has been fined &pound;2.5 million by regulator Ofgen for its poor handling of customer complaints. The regulator is now looking into the complaints procedures of a number of other energy firms. 
 o MPs are calling for a ban on cold calling, doorstepping and "Del-Boy tricks" by energy firms after Ofgen found that 40% of users who switched ended up paying more, not less. 
  
 PRAISE FOR THE PHARMACEUTICAL MARKETEERS  The fact that our family doctors now write three times more prescriptions for antidepressants than thirty years ago is mainly due to the very clever marketing of drug companies. 
 This is the view of James Le Fanu, who writes the Doctor's Diary column for the Daily Telegraph. 
 Le Fanu reveals that it's all done by Big Pharma re-defining a psychological trait as a quasi-psychiatric illness - such as shyness as "social phobia" - and then persuading prominent doctors ("key opinion leaders") that it can be treated with pills. Also important has been the steady lowering of perceived norms of blood pressure and cholesterol levels, so that an increasing number of people are considered "at risk" and candidates for more profitable pill-popping. 
 These brilliant strategies, coupled with a compliant and sometimes incentivised medical profession, have resulted in sales of tablets to treat the new improved brands of manufactured disorder increasing from &pound;250 billion to &pound;500 billion a year. 
 Now that's marketing, and a lot of snake oil...
  
 FEES RACKET TO BE STOPPED, BUT NOT FOR POLICE The lucrative gravy train in fees paid by predatory ambulance-chasing lawyers to insurance companies for the names of those involved in accidents is to be derailed by the government. The system feeds and encourages the unhealthy compensation culture and puts up insurance premiums, the subject of a current Office of Fair Trading (OFT) Investigation. 
 Sadly our police forces are setting a bad example in this regard, earning millions of pounds from passing on details of cars involved in accidents to breakdown firms to milk a fee, an equally unsavoury arrangement our government is happy to allow to continue.
  
 BT NOT BACKING BRITAIN Those impressed with BT's patriotic new directories proclaiming "Backing Britain For Generations" have been rather less impressed to discover they are being printed in Spain, as they have been since 2006.
 Lib Dem MP for Colchester, Bob Russell, has accused BT of "blatant hypocrisy" and has tabled an early day motion in the House of Commons calling on BT to back their patriotic PR with patriotic actions.
  
 NO LONGER A TRUSTED VOICE? Google has acquired Zagat, a publisher of independent restaurant guides, to milk more advertising from restaurants. 
 Established since 1980 the guides are published for more than 100 cities and users will now need to evaluate if the opinions are going to be compromised by the new advertising focus. 
  
 HARD CHEESE OR SOUR GRAPES? Tesco have been fined &pound;10 million by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) who say that the supermarket chain colluded with other supermarkets and suppliers to fix the price of cheese, which the OFT say cost consumers &pound;270 million. 
 Tesco deny the charge and are considering appealing against the fine. 
 Others fined were J.Sainsbury (&pound;11.04 million), Asda (&pound;9.39 million) and Dairy Crest (&pound;7.14 million) with smaller fines handed out to Safeway (now Morrisons) McLelland, The Cheese Company and Wiseman.
  
 MORE BANG FOR BUCK WITH STELLA A total of 285,000 bottles of the new Cidre cider from Stella Artois have been recalled by the company following some bottles bursting and causing minor injuries. 
 The batch codes of the reassuringly explosive stuff are 1182381, 1214381 and 1217381 and the company blames yeast contamination. 
  
 ON STUFFING THE JONESES Up to 40% of Brits booking holidays did so to better one that a friend, family member or work colleague had been on. 
 This is one finding of a survey by Sunshine travel company which also found that nearly 80% of the 1,208 polled admitted that they had bragged about their holiday when they got back. 
 To a fast-shrinking number of friends, and Facebook fake friends, it is hoped...
  
 BRAND LICENSING EUROPE EXHIBITION The above takes place October 18-20 at Olympia, London and features 230 exhibitors offering more than 2,000 properties and nine free seminar sessions. 
 www.brandlicensing.eu
 READER REPLY
 1) From Peter Day Dear Team 
 Two things (I am sure there are many more) that currently concern me about Tesco's pricing.
 Firstly, they constantly quote price comparisons on a range of products in different units. e.g. 25p per 100grm. then on another similar product &pound;2.50 per kilo. This might be a simple illustration but they are not always so easy to divide/multiply by 10. 
 Secondly, last week they ran an offer on Libby's Fruit Juices - buy 1 get 2 free. This week is was buy 1 get 1 free. I wonder how many people got caught thinking that it was the same offer as last week? 
 Regards 
 Peter Day  Devon 
 ANNOUNCEMENTS 
 MARKETING MATTERS ADVERTISEMENTS For up to 150 words per issue in Marketing Matters announcements section which is sent to around 59,000 readers. 

 One issue is just &pound;160 (SEO Member &pound;128) 
 Three issues for &pound;120 (SEO Member &pound;96) per issue. 
 Six issues for &pound;90 (SEO Member &pound;72) per issue. 
 email: theteam@ezinematters.com
  
 NEW THREE-WEEK QUALIFICATION IN EVENTS The Society of Event Organisers (SEO) are presenting a new qualification for organisers, the Diploma in Event Organisation (DEO).
 This is aimed at those with little or no experience and will cover all the most important aspects of conceiving, planning and running events, including conferences, seminars, training, exhibitions, product launches, incentives and social events. All material will be delivered by practising organisers and suppliers and delegates will also get an overview of the events sector and practical help in securing a job, once they have booked. 
 The first presentation of the DEO, which includes an examination with a 70% pass mark, is being held in Manchester, in a number of different venues in and around the city, August 6-24th, 2012 . Tuition fee is &pound;1,400 for SEO members - free sign-up at www.seoevent.co.uk - and a range of accommodation options in all price ranges is being prepared. 
 To register interest email to peter.cotterell@eou.org.uk or telephone 01767 312986 
  
 AFFORDABLE WEBSITES We have website domain names starting from &pound;3.65 per year and a range of hosting packages starting from &pound;1.98 per month, so getting your website online or keeping your existing website online is not as expensive as you would think. 
 Our business hosting even includes website development support, support hours that you can use as you see fit to improve your website. 
 Website domain name and hosting details: www.sg7.eu
 For more details or help with your website please feel free to call us on 01462 896679.
 email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
  
 CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com
  
 ONE-TO-ONE TRAINING FOR 2011 A new in-house training offer for any dates in 2011 is being made by the SEO on its Certificate in Conference Organisation (CCO) qualification. For SEO members only this can be delivered as one-to-one tuition at delegate's own premises for a fee of &pound;725 plus second-class rail travel and budget accommodation for three nights, if needed. There is no VAT as the society has deregistered and additional delegates can attend for &pound;75. 
 For venue members of the SEO the offer is also made on the Certificate in Conference Venue Marketing (CCVM) qualification. 
 Free sign-up to SEO and details of both qualifications is at www.seoevent.co.uk To discuss dates email to peter.cotterell@eou.org.uk or telephone 01767 312986 
  
 EMAIL MARKETING Newsletter, promotion, event invitation or just staying in touch?
 We can provide a low-cost, effective solution, tailored to your needs.
 Our bulk rates are as low as 0.3p per email, or &pound;3 per thousand.
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz 
  
 CHARITY MATTERS ADVERTISEMENTS Sent to around 23,000 readers, you can have up to 150 words in the announcements section from &pound;66 per issue.

 1 issue is just &pound;95 (SEO Member &pound;76) 
 3 issues for &pound;75 (SEO Member &pound;60) per issue 
 6 issues for only &pound;66 (SEO Member &pound;52) per issue. 
 email: theteam@ezinematters.com
  
 FREE NEWSLETTERS

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			<title>Marketing Matters Jul/Aug 2011 ISSUE 21</title>
			<description>Marketing Matters Jul/Aug 2011 ISSUE 21</description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Thursday 28th 2011f July 2011 11:16:45 AM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters Jul/Aug 2011 ISSUE 21</subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters







 
 
 
 


 
 
 %%[004 optional] Company%% To %%[001] Name%%
 
 July/August 2011 ISSUE 21


 
 
 Marketingmatters


 
 
 Advertisements - 1 issue &pound;160 (SEO Member &pound;128), 3 issues for &pound;120 (SEO Member &pound;96) per issue, 6 issues only &pound;90 (SEO Member &pound;72) per issue.
NEWS


 
 
 eZinematters.com
 
 
   www.eZinematters.com
 
 distributed by 
 IT'S US WOT DUN IT Politicians are lining up to crow that Rupert Murdoch and his poodles are bending to the will of Parliament, when in fact it was public disgust and revulsion at the targets for phone hacking that sent a very clear message to MPs, and Murdoch's advertisers, that any support would be a Very Bad Career Move. 
 As our press, politicians and police get a long-overdue ethical check and clean-up it is reassuring to note that people-power can still be an agent for much-needed change. 
 Keep up the good work, everyone.
  
 LIFE GETS TOUGHER, FOR MOST The disposable income of families continues to fall as costs of energy and fuel continue to rise, something that consumers are powerless to stop. 
 According to finance officers at Asda and Sainsburys consumer confidence is at a low ebb and not expected to recover in the foreseeable future. 
 Meanwhile the Spanish chairman of Scottish Power, Ignacio Galan, had his pay package doubled to &pound;10.5 million just before his company raised gas bills for 2.4 million British households by &pound;175 a year. 
  
 CELEBRITY IN MARKETING A GOOD REASON NOT TO BUY? Marketeers using celebrities such as Esther Rantzen, June Whitfield, Cilla Black and Gloria Hunniford have come under fire recently.
 Rantzen fronts ads for the Accident Advice Helpline, which benefits from unsolicited and illegal spam texts to mobile phones, according to an investigation of ambulance chasing by the Sunday Telegraph. 
 And Whitfield, Black and Hunniford have backed insurance policies that have turned out to be very bad buys for some. 
 Consumers need to ask themselves whether the use of a trusted name is to hide an untrustworthy company, or bad product. 
  
 STAY IN UK TREND GROWING More than one third of Britons will be shunning overseas travel and will holiday in the UK this year, a figure up by 10% on 2010. 
 This is one of the findings of a survey of 5,000 adults by hotel operator Travelodge, which also found that while expenditure on holidays, and travel and accommodation, would be down, expenditure on visiting attractions would be up.
 Financial difficulties are thought to be the main reason for the growth of the "staycation", and for the very late bookings of it. 
 Meanwhile research by ING Direct indicates that 17 million people in the UK are opting for a "nocation" and not taking a summer holiday at all. 
  
 GOURMET GRUB AT OLYMPICS Good to note that the organisers of our 2012 Olympics are promoting to the world our growing reputation for top quality cuisine in their choice of main caterer for the Olympic Park, gourmet food specialists McDonalds. 
 Sadly this carefully considered choice, rightly based independently on the large sum of money the firm put up for sponsorship, has not gone down well with some who claim that the association of McD's healthy cordon bleu cooking with sport is, er, unhealthy and sends the wrong message to our children. 
 As if. 
  
 BUYING THE DREAM IN JAPAN Marketeers at Japanese confectionery firm Ezaki Glico have been forced to admit that the new 16-year-old member of very young girl band AKB 48 they depicted to sell their chocolate was a computer-generated fake, with features and singing voice cobbled together from six live band members. 
 Teenaged girl fans of the band became suspicious of the fake female, named Aimi Eguchi, when they noticed her striking similarity to other band members.
  
 EVERYONE DOES IT? Do the management of Iceland stores know the difference between "half price" and "buy two get one free"?
 We ask because their Norwich store was recently promoting a three-pack of cans of beer (one of the original four had been taken) at "half price", actually half the price of the four pack so really a "buy two get one free" offer. 
 When the misleading labelling was pointed out to store staff their response was that they were acting on instructions from their head office marketing department, and that "Everybody does it".
 Wonder if this is the same silly tosh they give trading standards officers? 
  
 CHAMPAGNE, CAVA, PROSECCO OR MERRET? A campaign to name British dry sparkling wines "Merret" has launched to recognise the claim that what drinkers of champagne (French), Cava (Spanish) and Prosecco (Italian) enjoy was first brought to the world by an English doctor, Christopher Merret. 
 Reportedly Merret gave details of a "second fermentation process" - very similar to the "methode champenoise" - in 1662, 22 years before a French monk, Dom Pierre Perignon claimed to have invented what the French call "champagne".
 In recent years the quality of English sparkling wines has improved so significantly that there is a view that there would be benefit in distinguishing them from the French product, like the producers of Cava and Prosecco have done. Sweet sparkling wines have also become more popular than dry versions.
 Italy has recently overtaken France as the world's largest wine producer. 
  
 ECOMMERCE EXHIBITION The eCommerce Expo event takes place on October 11-12 at Olympia, London. 
 www.ecommerceexpo.co.uk/
  
 HONOURED Edifying to note that the likeable Sir David Attenborough has collected another honorary degree without having to have studied at the University, in this case St Andrews in Scotland. 
 Our Dave told the students who had studied there that his free degree was an honour he valued most highly, because universities are "the one institution which speaks truth, independent of commercial reasons, political reasons and dogma," which should silence the cynics who feel that honorary degrees are just the cheap PR of academia. 
 Another fairly recent recipient of the highly rated honour from St Andrews was popular top banker Sir Fred Goodwin. 
 A recent survey of 1000 teenagers by City and Guilds suggests that nearly half of them would be avoiding going to University following the near-tripling of tuition fees. And a survey by training provider Lifeline found that more than 50% of employers rated work experience and volunteering above academic qualifications.
  
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 AFFORDABLE WEBSITES We have website domain names starting from &pound;3.65 per year and a range of hosting packages starting from &pound;1.98 per month, so getting your website online or keeping your existing website online is not as expensive as you would think. 
 Our business hosting even includes website development support, support hours that you can use as you see fit to improve your website. 
 Website domain name and hosting details: www.sg7.eu
 For more details or help with your website please feel free to call us on 01462 896679.
 email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
  
 CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com
  
 ONE-TO-ONE TRAINING FOR 2011 A new in-house training offer for any dates in 2011 is being made by the SEO on its Certificate in Conference Organisation (CCO) qualification. For SEO members only this can be delivered as one-to-one tuition at delegate's own premises for a fee of &pound;725 plus second-class rail travel and budget accommodation for three nights, if needed. There is no VAT as the society has deregistered and additional delegates can attend for &pound;75. 
 For venue members of the SEO the offer is also made on the Certificate in Conference Venue Marketing (CCVM) qualification. 
 Free sign-up to SEO and details of both qualifications is at www.seoevent.co.uk To discuss dates email to peter.cotterell@eou.org.uk or telephone 01767 312986 
  
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 FREE NEWSLETTERS

 www.eou.org.uk - Event Organisers Update  - International Event Organisers Update  

 www.ezinematters.com - Charity Matters - Marketing Matters 
 
 


 
 
 
 


 
 
 Marketing Matters, a free monthly eZine we think you will find a useful and informative resource. It is distributed monthly to approximately 59,000 selected marketing professionals based throughout the UK and is designed to help keep you abreast of issues of potential interest.
 We welcome any comments you may have on how we could improve the content of our newsletter to ensure that it remains relevant to you. Please email us at theteam@ezinematters.com with your input.
 If you wish to unsubscribe %%emailaddress%% from this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link: Unsubscribe
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 Subscribe www.ezinematters.com
 Forward to a friend Click here to send this email to a friend


 
 
 
 
 The views of the editor are not necessarily those of the publishers. 
 Editor:  Peter Cotterell Tel: 01767 312986 
 Published and distributed by: eZinematters.com, Firs Studio, Royston Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6QY Tel: 01462 896679 
 theteam@ezinematters.com
 Newsletter distributed by SG7.biz for eZinematters.com info@sg7.biz  Tel: +44 (0)1462 896679
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			<title>Marketing Matters May/Jun 2011 ISSUE 20</title>
			<description>Marketing Matters May/Jun 2011 ISSUE 20</description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Wednesday 11th 2011f May 2011 03:01:56 PM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters May/Jun 2011 ISSUE 20</subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters



 



 
Marketingmatters
 
May/June 2011 ISSUE 20
 %%Company%%
 To %%Name%%
 Welcome to Marketing Matters, a free monthly eZine we think you will find a useful and informative resource. It is distributed monthly to approximately 60,000 selected marketing professionals based throughout the UK and is designed to help keep you abreast of issues of potential interest.
 We welcome any comments you may have on how we could improve the content of our newsletter to ensure that it remains relevant to you. Please email us at theteam@ezinematters.com with your input.
 If you wish to unsubscribe %%emailaddress%% from this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link:Unsubscribe
 Please DO NOT use the reply button.
 Advertisements &#8211; up to 150 words per issue. The cost for one month is just &pound;160 (SEO Member &pound;128), three months for &pound;120 (SEO Member &pound;96) per issue. 
 Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
 
 
NEWS
ALL CREDIT TO VISA 
 Some light has been shed, by the Daily Telegraph, on why credit card firm Visa might have been so keen to become the official card for the Olympics, courtesy of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, LOCOG. 
 Fans purchasing tickets have been ordering far more than they can afford, on the basis that they will only get a small fraction of them, and that they will be able to sell their unwanted tickets on the LOCOG resale website. What however has only just sunk in with those using their Visa credit card is that if they are unable to pay for all the tickets in full in June when the Visa bill is due they will have to pay Visa rates of interest until the resale website is up and running, which LOCOG say will not be until sometime next year. 
 Meaning that Visa customers caught in what seems to be a very profitable scam can look forward to paying Visa an estimated &pound;50 million in interest fees in 2011, and more in 2012 until LOCOG launch their website. 
 Credit card providers now charge their customers the highest rate for thirteen years, an average of 19.1%. And according to a recent investigation by consumer group Which? some vendors, such as budget airlines Ryanair, BMIBaby, Easyjet and Flybe increase the misery by slapping on a hefty surcharge for the use of a credit card, which can be up to 200 times the cost of processing the payment.
JUSTICE ON A BUNG? 
 Good to note that the ludicrous gagging orders awarded to the undeserving by all the Mr Justice Noddies are being rendered useless by the publication of identities on the internet, for many a sure sign that even if some judges can&#8217;t tell right from wrong some of the general public can. 
 The stupid decisions - which only benefit the rich with something to hide and an income/image to protect - serve to unfairly undermine the integrity of the whole judiciary, bring it into disrepute and reassure the cynical that some of our British judges truly are the best that money can buy. 
MORE GREEDY BANKERS 
 Bankers, arguably now less popular than paedophiles, continue to fill their boots while still being financially supported by, er, us. 
 This is to the tune of &pound;5 billion a year in interest alone on the money shovelled at them, cash that covers pornographically high salaries and bonuses, such as the &pound;7.7 million pay package for the chief executive of the Royal Bank of Scotland, Stephen Hester, a figure RBS chairman Sir Philip Hampton describes as "fair"
 Meanwhile the British Bankers Association (BBA) has been forced by its members to drop plans to mount a legal challenge to customers being allowed to seek compensation retrospectively for being mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI), a case the BBA recently lost in the High Court. 
 More than 1.5 million complaints about PPI have been made to the Financial Services Ombudsman and compensation is expected to top &pound;7 billion, a figure that BBA members are already making provision for. 
CLEAN-UP FOR DETERGENT SECTOR 
 Proctor and Gamble and Unilever have been fined a total of E315 million by the European Commission (EC) for fixing the price of washing powder. 
 The price-fixing took place in eight Eurupean countries over three years between January 2002 and March 2005. 
BUY ONE, GET TWO, THROW ONE AWAY 
 Food waste, said to total a value of &pound;6 billion a year or &pound;680 per average family, is being tackled by the government in plans to scrap "best before" dates in favour of "eat by" dates, with warnings of the risks taken by eating out of date food, particularly meat, fish and eggs. 
 The BOGOF offers made by supermarkets have been blamed by some for the quantity subsequently dumped. 
 Supermarket ASDA does its bit for the waste food problem by adding an extra day to the use-by date of some fresh, marked-down items, presenting them as fresher than they really are.
BAD MEDICINE 
 Doctors are continuing to screw their patients with premium-rate telephone numbers, with those phoning for appointments being charged up to 41 pence per minute, and then being held in a queue that is highly profitable for the GPs.
 This is despite a Department of Health ruling that patients should not pay more than the local rate for calls after April 1 this year. 
 Those wanting to call loved ones in hospitals are being charged 50 pence per minute to call to bedside phones, and have to listen to a long recorded message before being put through. 
WEAK WINE OR STRONG CIDER? 
 Buyers at the lower- alcohol end of the wine market are switching to ciders as the recession deepens. (Off Licence News) 
 Low alcohol wines at 5.5% abv or below and a price of &pound;3+ per litre compare badly on price and alcohol content, though perhaps not taste, with cheap, strong cider with an abv of 7.5% and a price, in some of the budget supermarkets, of around &pound;1 per litre. 
BARCLAY'S MUGS 
 Those marketeers in the business of giving business gifts will know that some items can definitely give an unfortunate impression in some cultures. 
 The word "clock" has a similarity to the word for a pre-funeral visit to the dying in China; in Latin America the gift of a knife means that you wish to cut the relationship, and the cross logo on a Swiss Army Knife is un-impressive in non-Christian countries; reminders of death are also given by anything purple in Brazil, anything yellow in Mexico and chrysanthemums of any colour in Belgium; and in the German language the word gift means poison. 
 One amusing example to now add to the list has been supplied by bankers Barclays who recently gave those attending their shareholders meeting a Barclays branded mug, prompting some mischievous elements in the press to wonder if this was what Barclays secretly thought of those who gave them their money ........ 
READER REPLY
1) From Rachel Holmes
 Contrary to popular belief, the money given to the LSE by the Gaddafi Foundation was not "dirty". The LSE undertook a thorough due diligence exercise before accepting the donation, finding out where the Foundation's money had come from. The LSE Council considered the proposed donation twice before accepting it, concluding that while there would always be a risk in accepting money from an organisation linked with the Gaddafi family, the money itself was clean. 
 Rachel Holmes 
2) From Bruce Carlin
 Of course if you do all your shopping at one supermarket you will pay more for some products, but to get the best deals for everything will require a fair bit of research and a lot of time travelling around several different supermarkets to complete the weekly shop, not to mention the cost of petrol which will probably negate most or all of the savings, and the contribution made to carbon emissions. 
 With Best Wishes  Bruce Carlin 
3) From Nigel Lewis
 Great email.
 *** sent from mobile device, hence brief *** 
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
LOOKING FOR SOME IDEAS FOR YOUR NEXT EVENT? 
 Something unusual - something to impress - working to a tight budget? 
 Conference Search has been venue-finding for almost 22 years, throughout the UK and Europe working with a diverse range of venues and clients. Whatever the brief, Conference Search will work hard to locate the best venue to match and negotiate rates on your behalf - and the service is completely free of charge. 
 Contact Conference Search with an outline of your requirements at sales@conferencesearch.co.uk or call to discuss on Tel: 0161 427 7057  www.conferencesearch.co.uk
AFFORDABLE WEBSITES
 We have website domain names starting from &pound;3.65 per year and a range of hosting packages starting from &pound;1.98 per month, so getting your website online or keeping your existing website online is not as expensive as you would think. 
 Our business hosting even includes website development support, support hours that you can use as you see fit to improve your website. 
 Website domain name and hosting details: www.sg7.eu
 For more details or help with your website please feel free to call us on 01462 896679.
 email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! 
 A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com
ONE-TO-ONE TRAINING FOR 2011 
 A new in-house training offer for any dates in 2011 is being made by the SEO on its Certificate in Conference Organisation (CCO) qualification. For SEO members only this can be delivered as one-to-one tuition at delegate's own premises for a fee of &pound;725 plus second-class rail travel and budget accommodation for three nights, if needed. There is no VAT as the society has deregistered and additional delegates can attend for &pound;75. 
 For venue members of the SEO the offer is also made on the Certificate in Conference Venue Marketing (CCVM) qualification. 
 Free sign-up to SEO and details of both qualifications is at www.seoevent.co.uk To discuss dates email to peter.cotterell@eou.org.uk or telephone 01767 312986 
EMAIL MARKETING
 Newsletter, promotion, event invitation or just staying in touch?
 We can provide a low-cost, effective solution, tailored to your needs.
 Our bulk rates are as low as 0.3p per email, or &pound;3 per thousand.
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
FREE NEWSLETTERS

 www.eou.org.uk - Event Organisers Update  - International Event Organisers Update  

 www.ezinematters.com - Charity Matters - Marketing Matters 
 
 The views of the editor are not necessarily those of the publishers. 
Editor: 
 Peter Cotterell Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 
Published and distributed by:
 eZinematters.com, Firs Studio, Royston Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6QY Tel: 01462 896679 
 theteam@ezinematters.com
Unsubscribe - %%emailaddress%%
 If you wish to unsubscribe to this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link: %%unsubscribelink%%
%%emailaddress%% Subscription Options
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Subscribe 
 www.ezinematters.com
Forward to a friend
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 Newsletter distributed by SG7.biz for eZinematters.com
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			<title>Marketing Matters Mar/Apr 2011 ISSUE 19</title>
			<description>Marketing Matters Mar/Apr 2011 ISSUE 19</description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Tuesday 15th 2011f March 2011 09:32:02 AM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters Mar/Apr 2011 ISSUE 19</subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters



 



 
Marketingmatters
 
March/April 2011 ISSUE 19
 %%Company%%
 To %%Name%%
 Welcome to Marketing Matters, a free monthly eZine we think you will find a useful and informative resource. It is distributed monthly to approximately 60,000 selected marketing professionals based throughout the UK and is designed to help keep you abreast of issues of potential interest.
 We welcome any comments you may have on how we could improve the content of our newsletter to ensure that it remains relevant to you. Please email us at theteam@ezinematters.com with your input.
 If you wish to unsubscribe %%emailaddress%% from this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link:Unsubscribe
 Please DO NOT use the reply button.
 Advertisements &#8211; up to 150 words per issue. The cost for one month is just &pound;160 (SEO Member &pound;128), three months for &pound;120 (SEO Member &pound;96) per issue. 
 Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
 
 
NEWS
TAINT OF GADDAFI 
 UK academia has become the first casualty of links to dictator Col Gaddafi, as he and his sons struggle to preserve their lucrative hold in Libya. 
 The director of our London School of Economics (LSE) Sir Howard Davies, has resigned over his employer's fawning support of Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam, who gave a &pound;1.5 million donation of dirty money to the LSE. Davies also acted as an advisor to the Gaddafi regime, and the LSE won a &pound;2.2 million contract to train the Libyan civil service. 
 Another UK organisation benefitting from Libyan dirty money is publisher Pearson, of which Gaddafi and his family own 3% and which owns Penguin Books and The Financial Times. 
FIDDLING THE BOOKS 
 An investigation into possible price-fixing of ebooks has commenced following revelations that some cost double the price of the paperback versions. One company being investigated by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is Penguin, in which dictator Col Gaddafi has a substantial stake. Another is Harper Collins, owned by News Corporation, publishers of the top investigative newspaper the News of the World.
 Investigations are also going on across Europe, and in the USA. 
 Recent research by publisher Routledge indicates that two thirds of adults read around 2000 words of a book at bedtime. 
LABELLING FIDDLES 
 Food producers, retailers and restaurants are taking advantage of the fact that there is no agreed definition of the word "local" - an aspect that is increasingly sought by shoppers and diners - and labelling Danish ham as from Devon, Scottish butter and French brie as from Somerset and New Zealand lamb as from Wales, a government survey of 558 products has found.
 In up to a third of cases the "local" claim was found to be false, or potentially false. 
 It has also been established that most of the World's most expensive spice, saffron, exported from Spain is inferior product imported from Iran, and re-labelled as the prized "Spanish" in origin. Much of it is adulterated with other parts of the crocus flower, rather than just the stamens, or with parts of other flowers, threads of dried meat or coloured gelatine, syrup and oils, to add weight. (Spain Gourmetour) 
TELEVISION CONTINUES DOWNWARD SLIDE 
 Regulator Ofcom is allowing TV channels to interrupt films and single dramas with up to 12 minutes of advertising every hour, the same as for soaps. This is against the current average of nine minutes, and a House of Lords recommendation that this should be cut to seven minutes.
 The move will increase the number of people enjoying the benefit of recording programmes from commercial stations on their digital recorders and fast-forwarding through the ads. 
 Ofcom has also recently granted permission for UK broadcasters to sell product placement opportunities in their programmes, which have to show a logo for three seconds at the start and end of these programmes, to give viewers sick of advertising a chance to turn off. 
EVERY FIDDLE HELPS? 
 Latest shot in Tesco's gripping price war with Asda is a promise to refund twice any saving in price on a "comparable shop" that shoppers can prove they would have enjoyed by going to Asda.
 Question one. Who decides how many items constitute a "shop"? Answer. Tesco management. 
 Question two. Who decides what constitutes "comparable"? Answer. Tesco management. 
NICE ONE JOHN 
 Meanwhile the John Lewis chain are coming across as equally slippery with their back-tracking on their 86-year-old "Never Knowingly Undersold" guarantee to refund price differences.
 According to the Daily Telegraph it is now refusing to honour its pledge on electrical goods where it offers an extended warranty that others don&#8217;t, arguing that this makes it a different product, even if customers don&#8217;t want the extra cover, or want to buy it separately, and cheaper, elsewhere. 
WHAT PRICE BRAND LOYALTY?
 Proving that shoppers who just fill up their trolley at one supermarket, as all the supermarkets love them to, are seriously paying over the odds, we recently did a quick comparison of prices on just two very basic fresh items. 
 At budget store Aldi a large swede, and a large head of broccoli were both available at 39pence, against a smaller swede at nearby Sainsburys for 89pence (or 128% more) where a smaller head of broccoli was 99pence (or 154% more)
 Investment bank UBS has warned British shoppers that the supermarkets are raising food prices faster than inflation. 
GRUB UP
 If marketing is all about filling a need then the latest publication from restaurant experts Hardens will hit the spot with many parents. 
 Eating out with Babies and Toddlers features more than 1,000 child-friendly restaurants, cafes and pubs in the UK, as identified by eating members of the public, and rates on such aspects as availability of children's menus or reduced portions, supply of baby-changing and breast-feeding facilities and presence of outside space or entertainments. 
 Sponsored by baby specialists Plum it includes top price eateries for the special family event, through the mid-price range - and here the Chinese dim-sum dishes served between 12.00 and 17.00 and so popular with their children and parents alike could be an inspired choice - to the things-with-chips places, and also evaluates the best chain-restaurants for the kids. 
 www.hardens.com 
BANKERS TO BUGGER OFF? 
 So where do the UK's marketeers stand on the increasingly popular sport of banker-bashing? 
 Many politicians and business types are fervently hoping that our financial experts won&#8217;t be carrying out their threat to take their immense talents, and greed, to another country, and an equal number fervently hope they will, and screw up someone else's economy. 
 Answers on a blank cheque please&#8230; 
DO AS WE DO?
 Impressed, we were, with the Daily Telegraph advertisement for Daily Telegraph columnist Simon Heffer's book Strictly English, apparently "perfect for anyone who thinks that 'decimate' means to destroy&#8230;"
 Especially as, in the same issue, was a piece about fish stocks, which could suffer "complete decimation". 
THE FUTURE'S ORANGE? 
 The delightful Olympic sport of ambush marketing is under threat again as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) seeks to protect those who give large sums of money to sponsor the 2012 sporting fixture from those who didn't. (Marketing) 
 The IOC's wishes are being implemented by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which leaves out the Paralympics in its LOCOG abbreviation, and which will be monitoring the marketing of non-sponsor companies to detect possible secret ambush plans, though quite how it will do this is not known. (going through corporate dustbins, phone-tapping, employing corporate moles, sending in prostitutes of both genders to pick up pillow-talk, paying corporate whistle-blowers, intercepting mail and emails?) 
 One thing LOCOPOG will want to avoid a repetition of is the highly successful and much-admired ambush of last year's FIFA World Cup when non-sponsor Dutch brewer Bavaria sent 36 young women dressed in its trademark orange to a Holland match and thereby upsetting American brewer and sponsor Budweiser. 
 Meanwhile Marketing Matters can exclusively reveal that one major brand is having its logo printed on the backsides of thousands of young men and women who will be going commando and bending to expose themselves in a giant communal mooning at the agreed moment in the 2012 programme. 
 You read it here first. 
READER REPLY
1) From Jane Ellison-Bates
 Entertaining as usual &#8211; thanks 
 Best regards 
 Jane. 
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
ONE-TO-ONE TRAINING FOR 2011 
 A new in-house training offer for any dates in 2011 is being made by the SEO on its Certificate in Conference Organisation (CCO) qualification. For SEO members only this can be delivered as one-to-one tuition at delegate's own premises for a fee of &pound;725 plus second-class rail travel and budget accommodation for three nights, if needed. There is no VAT as the society has deregistered and additional delegates can attend for &pound;75. 
 For venue members of the SEO the offer is also made on the Certificate in Conference Venue Marketing (CCVM) qualification. 
 Free sign-up to SEO and details of both qualifications is at www.seoevent.co.uk To discuss dates email to peter.cotterell@eou.org.uk or telephone 01767 312986 
AFFORDABLE WEBSITES - 20% DISCOUNT CODE*: ezine19
 We have website domain names starting from &pound;3.65 per year and a range of hosting packages starting from &pound;1.98 per month, so getting your website online or keeping your existing website online is not as expensive as you would think. 
 Our business hosting even includes website development support, support hours that you can use as you see fit to improve your website. 
 Website domain name and hosting details: www.sg7.eu
 For more details or help with your website please feel free to call us on 01462 896679.
 email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
 *Discount code give 20% off the hosting plans: Basic, Standard, Business, BusinessPlus and is vailid until 10th May 2011.
CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! 
 A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com
ONE-TO-ONE TRAINING FOR 2011 
 A new in-house training offer for any dates in 2011 is being made by the SEO on its Certificate in Conference Organisation (CCO) qualification. For SEO members only this can be delivered as one-to-one tuition at delegate's own premises for a fee of &pound;725 plus second-class rail travel and budget accommodation for three nights, if needed. There is no VAT as the society has deregistered and additional delegates can attend for &pound;75. 
 For venue members of the SEO the offer is also made on the Certificate in Conference Venue Marketing (CCVM) qualification. 
 Free sign-up to SEO and details of both qualifications is at www.seoevent.co.uk To discuss dates email to peter.cotterell@eou.org.uk or telephone 01767 312986 
EMAIL MARKETING
 Newsletter, promotion, event invitation or just staying in touch?
 We can provide a low-cost, effective solution, tailored to your needs.
 Our bulk rates are as low as 0.3p per email, or &pound;3 per thousand.
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
FREE NEWSLETTERS

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 www.ezinematters.com - Charity Matters - Marketing Matters 
 
 The views of the editor are not necessarily those of the publishers. 
Editor: 
 Peter Cotterell Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 
Published and distributed by:
 eZinematters.com, Firs Studio, Royston Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6QY Tel: 01462 896679 
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			<title>Marketing Matters Jan/Feb 2011 ISSUE 18</title>
			<description>Marketing Matters Jan/Feb 2011 ISSUE 18</description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Wednesday 12th 2011f January 2011 01:02:03 PM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters Jan/Feb 2011 ISSUE 18</subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters



 



 
Marketingmatters
 
January/February 2011 ISSUE 18
 %%Company%%
 To %%Name%%
 Welcome to Marketing Matters, a free monthly eZine we think you will find a useful and informative resource. It is distributed monthly to approximately 60,000 selected marketing professionals based throughout the UK and is designed to help keep you abreast of issues of potential interest.
 We welcome any comments you may have on how we could improve the content of our newsletter to ensure that it remains relevant to you. Please email us at theteam@ezinematters.com with your input.
 If you wish to unsubscribe %%emailaddress%% from this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link:Unsubscribe
 Please DO NOT use the reply button.
 Advertisements &#8211; up to 150 words per issue. The cost for one month is just &pound;160 (SEO Member &pound;128), three months for &pound;120 (SEO Member &pound;96) per issue. 
 Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
 
 
NEWS
SLEAZY MARKETING AT LAND ROVER 
 Land Rover have paid 40 celebrities to write about their Range Rovers on social networking site Twitter. 
 According to Marketing magazine the sad celebs received a free vehicle for their spontaneous and honest endorsement and included fashion designer Henry Holland, model Daisy Lowe, editor of GQ magazine Dylan Jones, and presenters George Lamb and Ben Shephard, all based in the UK. Outside the UK the paid brand ambassadors included models, actors, presenters, journalists, editors, and chefs, who will all be doing some well-paid twittering in 2011. 
 The ill-conceived arrangement has undermined the integrity of Land Rover, Twitter, and the celebrities involved and will reduce consumer confidence in the marketing sector, as well as positioning celebrity endorsement as completely valueless. 
QUICK SELL 
 Advertisers are developing TV ads that can be understood if run at up to 12 times the normal speed. 
 The move is in response to the growth in digital video recorders (DVR's) which allow viewers to fast forward through the ads between the recorded programmes. Also fuelled by the DVR boom is the charging of premium rates for the last ad before the start or re-start of a programme, which media experts say has the highest recall.
TV TURN-OFFS 
 Meanwhile the rise of reality TV shows is one main reason why 70% of over-55s claim that TV today is not worth the licence fee (YouGov poll).
 Many also feel that the product placement in programmes due this year can only further reduce the quality of output.
SUPERMARKETING 
 Savvy shoppers are learning that their perception of larger packs being cheaper is costing them money. 
 Asda, Tesco and Sainsburys have all been found to offer larger packs that cost more than buying several smaller ones, the latest being Tesco that were selling a multi-pack of three tins of tuna for &pound;1 more than the cost of buying the three tins individually. 
 The supermarkets claim that the examples revealed are human error, rather than cynical pricing. 
CUSTOMER CARE FROM TRAIN OPERATOR 
 Southeastern Trains have been accused of cancelling hundreds of trains during the recent cold weather, to avoid paying the compensation to their customers that is due if trains are late. 
 The company now charges more than &pound;5000 for an annual season ticket to London from Hastings, Rye or Tonbridge and contributes significantly to making train fares in the UK the highest in Europe.
TIGER AD A TURKEY 
 Gillette have dumped disgraced golfer Tiger Woods and a multi-million dollar sponsorship deal with him. 
 A TV ad featuring Woods with the strapline "SHOW THE WORLD HOW PHENOMENAL YOU CAN BE" won the Campaign magazine's "Top Turkey" award in December 2008. 
 Woods still receives $40 million a year from Nike, and payments from computer game company Electronic Arts. 
 Rumours that the next Nike campaign will use the strapline NIKE. YOUR SUPPORT WHEN YOU'RE PLAYING A ROUND should, in our view, be dismissed as jolly funny.
WORLD BEATER 
 One way of saving on the marketing budget is to produce a product or service that demonstrably outclasses everything else around. 
 The Cornish Cheese Company of Upton Cross, Cornwall, will be finding this out, their Cornish Blue cheese having taken the top honours at the World Cheese Awards. It beat 2,000 other entries and is the first British winner in the last ten years. 
REINDEER ROAST, KIDS? 
 German budget supermarket chain Lidl have been accused of destroying the magic of Christmas by selling reindeer steaks. 
 These, say vegetarian group Viva! are 70% likely to come from calves rounded up in Siberia by snowmobiles. 
TFMA
 The Technology For Marketing and Advertising (TFMA) exhibition takes place on March 1/2 at Earls Court 2. 
 The organisers are promising more than 100 seminar sessions. 
 www.t-f-m.co.uk/register 
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
ONE-TO-ONE TRAINING FOR 2011 
 A new in-house training offer for any dates in 2011 is being made by the SEO on its Certificate in Conference Organisation (CCO) qualification. For SEO members only this can be delivered as one-to-one tuition at delegate's own premises for a fee of &pound;725 plus second-class rail travel and budget accommodation for three nights, if needed. There is no VAT as the society has deregistered and additional delegates can attend for &pound;75. 
 For venue members of the SEO the offer is also made on the Certificate in Conference Venue Marketing (CCVM) qualification. 
 Free sign-up to SEO and details of both qualifications is at www.seoevent.co.uk To discuss dates email to peter.cotterell@eou.org.uk or telephone 01767 312986 
AFFORDABLE WEBSITES - 20% DISCOUNT CODE*: ezine18
 We have website domain names starting from &pound;3.65 per year and a range of hosting packages starting from &pound;1.98 per month, so getting your website online or keeping your existing website online is not as expensive as you would think. 
 Our business hosting even includes website development support, support hours that you can use as you see fit to improve your website. 
 Website domain name and hosting details: www.sg7.eu
 For more details or help with your website please feel free to call us on 01462 896679.
 email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
 *Discount code give 20% off the hosting plans: Basic, Standard, Business, BusinessPlus and is vailid until 10th Mar 2011.
CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! 
 A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com
ONE-TO-ONE TRAINING FOR 2011 
 A new in-house training offer for any dates in 2011 is being made by the SEO on its Certificate in Conference Organisation (CCO) qualification. For SEO members only this can be delivered as one-to-one tuition at delegate's own premises for a fee of &pound;725 plus second-class rail travel and budget accommodation for three nights, if needed. There is no VAT as the society has deregistered and additional delegates can attend for &pound;75. 
 For venue members of the SEO the offer is also made on the Certificate in Conference Venue Marketing (CCVM) qualification. 
 Free sign-up to SEO and details of both qualifications is at www.seoevent.co.uk To discuss dates email to peter.cotterell@eou.org.uk or telephone 01767 312986 
EMAIL MARKETING
 Newsletter, promotion, event invitation or just staying in touch?
 We can provide a low-cost, effective solution, tailored to your needs.
 Our bulk rates are as low as 0.3p per email, or &pound;3 per thousand.
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
FREE NEWSLETTERS

 www.eou.org.uk - Event Organisers Update  - International Event Organisers Update  

 www.ezinematters.com - Charity Matters - Marketing Matters 
 
 The views of the editor are not necessarily those of the publishers. 
Editor: 
 Peter Cotterell Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 
Published and distributed by:
 eZinematters.com, Firs Studio, Royston Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6QY Tel: 01462 896679 
 theteam@ezinematters.com
Unsubscribe - %%emailaddress%%
 If you wish to unsubscribe to this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link: %%unsubscribelink%%
%%emailaddress%% Subscription Options
 Click here to update your details
Subscribe 
 www.ezinematters.com
Forward to a friend
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 More details: www.sg7.biz Info@sg7.biz tel: +44 (0)1462 896679 
]]></content>
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			<title>Marketing Matters Nov/Dec 2010 ISSUE 17</title>
			<description>Marketing Matters Nov/Dec 2010 ISSUE 17</description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Monday 15th 2010f November 2010 12:02:03 PM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters Nov/Dec 2010 ISSUE 17</subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters



 



 
Marketingmatters
 
November/December 2010 ISSUE 17
 %%Company%%
 To %%Name%%
 Welcome to Marketing Matters, a free monthly eZine we think you will find a useful and informative resource. It is distributed monthly to approximately 60,000 selected marketing professionals based throughout the UK and is designed to help keep you abreast of issues of potential interest.
 We welcome any comments you may have on how we could improve the content of our newsletter to ensure that it remains relevant to you. Please email us at theteam@ezinematters.com with your input.
 If you wish to unsubscribe %%emailaddress%% from this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link:Unsubscribe
 Please DO NOT use the reply button.
 Advertisements &#8211; up to 150 words per issue. The cost for one month is just &pound;160 (SEO Member &pound;128), three months for &pound;120 (SEO Member &pound;96) per issue. 
 Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
 
 
NEWS
IS CORPORATE HOSPITALITY BRIBERY? 
 The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is concerned that the new Bribery Act, which takes effect next April, will classify corporate hospitality as bribery, rather than as "legitimate promotional activity".
 There is also concern that the Act will disadvantage British firms exporting to countries where corruption is a way of life. 
 If corporate hospitality is deemed bribery by the government then many of our MPs, and some senior figures in HMRC will be having their collars felt. A decision on Air Miles, the means by which airlines bribe customers to pay much more for flights made on behalf of their employers, will also need to be made. Since Britain's most senior anti-terror police officer, John Yates, coughed to using his airline bribes, funded by the taxpayer, to buy flights for his family it is possible that some of our top plods will be feeling each other's collars on this one&#8230;
PRICE FIXING FINES FOR AIRLINES 
 A total of €799 million in fines has been levied on 11 airlines by the EC, for price-fixing on securities and fuel charges on air cargo. 
 The whistle was blown by participant Lufthansa, which thereby escaped fines, leaving major players Air France KLM to pay €310 million, British Airways to pay €104 million, Singapore Airlines to pay €75 million and SAS to pay €70.2 million. 
 The price-fixing occurred in the six-year period December 1999 to February 2006 and the EC investigation took three years. The decision leaves all the participants, including Lufthansa, exposed to class-action damages claims from customers who spent a total of €6 billion with them in the six-year period. 
TESCO - EVERY LIDL HELPS 
 Tesco have the worst track record for advertising promotional items that are then unavailable in stores when customers visit to buy. (The Grocer) 
 A study carried out by the Institute of Promotional Marketing concluded that up to 40% of Tesco customers visiting to purchase items promoted as available were unable to buy them. The next worse was Asda which let down 23% of bargain hunters, with Lidl and Sainsbury's at 21%, Aldi at 19%, Morrison's at 18%, Waitrose at 2% and Budgen's at 1%. 
 The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is currently carrying out its own investigations into the promotional tactics of supermarkets, to see if any consumer protection legislation is being breached. 
 The editor's own negative experience of Tesco was visiting their St Neots, Cambs store recently to buy pork shoulder joint advertised at "half price" for &pound;2.22 per kilo. This was unavailable at the store, and the unimpressive management there refused a reasonable request to supply the pork shoulder joints that were in store as a replacement on the basis, as they stated smugly, that "it's not that actual product". Some of the smugness evaporated when asked if the actual product had been injected with extra water to make it cheaper but it was a waste of time trying to get them to do the ethical thing. All they would do was issue a &#8221;Special offer promise voucher", worthless when the actual product was never going to be available, and promise to get someone to make contact, a promise that Tesco, three weeks on, have yet to keep. 
VOUCHER VOUCHER 
 Meanwhile the appetite of the general public for picking up bargains that really are available continues to grow, with vouchers for free or cut-price food in chain restaurants on the increase. (Caterer and Hotelkeeper) 
 Apparently 15% of us now use a voucher, if available, for our casual dining, and the number of us saying we would be more likely to visit a restaurant with a price promotion had increased by 39% over the six months from December last year to this May. The two for one deals account for more than all the other promotions combined. 
 The average price of a three-course meal in a restaurant is &pound;21 
MORE BAD PRESS FOR NIGERIA 
 Nigeria, the home of advance fee fraudsters, has suffered another blow to its credibility with the news that Shell has been fined for bribing Nigerian customs officials there. 
 The US Department of Justice has imposed civil and criminal fines of &pound;29,4 million after a company employed by Shell, Pamplina, agreed to plead guilty to charges of bribery. Shell admitted that they "approved of, or condoned the payment of bribes on their behalf in Nigeria", and also confirmed that the corrupt payments were disguised as legitimate business expenses in their accounts. 
MULTIPLICATION 
 Now an official new word in the Oxford Dictionary of English, the staycation - taking a holiday in one's own country - remains a popular choice for many of us currently regarding overseas travel as an expensive and tedious experience. According to VisitEngland almost half the population expect to take more domestic breaks than they did in the past. 
 Meanwhile a survey for Post Office Travel Insurance has found that, in these challenging economic times, two-thirds of British families would consider a sharecation, a holiday with friends, to save money, although a major concern for many is the likely behaviour of their own and/or their friends' children. 
 Rumours that new variations on the above soon to emerge will be the praycation,(religious retreat) the greycation, (senior holiday ) the gaycation, (alternative lifestyle) and the laycation,(lazy option, of course) should, in our view be discounted as downright silly. 
I'LL HAVE THE PASTA DON GIOVANNI 
 A survey of 2000 cinema-goers by cinema group Apollo found that their knowledge of opera was a little lacking. 
 More than 60% thought that La Traviata was a pizza topping, more than 50% thought that Fidelio was a dog food and 20% believed that La Boheme was a clothes shop chain, rather than wonderful operatic works by Verdi, Beethoven and Puccini respectively. 
PREMIER PORKIE 
 The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has persuaded budget hotel company Premier Inn to stop telling porkies about its size (Caterer and Hotelkeeper) 
 Premier claimed that it was the largest hotel operator in London, with 5,500 rooms. In fact the figure was the number within the M25, and not just in the City and the 32 London boroughs. 
 Premier, part of Whitbread, were reported to the ASA by rivals Travelodge, and have promised to "provide greater clarity" in future, ie not to lie again. 
WAITROSE PORKIE 
 The ASA have also censured Waitrose, for implying that the pork they sold was from pigs that lived outdoors, when in fact they were inside for most of their lives. 
 The advertisements, which misleadingly suggested that Waitrose animal welfare standards were higher than they really were, featured two chefs paid for their endorsement, Delia Smith and Heston Blumenthal. Blumenthal had the most cringe - making part to play when he was shown some pigs lying on a bed of straw in a sty and told the farmer: "I'll tell you what, right now, I wouldn&#8217;t mind getting in there and having a lie down. That looks pretty comfortable, doesn't it?" 
 Sadly, for some, Blumenthal didn't also say he wanted to share the rather less comfortable upcoming slaughterhouse experience with the pigs.
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
AFFORDABLE WEBSITES 
 We have website domain names starting from &pound;3.50 per year and a range of hosting packages starting from &pound;1.98 per month, so getting your website online or keeping your existing website online is not as expensive as you would think. 
 Our business hosting even includes website development support, support hours that you can use as you see fit to improve your website. 
 Website domain name and hosting details: www.sg7.eu
 For more details or help with your website please feel free to call us on 01462 896679.
 email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! 
 A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com
THE EVENT PACKAGE 
 SG7.biz in conjunction with the Society of Event Organisers is offering a range of event packages that can include: Free Domain and Web hosting - Website design - Event advertising - Staff training. 
 Starting from just &pound;490 the packages are designed to kick start the promotion of your upcoming event. 
 For more details please contact us 
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
ONE-TO-ONE TRAINING FOR 2010 AND 2011 
 A new in-house training offer for any dates in 2010 and 2011 is being made by the SEO on its Certificate in Conference Organisation (CCO) qualification. For SEO members only this can be delivered as one-to-one tuition at delegate's own premises for a fee of &pound;725 plus second-class rail travel and budget accommodation for three nights, if needed. There is no VAT as the society has deregistered and additional delegates can attend for &pound;75. 
 For venue members of the SEO the offer is also made on the Certificate in Conference Venue Marketing (CCVM) qualification. 
 Free sign-up to SEO and details of both qualifications is at www.seoevent.co.uk To discuss dates email to peter.cotterell@eou.org.uk or telephone 01767 312986 
EMAIL MARKETING
 Newsletter, promotion, event invitation or just staying in touch?
 We can provide a low-cost, effective solution, tailored to your needs.
 Our bulk rates are as low as 0.3p per email, or &pound;3 per thousand.
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
FREE NEWSLETTERS

 www.eou.org.uk - Event Organisers Update  - International Event Organisers Update  - Corporate Hospitality and Party Update - Conference Venue Marketplace 

 www.ezinematters.com - Charity Matters - Marketing Matters 
 
 The views of the editor are not necessarily those of the publishers. 
Editor: 
 Peter Cotterell Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 
Published and distributed by:
 eZinematters.com, Firs Studio, Royston Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6QY Tel: 01462 896679 
 theteam@ezinematters.com
Unsubscribe - %%emailaddress%%
 If you wish to unsubscribe to this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link: %%unsubscribelink%%
%%emailaddress%% Subscription Options
 Click here to update your details
Subscribe 
 www.ezinematters.com
Forward to a friend
 Click here to send this email to a friend
 
 Newsletter distributed by SG7.biz for eZinematters.com
 More details: www.sg7.biz Info@sg7.biz tel: +44 (0)1462 896679 
]]></content>
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		</item>
				<item>
			<title>Marketing Matters Sep/Oct 2010 ISSUE 16</title>
			<description>Marketing Matters Sep/Oct 2010 ISSUE 16</description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Tuesday 21st 2010f September 2010 09:31:51 AM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters Sep/Oct 2010 ISSUE 16</subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters



 



 
Marketingmatters
 
September/October 2010 ISSUE 16
 %%Company%%
 To %%Name%%
 Welcome to Marketing Matters, a free monthly eZine we think you will find a useful and informative resource. It is distributed monthly to approximately 60,000 selected marketing professionals based throughout the UK and is designed to help keep you abreast of issues of potential interest.
 We welcome any comments you may have on how we could improve the content of our newsletter to ensure that it remains relevant to you. Please email us at theteam@ezinematters.com with your input.
 If you wish to unsubscribe %%emailaddress%% from this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link:Unsubscribe
 Please DO NOT use the reply button.
 Advertisements &#8211; up to 150 words per issue. The cost for one month is just &pound;160 (SEO Member &pound;128), three months for &pound;120 (SEO Member &pound;96) per issue. 
 Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
 
 
NEWS
DO HMRC NEED INVESTIGATING? 
 In the wake of the almighty cock-up of PAYE by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs it has been revealed that the man ultimately responsible, the HMRC permanent secretary for tax, Mr David Hartnett, is something of a serial free-loader when it comes to enjoying corporate hospitality. 
 According to the Daily Telegraph Hartnett holds the Whitehall record in this regard and has supplemented the meagre &pound;600,000 or so of taxpayer's money he has trousered in salary over the last three years with 107 acceptances of free food and drink, at such budget venues as the Hilton on Park Lane and the Savoy in the Strand. 
 This does raise, for our money, important questions about Hartnett, and HMRC. 

 1. Does he declare his expensive freebies as a benefit in kind, and pay tax on them accordingly? 
 2. Who entertains him? 
 3. What do they get for their money? 
 4. Is there any element of corruption in the process? 
 5. Will HMRC be reviewing what freebies their staff are allowed to accept, and from whom, in line with the new Bribery Act, which comes into effect next April?
 In the interests of transparency of government we really should be told.
INTEGRITY CHECK FOR INTERNET
 The reliability of the review websites for hotels and restaurants used by millions of consumers has been called into question. 
 According to their trade magazine Caterer and Hotelkeeper rumours abound that glowing reviews are often posted anonymously by the hotels and restaurants themselves, and damning reviews - and some have made accusations of food poisoning without proof - often posted anonymously by competitors. Review site TripAdvisor have confirmed that their anonymous reviewers don't even have to prove that they stayed at a hotel or ate at a restaurant to post a review of it, so what real value are the reviews? 
 Groups benefitting from the negative publicity for the review sites are the serious restaurant and hotel reviewers, who are identifiable and accountable and, for most looking for honest opinion, much more trustworthy by contrast.
 Given the above some cynics have suggested that the presence of negative reviews on sites such as TripAdvisor is a sure indication that the competitors of a hotel or restaurant are taking it seriously, and that it is well worth a visit. This, for some will be the right nemesis for what started off as a good idea and has now become, courtesy of some aggressive marketing, a much devalued currency.
 Meanwhile one restaurant getting good and bad reviews is the Rajput Indian in Harrogate which was described by critic Jay Rayner last year as serving him a "car crash" of a meal, but by adulatory members of the public as "Harrogate's best-kept secret", a remarkably prescient observation given that the owner and her two sons have been jailed for three years for people trafficking and treating the staff they imported as slaves. 
KEEP BUYING THE FASHION FAKES 
 An EU- funded report has found that many of the fears stoked up by the fashion houses anxious to protect their profits against counterfeits are groundless. 
 The report rejects the popular myth that fake designer goods fund terrorism and organised crime, and the wild claims of losses to manufacturers which it says are based on the assumption that someone buying a very cheap counterfeit would have otherwise bought the real thing at the full price. It notes, in fact that fashion fakes can actually help promote the real thing. 
 It also notes the curious enthusiasm of customs officials for protecting rich manufacturer's profits and sensibly advises authorities to concentrate their efforts on the lethal trade in fake drugs and fake aircraft parts, which do serious damage.
 Currently it is not illegal to buy fake fashion goods in the UK but it is in France and Italy, where the manufacturers have a strong lobby, and possibly a sponsored relationship with their governments. 
BAD MARKETING 
 The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld complaints against a number of misleading marketing practices, ones that readers will wish to avoid. 

 o The Daily Mail newspaper, published by Associated Newspapers, ran a Ryanair-style ad offering caravan holidays "from just &pound;15 per person", and only mentioning the additional and compulsory service charges in the small print. Also glossed over in the headline was the fact that extra charges were levied for passes allowing customers to use swimming pools, bars and restaurants. 
 o The National Express Group promoted its Stansted Express service as running from the airport to Central London in 35 minutes. In fact the company deemed Tottenham Hale as Central London for the purposes of shortening its journey time, which is likely to be nearer 60 minutes, via Liverpool Street and the notoriously poor London Underground system, timing not allowing for strike action. 
 o To sell Health and Safety posters supplier Seton sent out its mailing in a brown window envelope with the imprint "Legal Compliance - Action Required" to give some official flavour to their marketing communication, an aspect the ASA ruled was likely to cause fear or distress for no good reason. 
BIG TURN OFF 
 More than 70% of TV viewers over 55 have indicated that they will not welcome the product placement due to be part of TV programmes by the end of this year. 
 This is one of the findings of a survey by YouGov and Deloitte which also reveals that 30% of 18-24 year-olds would be similarly against the practice. Those welcoming product placement, which is being allowed in the UK to boost flagging advertising revenues, say that they do so because they expect it to deliver free content, or cheaper premium TV. 
TAKE A SABBATICAL 
 Research by bank group Santander indicates that a record 1.2 million of us have recently opted to take a career break, at an average cost of &pound;6,000. 
 Reasons given are a difficult job market and a lack of university places, aspects that are not likely to improve for a while. 
ECOMMERCE SHOW 
 The E Commerce Expo exhibition and conference takes place October 19 and 20 at Olympia, London. Entry to the exhibition and the conference sessions is free. 
 www.ecommerceextra.co.uk
TOUGH ON SPINNERS 
 Appalled we were to read that some nasty types had been visiting bookshops and moving Tony Blair's superbly accurate memoirs, A Journey, under the fantasy or true crime sections and, according to a photograph published in Private Eye, The Third Man by Peter Mandelson was moved to the tragic life stories section. 
 Respect for top politicians just grows and grows... 
FROM OUR READERS 
1) From Eric Dougliss
 "TAKE ON THE BBC Meanwhile the BBC's blustering and bullying debt-collectors, TV Licensing..."
 Their first enquiry letter actually threatens that they will come and check for televisions if you don't reply or if you write and tell them you don't have one. My sports club being made neither of money, nor postage stamps, and they not having the courtesy to include a reply paid envelope, I decided the simplest (and cheapest) approach was not to reply, await their visit and then treat them in a manner appropriate to their behaviour. Over 2 years or more, many more letters, with escalating levels of implied threat, and ever longer lists of letters previously sent, have arrived. To date no detector van, or man from Bristol, has bothered to call - at least during (our) working hours. 
 Eric Dougliss 
2) From Rosamund Bowles
 You're so right about possibly opening the floodgates to claims against British Gas - in fact I am now seriously considering claiming against them myself. Their incompetence has cost me endless hours of valuable time trying to sort out their mistakes, incorrect billing, sending bills to the wrong address, taking huge sums out of bank accounts without notice and authorisation - the list is endless. Three years later the incompetence still continues along with the stress it induces. British Gas deserves to be sued. 
 Kind regards.  Ros 
3) From 
 Dear Team 
 Thanks for the latest newsletter. Very interesting as usual. 
 Noting the article about Cheddar Cheese, I have to say that 45 years ago shops such as Sainsbury's were selling Australian and new Zealand Cheddar, so I am not really sure what the issue is. 
 However, the other day I look at the deatils on a pack of Tesco's Value unsalted butter. It is New zealand Butter, packing Denmark. How rediculous is that!! 
 Peter Day 
4) From Veronica-Mae Soar
 Following Neil Smith's comment about Tetrapacks, let me put the record straight. Many councils DO recycle them, although they cannot be included with paper or card. 
 See http://www.reducereuserecycle.co.uk/greenarticles/tetrapak_recycling_in_the_uk.php
 and they are 100 percent recyclable. Their environmental credentials are also far better than steel cans despite the assertion that these contain recycled material. Cans still require a great deal of energy to manufacture which Tetrapaks do not - they use less energy from fossil fuels than any other packaging. Cans/tins take up far more room and therefore require more lorries to transport them to the production line than do Tetrapaks which travel and are stored flat. 
 Tetrapaks are also a better option than plastic bottles. One lorry can carry enough for 600,000litres - it takes 26 lorries to carry that many empty bottles.
 Much of what they are made of is renewable, (about 70-90 percent wood) which steel is not. Tetrapaks actually keep liquids fresher for longer, vitamins and nutrition are retained, bacteria and air are kept out by the closing mechanism. Once you open a can the contents must (if not eaten) be transferred to another container, it not being safe to store food in an open can. I for one welcome the decision to use such cartons for food. 
 Veronica-Mae Soar 
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
AFFORDABLE WEBSITES 
 We have website domain names starting from &pound;3.50 per year and a range of hosting packages starting from &pound;1.98 per month, so getting your website online or keeping your existing website online is not as expensive as you would think. 
 Our business hosting even includes website development support, support hours that you can use as you see fit to improve your website. 
 Website domain name and hosting details: www.sg7.eu
 For more details or help with your website please feel free to call us on 01462 896679.
 email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! 
 A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com
THE EVENT PACKAGE 
 SG7.biz in conjunction with the Society of Event Organisers is offering a range of event packages that can include: Free Domain and Web hosting - Website design - Event advertising - Staff training. 
 Starting from just &pound;490 the packages are designed to kick start the promotion of your upcoming event. 
 For more details please contact us 
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
GET AN EVENT QUALIFICATION IN 2010 OR 2011
 The Society of Event Organisers (SEO) is running the following courses with qualifications, all hosted at 16, Park Crescent,London. 

 o The four day Certificate in Conference Organisation (CCO) on November 19, November 26, December 3 and December 10, 2010. For 2011 this is on April 8, April 15, April 29 and May 6, then on August 23 - August 26, and then on November 18, November 25, December 2 and December 9. 
 o The four day Certificate in Conference Venue Marketing (CCVM) on August 16 - August 19, 2011. 
 All the above can be run in-house, as can a range of event related subjects. Telephone 01767 316255 or email peter.cotterell@eou.org.uk 
 The SEO has recently deregistered for VAT so all events are now around 20% cheaper for those organisations unable to claim back VAT paid. In addition all course fees are subject to a 20% discount for SEO members - free sign-up and full details at www.seoevent.co.uk
EMAIL MARKETING
 Newsletter, promotion, event invitation or just staying in touch?
 We can provide a low-cost, effective solution, tailored to your needs.
 Our bulk rates are as low as 0.3p per email, or &pound;3 per thousand.
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
FREE NEWSLETTERS

 www.eou.org.uk - Event Organisers Update  - International Event Organisers Update  - Corporate Hospitality and Party Update - Conference Venue Marketplace 

 www.ezinematters.com - Charity Matters - Marketing Matters 
 
 The views of the editor are not necessarily those of the publishers. 
Editor: 
 Peter Cotterell Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 
Published and distributed by:
 eZinematters.com, Firs Studio, Royston Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6QY Tel: 01462 896679 
 theteam@ezinematters.com
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			<title>Marketing Matters Aug/Sep 2010 ISSUE 15</title>
			<description>Marketing Matters Aug/Sep 2010 ISSUE 15</description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Friday 20th 2010f August 2010 10:31:56 AM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters Aug/Sep 2010 ISSUE 15</subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters



 



 
Marketingmatters
 
August/September 2010 ISSUE 15
 %%Company%%
 To %%Name%%
 Welcome to Marketing Matters, a free monthly eZine we think you will find a useful and informative resource. It is distributed monthly to approximately 60,000 selected marketing professionals based throughout the UK and is designed to help keep you abreast of issues of potential interest.
 We welcome any comments you may have on how we could improve the content of our newsletter to ensure that it remains relevant to you. Please email us at theteam@ezinematters.com with your input.
 If you wish to unsubscribe %%emailaddress%% from this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link:Unsubscribe
 Please DO NOT use the reply button.
 Advertisements &#8211; up to 150 words per issue. The cost for one month is just &pound;160 (SEO Member &pound;128), three months for &pound;120 (SEO Member &pound;96) per issue. 
 Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
 
 
NEWS
BLESS 
 The banking industry is in urgent need of some clever marketing and PR, it seems. 
 At a time when being part of the banking fraternity arguably carries less cachet than being a member of the Gary Glitter Fan Club, the Casa Business School has revealed that bookings for its banking courses have shown a notable dip, one they put down to "the relentless nastiness about bankers and how horrible they are" according to a report in the business pages of the Daily Telegraph. 
 Given the way that banks have treated their customers there will now also be a view that money earned from banking is dirty money. 
BE VERY AFRAID 
 The success of a self employed photographer in winning an out of court settlement of &pound;2000 from British Gas for wasting his time can only encourage others to seek compensation through the courts for big company incompetence. 
 Barry Payling,59, logged his time and costs of letters and phone calls incurred over two years of British Gas cock-ups, which included incorrect billing, sending in debt-collectors to demand money not owed and writing to offer energy supplies to his mother, who was dead. 
 British Gas claim that the payment was an act of goodwill and not because they were unwilling to test their liability in court.
TAKE ON THE BBC 
 Meanwhile the BBC's blustering and bullying debt-collectors, TV Licensing should be taking note of the above. 
 This bunch of saddos send threatening letters to people without televisions demanding a licence fee, or written confirmation that no TV is being used. Those who take the second option then get another letter saying that they are probably lying and that detector vans will soon be outside their homes or offices. 
NAFF MARKETING STILL ALIVE AND WELL 
 The naff and misleading marketing con of sending out a fake editorial with a fake personalised stick-on note is still finding favour. 
 The latest tosh to hit our desk was the usual advert masquerading as editorial for a "leading authority on entrepreeurial success", who was flogging his CD's on the subject. The advert, presented to look as if it had been torn out of a newspaper came in a fake hand-written white envelope and had a fake hand-written stick-on note attached which proclaimed, in this case, "Peter, I saw this and thought of you. This guy is brilliant. Have a look at his website. J" 
 We do wonder, in the absence of any other logical reason, if our self-styled "leading authority" is compiling a lucrative list of mugs stupid enough to respond to this, to be sold to those nice people running Nigerian advance fee frauds. If so we should be told. 
 Note. The above business expert Chris Cardell was warned in April this year about his misleading approach by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) 
TUNA BOYCOTT 
 Ethical Consumer magazine has called for a boycott on tuna sandwiches from Tesco, Boots, Greggs and Subway. 
 This is on the grounds that the methods used to catch the skipjack tuna used in the products results in the unnecessary deaths of thousands of sharks, endangered Green Sea Turtles and other marine wildlife. 
 The magazine's publishers say that of the top five sandwich retailers only Marks and Spencer currently use tuna caught by pole and line, which doesn't kill other species. 
BIGGER THAN YOURS 
 Budget hotel chain Travelodge have complained to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that rival budget hotel chain Premier Inn was misleadingly claiming to have a larger bedroom count in London than their own. Premier Inn claim to have 5,500 rooms in the capital while Travelodge say the correct figure is 4,853, against their own 5,092 rooms. 
 According to trade magazine Caterer and Hotelkeeper Travelodge blotted their copybook with the ASA last year by comparing their room charge of &pound;39 with that of &pound;65 from Express by Holiday Inn, but failing to point out that the Holiday Inn price included a breakfast for up to two people, which theirs did not. 
JUST SILLY 
 Sad to see that actress Emma Thompson, appearing on an American chat show, chose to amuse her audience by claiming that homosexuals were stoned and flogged on the Isle of Wight, where they also tortured and shot Irish and Scottish visitors. 
 Clearly talking with mouth engaged before brain Thompson's comments have annoyed those responsible for marketing the island ,and those who live there, who have described them as "utter nonsense", "extremely insulting" and indicative of a "warped sense of humour", which could be Thompson's choice for her sophisticated American audiences. 
 According to the Daily Telegraph Thompson, 51, "has a habit of speaking before she thinks", positioning her as the thespian's Gerald Ratner. 
 Meanwhile Daily Telegraph columnist Rowan Pelling has advised readers "never ask your hotel staff for sightseeing advice - they will be Poles and won't have a clue" 
I'LL SAVES YER, OLIVE 
 Endorsement for the power of cartoon characters in marketing to children comes from researchers at Mahidol University, Bangkok. 
 They found that four and five-year-olds who regularly watched the cartoon character Popeye eat spinach before vanquishing the evil Bluto and saving Olive Oyl increased their intake of vegetables from two portions a day to four. 
HOLIDAY COMPLAINTS 
 A study by Which? Legal Service has found that 10% of holiday travellers have made a complaint about a trip in the last three years. Half of the complainers were unhappy about the outcome. 
NOT FROM CHEDDAR 
 More than a third of the "cheddar" cheese sold in the UK is imported, claims the British Cheese Board. (BCB) 
 Consumers who want to ensure their cheddar cheese is at least made in Britain, if not Cheddar, should study the packaging, especially in supermarkets. If it is not labelled as British the odds are it is not, say the BCB, who also reveal that 51% of British consumers prefer to buy British.
TAKE-AWAY AND ANDOVER 
 Shed a tear, gentle reader, for the harsh judgement handed out by a county court to one of those popular car-clamping companies. 
 Poor clamper Jason White, who was, just doing his job for his Whites Car Park Solutions firm was horrified recently to find that an Indian restaurant, Chillies, next to a permit-only car park he was paid to police in Andover, Hants, had put up a sign warning its customers that they faced a &pound;150 release fee if they parked there. 
 Not unreasonably Mr White felt this was depriving him of the very modest profits to be gained from clamping motors at &pound;150 a time and took out a claim, presumably based on the best legal advice, in the Southampton County Court for &pound;535 for his loss of earnings and &pound;35 court fee, and &pound;150 a day until the case was heard. 
 Sadly the court failed to appreciate how utterly reasonable our Mr White was being and threw out his claim on the basis of "no reasonable grounds". The District Judge even said that the restaurant owner Zak Hussein was "entitled to warn his customers", a judgement that can only open the floodgates to others who might want to unkindly deprive needy clamping companies of their rightful due in these difficult times. 
 Meanwhile Chillies continues to delight its customers with the wonderful flavours of the Indian sub-continent, available for as little as &pound;20 for a take-away for two, plus an optional and very reasonable &pound;150 charge that those nice people at Whites Car Park Solutions would also like you to hand over.. 
FROM OUR READERS 
1) From Richard John
 Boys, 
 You can't carry an item about someone mis-spelling "Barack" and then have an advert for "afordable" websites..... 
 Do I win a prize? 
 Cheers  RJ 
Response 
 Wel spotted, Dick. You can have a free advert, properly spelchecked of course.............!
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
AFFORDABLE WEBSITES 
 We have website domain names starting from &pound;3.50 per year and a range of hosting packages starting from &pound;1.98 per month, so getting your website online or keeping your existing website online is not as expensive as you would think. 
 Our business hosting even includes website development support, support hours that you can use as you see fit to improve your website. 
 Website domain name and hosting details: www.sg7.eu
 For more details or help with your website please feel free to call us on 01462 896679.
 email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! 
 A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com
THE EVENT PACKAGE 
 SG7.biz in conjunction with the Society of Event Organisers is offering a range of event packages that can include: Free Domain and Web hosting - Website design - Event advertising - Staff training. 
 Starting from just &pound;490 the packages are designed to kick start the promotion of your upcoming event. 
 For more details please contact us 
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
GET AN EVENT QUALIFICATION IN 2010 
 The Society of Event Organisers (SEO) have announced dates for their qualification courses in event organisation in 2010, all hosted at 16, Park Crescent London. 

 o The 4-day Certificate in Conference Organisation (CCO) on August 24/25/26/27 and November 19 and 26, and December 3 and 10. 
 o The 8-day Diploma in Conference Organisation (DCO), for delegates who hold the CCO, on August 3/4/5/6/10/11/12/13. 
 o For those marketing a venue to the sector the Certificate in Conference Venue Marketing (CCVM) on August 17/18/19/20. 
 All course fees are subject to a 20% discount for SEO members. Free sign up and full details at www.seoevent.co.uk
 Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316255 Visit: www.seoevent.co.uk
EMAIL MARKETING
 Newsletter, promotion, event invitation or just staying in touch?
 We can provide a low-cost, effective solution, tailored to your needs.
 Our bulk rates are as low as 0.3p per email, or &pound;3 per thousand.
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
FREE NEWSLETTERS

 www.eou.org.uk - Event Organisers Update  - International Event Organisers Update  - Corporate Hospitality and Party Update - Conference Venue Marketplace 

 www.ezinematters.com - Charity Matters - Marketing Matters 
 
 The views of the editor are not necessarily those of the publishers. 
Editor: 
 Peter Cotterell Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 
Published and distributed by:
 eZinematters.com, Firs Studio, Royston Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6QY Tel: 01462 896679 
 theteam@ezinematters.com
Unsubscribe - %%emailaddress%%
 If you wish to unsubscribe to this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link: %%unsubscribelink%%
%%emailaddress%% Subscription Options
 Click here to update your details
Subscribe 
 www.ezinematters.com
Forward to a friend
 Click here to send this email to a friend
 
 Newsletter distributed by SG7.biz for eZinematters.com
 More details: www.sg7.biz Info@sg7.biz tel: +44 (0)1462 896679 
]]></content>
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				<item>
			<title>Marketing Matters Jul/Aug 2010 ISSUE 14</title>
			<description>Marketing Matters Jul/Aug 2010 ISSUE 14</description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Thursday 08th 2010f July 2010 12:32:05 PM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters Jul/Aug 2010 ISSUE 14</subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters



 



 
Marketingmatters
 
July/August 2010 ISSUE 14
 %%Company%%
 To %%Name%%
 Welcome to Marketing Matters, a free monthly eZine we think you will find a useful and informative resource. It is distributed monthly to approximately 60,000 selected marketing professionals based throughout the UK and is designed to help keep you abreast of issues of potential interest.
 We welcome any comments you may have on how we could improve the content of our newsletter to ensure that it remains relevant to you. Please email us at theteam@ezinematters.com with your input.
 If you wish to unsubscribe %%emailaddress%% from this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link:Unsubscribe
 Please DO NOT use the reply button.
 Advertisements &#8211; up to 150 words per issue. The cost for one month is just &pound;160 (SEO Member &pound;128), three months for &pound;120 (SEO Member &pound;96) per issue. 
 
 
NEWS
NOT FAR ENOUGH? 
 Communications regulator Ofcom is to ban repeated silent calls to the same household in the same day from early next year. 
 This follows more than 6000 complaints about the aggressive and customer-unfriendly marketing technique, caused by using automatic dialling equipment which abandons the call after the recipient has answered, if there is no sales person available to take it. Ofcom also want to raise the maximum fine for non-compliance from the current &pound;50,000 to &pound;1million, reflecting the size of the companies that have been caught making multiple silent calls. 
 There is a view that any silent calls give the practice of marketing a bad name and that they should be completely banned by Ofcom. 
DONT TRUST THEM 
 Barclays have had some bad press in the Daily Mail, for their bad financial advice. 
 The newspaper reported the story of a retired couple who lost almost &pound;200,000 when they were advised by Barclays to switch &pound;360,000 from a savings account into a risky stock market fund. 
 Also under attack is the bank's sales commission structure whereby its sales agents get 18pence per &pound;1,000 for advising customers to put their money into a safe cash ISA but &pound;18.20 for every &pound;1,000 they can persuade customers, known as "conquests" at Barclays, to invest in the far riskier stock market. In the example above the saleswoman concerned was paid more than &pound;3000 by Barclays for communicating their dangerously bad advice. 
 Barclays also charge the highest rates of interest on overdrafts, at nearly 20% 
SILVER SURVEY 
 Those marketing to women over 60 will be interested in the recent survey of 500 of them by the Daily Telegraph's Stella magazine. The findings included:- 
 o Nearly 40% felt that having more time to do what they wanted was the best thing about getting older, with 50% feeling that deteriorating health was the worst. 
 o Nearly 20% wanted to improve their lives with financial stability, perhaps by winning the lottery, and 14% wanted to travel more. 
 o More than 50% do not drink alcohol 
 o More than 75% had experienced age discrimination, with 48% feeling put on the scrap-heap by society when over 60. 
 o The Queen was the woman over 60 most admired by 45%, although 33% most wanted to look like Helen Mirren. 
SAVVY? 
 Is there any difference between a hotel offering "1,000 rooms for 1p a night" and offering "rooms from 1p"? 
 This is the question facing those wanting to bag a reported bargain from cheapo hotel group Tune, which opens its first UK property in South London at the end of August. Press reports claim there are 1,000 rooms FOR 1p, whereas the hotel's web site states that there are simply rooms FROM 1p, which means there could be just two room-nights at 1p available over the eight-month stay period offered, with all the rest at more normal promotional prices.
 A visit to Tune's web site as the offer opened showed, over 20 date options, two rooms at &pound;9, twelve at &pound;16.75, three at &pound;35, three at &pound;40 ,and absolutely none at 1p. 
 According to Tune's CEO Mark Lankester "We are targeting the savvy traveller" 
OUT ON THE CHEAP 
 A survey of the eating out habits of almost 3,000 UK adults has found that the most popular places for casual dining are Wetherspoon's, Harvester and Pizza Express, all of which offer a meal for around &pound;5-6. In the case of Wetherspoons these prices also include a &pound;2.50 pint of beer. 
 The Leisure Wallet Report by corporate advisers Zolfo Cooper also found that the number of customers who were more likely to visit a restaurant if it was running a price promotion had grown by nearly 40% over the past six months, while the number who used the vouchers from newspapers and the internet more often had risen by 30%, while nearly 40% of diners admitted that in the current economic climate they were less likely to eat out than they were six months ago. 
 However Zolfo Cooper have told restaurateur's trade magazine Caterer and Hotelkeeper that their readers should consider their margins before making offers, pointing out that with a gross margin of 88% pizza chains could well afford to offer two for one deals and still make lots of money. 
BAG THAT BARGAIN 
 The pound and 99p shops now familiar on most high streets are seriously undercutting the major names. 
 Recently skin care products costing up to &pound;8 in Boots have been found, re-labelled, for &pound;1 in Poundland. And the same group sells a multi-pack of 12 bags of cheese biscuits for &pound;1, against the &pound;1 pack of only 7 bags offered by price-cutters Asda. 
TV DINNERS 
 A study of advertising on American TV has found that a diet based on the food products featured is profoundly unhealthy. 
 The diet contains 25 times more sugar and 20 times more fat than is healthy. 
MORE O'BLARNEY 
 Consumer watchdog Which? has criticised Ryanair for charging &pound;5 per passenger per flight for using a credit card, rather than charging the fee per booking, like other vendors do. 
 The system costs a family of four an additional &pound;40 on a return flight with Ryanair, compared with &pound;3.50 with easyJet and others. 
UNWANTED R's IN OZ 
 Mugs commemorating the visit of US prezz Obama have been withdrawn from sale at the parliamentary gift shop in Canberra after it was discovered that his name had been mis-spelt as "Barrack" 
 Sadly Mr Obama cancelled his trip to the Antipodes, which could be just as well. 
 Reportedly just two had already been sold and will no doubt be appearing on auction sites for a lot of dollars any time now. 
DELIA AND WAITROSE DROP ONE 
 A seafood risotto recipe produced by celebrity cook Delia Smith as part of her completely impartial tie-up with Waitrose has been sharply criticised by those who have tried to cook it. 
 These include the team from BBC's Watchdog, who pronounced it "disgusting" and "horrible" and consumer affairs journalist Harry Wallop, who noted in the Daily Telegraph that the ingredients, bought at Waitrose prices, cost &pound;16, "congealed into a rather nasty and acrid, thick blob of rice, studded with rubbery bits of seafood", and had his kitchen "smelling like a cheap Marseilles brothel", a description for which those unfamiliar with such establishments will have to take Mr Wallop's word. 
EVERY LITTLE HELPSH 
 Interesting to note that Tesco's retiring CEO Terry Leahy is such a supporter of price measures to curb the consumption of alcohol. 
 And that a few months ago his group was selling a 70 cl bottle of 40% ABV vodka for just &pound;5, around 35% lower than any other retailer. 
FROM OUR READERS 
1) From Steve Hayward
 Years after the monopolies commission found against electrical companies supplying exhibition venues that they were guilty of overcharging and ordered a weak solution as a fix. This solution ordered that exhibitors be given the choice of at least two contractors. This resulted in no change at all save that on large shows, some halls are allocated to one particular contractor and another contractor takes the other halls. Effectively meaning, since they both-allegedly-have the same prices that no real alternatives exist. 
 In the Business Design Centre a different scam exists. Shell scheme exhibitors are charges around &pound;95 for a socket whilst Space only exhibitors are charged upwards of &pound;495 + &pound;95 for the same service. Having been recently an exhibitor there on the balcony on a space only site I can attest how this benefits the pocket of the electrical contractor at the expense of the overcharged exhibitor. A power feed is run off an overhead wire and drops down to feed shell scheme stands below. This wire is tensioned to the balcony, where-surprise, surprise, the power feed ends at the space only stand beyond! Result- an easy &pound;495 x however many space only stands there are. 
 Perhaps exhibition organisers should ask questions when exhibitors do not rebook about the pricing policies of this venue? 
 Steve Hayward 
2) From Neil Smith
 Packaging - confusion reigns! 
 Recently Sainsburys are reported to have switched 20 million packs of tomato products from cans to Tetrapack. This is despite the reported fact that Tetrapack will not recycle - most Councils will not accept them through the local re-cycle chains - whereas food cans are potentially 100% recyclable and currently about 70% of all cans are! Plus the fact that the base steel from which the cans are made contains a 55% recycled element. Plus the fact that shelf life in Cans is extensively longer than anything else. 
 But wait a moment - Tetrapack unit cost is probably less. What matters most? 
 Neil Smith
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
AFORDABLE WEBSITES 
 We have website domain names starting from &pound;3.50 per year and a range of hosting packages starting from &pound;1.98 per month, so getting your website online or keeping your existing website online is not as expensive as you would think. 
 Our business hosting even includes website development support, support hours that you can use as you see fit to improve your website. 
 Website domain name and hosting details: www.sg7.eu
 For more details or help with your website please feel free to call us on 01462 896679.
 email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! 
 A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com
THE EVENT PACKAGE 
 SG7.biz in conjunction with the Society of Event Organisers is offering a range of event packages that can include: Free Domain and Web hosting - Website design - Event advertising - Staff training. 
 Starting from just &pound;490 the packages are designed to kick start the promotion of your upcoming event. 
 For more details please contact us 
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
GET AN EVENT QUALIFICATION IN 2010 
 The Society of Event Organisers (SEO) have announced dates for their qualification courses in event organisation in 2010, all hosted at 16, Park Crescent London. 

 o The 4-day Certificate in Conference Organisation (CCO) on August 24/25/26/27 and November 19 and 26, and December 3 and 10. 
 o The 8-day Diploma in Conference Organisation (DCO), for delegates who hold the CCO, on August 3/4/5/6/10/11/12/13. 
 o For those marketing a venue to the sector the Certificate in Conference Venue Marketing (CCVM) on August 17/18/19/20. 
 All course fees are subject to a 20% discount for SEO members. Free sign up and full details at www.seoevent.co.uk
 Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316255 Visit: www.seoevent.co.uk
EMAIL MARKETING
 Newsletter, promotion, event invitation or just staying in touch?
 We can provide a low-cost, effective solution, tailored to your needs.
 Our bulk rates are as low as 0.3p per email, or &pound;3 per thousand.
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
FREE NEWSLETTERS

 www.eou.org.uk - Event Organisers Update  - International Event Organisers Update  - Corporate Hospitality and Party Update - Conference Venue Marketplace 

 www.ezinematters.com - Charity Matters - Marketing Matters 
 
 The views of the editor are not necessarily those of the publishers. 
Editor: 
 Peter Cotterell Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 
Published and distributed by:
 eZinematters.com, Firs Studio, Royston Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6QY Tel: 01462 896679 
 theteam@ezinematters.com
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 Newsletter distributed by SG7.biz for eZinematters.com
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			<title>Marketing Matters May/June 2010 ISSUE 13</title>
			<description>Marketing Matters May/June 2010 ISSUE 13</description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Monday 10th 2010f May 2010 01:17:07 PM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters May/June 2010 ISSUE 13</subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters



 



 
Marketingmatters
 
May/June 2010 ISSUE 13
 %%Company%%
 To %%Name%%
 Welcome to Marketing Matters, a free monthly eZine we think you will find a useful and informative resource. It is distributed monthly to approximately 60,000 selected marketing professionals based throughout the UK and is designed to help keep you abreast of issues of potential interest.
 We welcome any comments you may have on how we could improve the content of our newsletter to ensure that it remains relevant to you. Please email us at theteam@ezinematters.com with your input.
 If you wish to unsubscribe %%emailaddress%% from this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link:Unsubscribe
 Please DO NOT use the reply button.
 Advertisements &#8211; up to 150 words per issue. The cost for one month is just &pound;160+VAT (SEO Member &pound;128+VAT), three months for &pound;120+VAT (SEO Member &pound;96+VAT) per issue. 
 
 
NEWS
SEXUALISING KIDS FOR PROFIT 
 UK discount clothes retailer Primark has withdrawn padded bikini tops aimed at girls as young as seven, amid concerns that they were sexualising children for a profit. 
 The retailer has also been reportedly selling knickers for seven-year-old girls emblazoned "You've scored" and joins a growing list of retailers censured for marketing sexualising products to kids. This includes Tesco for its pole-dancing kit, sold as a toy in 2006 with the slogan "Unleash the sex kitten inside", and Next for its T-shirt for girls under six printed with the slogan "So Many Boys . . . So Little Time" 
 Marketeers have also been criticised for their reliance on the colour pink to sell to very young girls. A discussion website, PinkStinks, has been set up. 
CAN WE TRUST HMRC? 
 A report in the Daily Telegraph indicates that, just three years after Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) lost the confidential details of 25 million taxpayers another serious breach of security has occurred. 
 The concerns follow after a woman in Bedfordshire received mailings from seven different organisations all duplicating the same mistake that had been made in her name by HMRC. Susan Jones from Bedford began to receive letters from HMRC addressed to "Susan Margaret Margaret" and shortly afterwards received mailings addressed the same way from Direct Line insurance, Churchill Home Insurance, Sun Life Direct funeral care, the Dog's Trust, Macmillan cancer support and the Salvation Army, all of whom would have bought the data, unaware of its source, from suppliers in the direct marketing sector. 
 An HMRC spokesman, who didn't want to be identified, told the newspaper "We are bound by strict rules of confidentiality which prohibit the department from selling on customer details. HMRC takes data security extremely seriously" 
 Let's hope its more seriously than they take the customer service they're paid to give. According to a public accounts committee report this is "poor" based on the fact that HMRC failed to answer 45 million telephone calls from members of the public seeking help on tax and benefits last year. 
ON NOT GIVING A TOSS ABOUT CHINA 
 The Chinese public are staying away in their hundreds of thousands from the Shanghai World Expo, which showcases China's rising influence on the world stage. 
 Visitor figures are down from the expected 380,000 a day to less than 220,000, a shortfall of more than 40%. 
 The poor response has raised questions over the appeal of events which are really propaganda dressed up as a leisure opportunity, something that increasingly cynical consumers are getting better at spotting. 
VOUCHERS WORK THEN 
 The use of discount vouchers is up by 25% from last year, according to some recent research from moneysupermarket.com. 
 Apparently we scour the internet on average six times a week to save an average of &pound;55 a month, with one in seven adults claiming to save more than &pound;100 a month by using vouchers, and the total saving is estimated at &pound;30 billion a year.
HOLD THE TUNA 
 According to a recent report published in Ethical Consumer magazine consumers should avoid eating most species of tuna. 
 Of the five commercially farmed species - albacore, bigeye, bluefin, skipjack and yellowfin - it is the bluefin that is critically endangered, being specifically valued for eating raw as sushi and sashimi in specialist restaurants, particularly in Japan, which recently opposed, along with Canada, a ban on taking them. According to the EUC bluefin tuna stocks have fallen by 85% since the 1950's. A fully grown fish can fetch up to &pound;60,000 at market, or is worth more than &pound;250,000 on the plate.
 Stocks of yellowfin tuna are in serious decline, and the bigeye tuna is vulnerable. The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) advises that skipjack tuna - which constitutes the vast majority of tinned tuna - from the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans is sustainably fished, as is albacore from the south Atlantic and south Pacific and yellowfin from the Pacific and Atlantic. Consumers are also advised to choose line -caught fish rather than netted. (www.mcsuk.org) 
 In terms of tinned brands Ethical Consumer advises in favour of Fish4Ever, available at ASDA, and Waitrose, Sainsbury's Coop and Marks and Spencer brands, and against buying the ASDA, Tesco, John West and Princes brands. It also notes that the sustainably fished brands are cheaper or comparable in price to the unsustainably fished ones. www.ethicalconsumer.org
PUSSY GALORE 
 Meanwhile a fish and chip shop in Bourton-on-the-Water, Glos. has been doing its bit for the environment by supplying its customers with lashings of cheap, tasty, sustainable catfish for their enjoyment. 
 Regrettably customers of the C'or Blimey emporium have been told it was the rather more expensive and unsustainable cod, which has earned the owner a &pound;2000 fine for selling food not of the nature demanded by the customer. 
NEW SHOW 
 The Incentives & Promotional Marketing - Live show takes place at the NEC, Birmingham, 21-22 September offering exhibitors, educational seminars and networking opportunities. 
 Free entry at www.ipm-live.co.uk
KING OF COMEDY 
 The UK's most under-rated comedian must be Michael Roberts, chief executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) 
 Commenting on the heinous crimmos who travel on his paymaster's trains without buying a ticket Roberts has told the press "Fare dodgers suck millions out of the railways each year that would otherwise go back into improving services for passengers" 
 So definitely not on improving salaries, bonuses, commissions on penalty fares and pension pots for senior staff then? Ho. Ho. Ho. 
DELIA PULLS IT OFF 
 A fascinating take on ethics by Delia Smith has been reported by Private Eye. 
 It seems that in November 2008 our Delia impressed the Oxford Union by telling them that she didn't think it was an ethically sound thing for celebrity chefs to back one supermarket or product against another, and that she had never done any advertising because she felt she was "in a position of trust" 
 Now, just 18 months later her view seems to have been tweaked just a tad as she fronts, along with chef Heston Blumenthal, a &pound;10 million advertising campaign for Waitrose. 
 What a difference the pay makes? 
AN OSCAR FOR ____________? 
 Given the frantic efforts by the leaders of our main political parties to market themselves on live TV debates it might be interesting to recall the words of former Premier Sir Alec Douglas-Home, quoted recently in events trade magazine Access All Areas. 
 Turning down the chance to go on TV prior to the 1964 General Election Sir Alec opined "You'll get the best actor as leader of the country" 
 Question is, looking at the recent result was he right? 
FROM OUR READERS 
1) From Erik Blakeley
 Dear Marketing Matters, 
 Having read the piece in this months MM and Mr. Hunt's contribution I must say that I agree with him on this one. Minimum pricing of alcohol is a good idea especially if it takes upward pressure off less voluntary forms of taxation. I like an occasional drink but concerns for my health led me to cut back in my consumption a few years ago and now I just treat myself to a malt whiskey once or twice a week and the very occasional bottle of good quality wine. This does not cost me a great deal as one bottle of the malt lasts several months and even at &pound;7-&pound;10 per bottle the wine is not a great issue for the finances. The point about the comparison of prices here and in Russia is not a fair one unless you quote the prices relative to average wages for normal working people. I suspect that if this correction is made you might well find that discounted prices in this country are effectively similar to those in Russia. 
 All the best from Erik Blakeley 
2) From Sheelagh Norton
 Dear Team, 
 I entirely agree with the comments about wrapping of products in supermarkets and elsewhere. I would also like to see all plastic packaging coded so it can be recycled. Here in Ireland plastics with the numbers 1-5 in the triangle can be recycled, as can polybags, but many companies do not mark their plastic containers with these codes. I now try to buy only products with the code on the plastic containers. 
 Yours, Sheelagh Norton. 
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
THE EVENT PACKAGE 
 SG7.biz in conjunction with the Society of Event Organisers is offering a range of event packages that can include: Free Domain and Web hosting - Website design - Event advertising - Staff training. 
 Starting from just &pound;490 the packages are designed to kick start the promotion of your upcoming event. 
 For more details please contact us 
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
GET AN EVENT QUALIFICATION IN 2010 
 The Society of Event Organisers (SEO) have announced dates for their qualification courses in event organisation in 2010, all hosted at 16, Park Crescent London. 

 o The 4-day Certificate in Conference Organisation (CCO) on August 24/25/26/27 and November 19 and 26, and December 3 and 10. 
 o The 8-day Diploma in Conference Organisation (DCO), for delegates who hold the CCO, on August 3/4/5/6/10/11/12/13. 
 o For those marketing a venue to the sector the Certificate in Conference Venue Marketing (CCVM) on August 17/18/19/20. 
 All course fees are subject to a 20% discount for SEO members. Free sign up and full details at www.seoevent.co.uk
 Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316255 Visit: www.seoevent.co.uk
EMAIL MARKETING
 Newsletter, promotion, event invitation or just staying in touch?
 We can provide a low-cost, effective solution, tailored to your needs.
 Our bulk rates are as low as 0.3p per email, or &pound;3 per thousand.
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! 
 A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com
AFORDABLE WEBSITES 
 We have website domain names starting from &pound;3.50 per year and a range of hosting packages starting from &pound;1.98 per month, so getting your website online or keeping your existing website online is not as expensive as you would think. 
 Our business hosting even includes website development support, support hours that you can use as you see fit to improve your website. 
 Website domain name and hosting details: www.sg7.eu 
 For more details or help with your website please feel free to call us on 01462 896679.
 email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
FREE NEWSLETTERS

 www.eou.org.uk - Event Organisers Update  - International Event Organisers Update  - Corporate Hospitality and Party Update - Conference Venue Marketplace 

 www.ezinematters.com - Charity Matters - Marketing Matters 
 
 The views of the editor are not necessarily those of the publishers. 
Editor: 
 Peter Cotterell Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 
Published and distributed by:
 eZinematters.com, Firs Studio, Royston Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6QY Tel: 01462 896679 
 theteam@ezinematters.com
Unsubscribe - %%emailaddress%%
 If you wish to unsubscribe to this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link: %%unsubscribelink%%
%%emailaddress%% Subscription Options
 Click here to update your details
Subscribe 
 www.ezinematters.com
Forward to a friend
 Click here to send this email to a friend
 
 Newsletter distributed by SG7.biz for eZinematters.com
 More details: www.sg7.biz Info@sg7.biz tel: +44 (0)1462 896679 
]]></content>
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		</item>
				<item>
			<title>Marketing Matters March/April 2010 ISSUE 12</title>
			<description>Marketing Matters March/April 2010 ISSUE 12</description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Thursday 25th 2010f March 2010 01:31:59 PM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters March/April 2010 ISSUE 12</subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters



 



 
Marketingmatters
 
March/April 2010 ISSUE 12
 %%Company%%
 To %%Name%%
 Welcome to Marketing Matters, a free monthly eZine we think you will find a useful and informative resource. It is distributed monthly to approximately 60,000 selected marketing professionals based throughout the UK and is designed to help keep you abreast of issues of potential interest.
 We welcome any comments you may have on how we could improve the content of our newsletter to ensure that it remains relevant to you. Please email us at theteam@ezinematters.com with your input.
 If you wish to unsubscribe %%emailaddress%% from this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link:Unsubscribe
 Please DO NOT use the reply button.
 Advertisements &#8211; up to 150 words per issue. The cost for one month is just &pound;160+VAT (SEO Member &pound;128+VAT), three months for &pound;120+VAT (SEO Member &pound;96+VAT) per issue. 
 
 
NEWS
MORE DEATH AND ALCOHOL 
 Supermarkets have been criticised for selling cheap alcohol by a coroner after a 64 year old man in Norfolk drank himself to death for less than &pound;10 He was found to have a blood alcohol level of more than six times the drink-drive limit. 
 In Russia the government, concerned that half the deaths of Russians aged 15-54 were caused by alcohol have doubled the price of the cheapest vodka to &pound;3.60 a litre. In the UK the cheapest vodka in supermarkets is around &pound;10 per litre, with some recent reports claiming that our government is considering more than doubling the price in the next Budget, on March 24th. 
 A litre of 37.5% alcohol by volume (ABV) spirit contains 40 single measures of 25 millilitres, or 40 units, against the government's recommended maximum of four units a day for men and three for women. A 70 centilitre bottle contains 28 units 
 There is a view that simply raising the minimum price of alcohol would be a government cop-out that would needlessly punish millions of responsible drinkers when they should be punishing the few hundred thousand irresponsible ones. 
WINE SCAMS 
 Wine club marketing lists were used to target wine lovers with an investment opportunity in a vineyard in Australia that didn't exist. 
 Some victims of the fraudsters are reported to have parted with &pound;100,000, and the six suspects, based on the south slopes of east London are said to have received &pound;3 million. 
 Earlier this year it emerged that wine giant in the USA, Gallo had paid considerably over the odds for 18 million bottles worth of a red blended with a number of grape varieties that was sold to them as pinot noir and marketed by them as such under their Red Bicyclette brand. French customs brought a case against those involved in the fraud in France and a dozen people received fines for deception, with one additionally receiving a suspended prison sentence. 
 The prosecutors commented that the outcome of the Americans losing confidence in French wine production could be "terrible" for France. 
NOT TO BE TRUSTED 
 Some ticket inspectors on our trains are getting a 5% commission on fines they "impartially" impose on passengers, according to the Department for Transport. 
 The fines, dubbed "Penalty Fares" by the train operating companies are effective in raising their revenue from passengers who inadvertently travel without a ticket, or on an incorrect one, but ineffective against fare dodgers who play the numbers by never buying a ticket and then cheerfully paying the occasional fine. 
 The commissions paid to inspectors torpedo any trust the fare paying public might have in the train operating companies. In a similar vein one deservedly maligned firm ,First Capital Connect claims that their appeals procedure against penalty fares is run " independently of the train operating companies" when in fact it is run by a director of a train operating company who is registered at Companies House as a director of the Association of Train Operating Companies. 
 They lie. 
DON'T GET SCAMMED 
 The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) issues free information on the latest scams and advice on how to avoid being a victim.
 Common ones covered are: 

 o Pyramid schemes, where the only way to make money is to scam others 
 o Matrix schemes, where victims buy a low value product and go on a waiting list for a high value prize when lots of others sign up 
 o Prize Draws, where victims send fees to claim, or telephone an 090 premium rate number that only the fraudsters and the telecoms providers make money from. 
 o Advance Fee Frauds, where victims are offered very good terms on loans, or a chance to help an overseas organisation, usually based in Nigeria, launder money for a profit. In both cases victims pay fees up front and in some cases their bank accounts are cleaned out. 
 o Onlime dating scams, with victims sending money to their new "friend" from overseas who wants to meet but can't afford the air fare. 
 o Phising scams with emails that appear to be from a bank asking victims to confirm, update or validate account information, for the purpose of identity theft. 
 www.consumerdirect.gov.uk 
MORE BUBBLE AND SQUEAK 
 Following a campaign led by the Women's Institute (WI) major supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury's and Marks and Spencer have agreed to reduce wasteful packaging, such as cardboard trays for fruit and individual wrapping for vegetables, by 10% over the next two years. 
 Also to go are cardboard trays for meat, and the retailers have also agreed to help their customers avoid wasting food, by selling smaller loaves of bread and giving away recipes for leftovers.
MISLEADING AT SAINSBURY'S 
 Sainsbury's has been fined &pound;45,500 for selling food at their Cwmbran, South Wales store that was out of date by more than 14 days. 
 The operators of the Nectar loyalty card used by Sainbury's have also suffered some negative publicity after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld a complaint that bottles of wine shown as redeemable for Nectar points were different to the ones actually sent to Sainsbury's customers. 
DISRESPECT FOR BBC 
 A survey by PR Week magazine has found that the BBC's gravy train culture, under which it pays offensively high fees to its presenters, its directors, managers and its staff, and the rather gutless way its profligate Trust dealt with the Jonathan Ross affair, has led to a drop in its prestige. 
 Accordingly nearly 70% of the respondents are more negative about the BBC than they were two years ago and half believed the BBC licence fee should be abolished. The gratuitous bullying and blustering of the BBC's seriously unimpressive debt-collectors, TV Licensing, has not enhanced its image with its public and led, last year, to them being compared to Nazis. 
DISRESPECT FOR PR PEOPLE? 
 Meanwhile a row has broken out over Birmingham City Council paying a PR consultant &pound;800 a day to handle media coverage of their failure to protect the seven year-old girl, Khyra Ishaq, who was starved to death by her mother. 
 According to the council the consultant has a good track record "for supporting local authorities", whatever that means. 
INSTANT BARGAINS 
 Those happy with instant coffee, rather than the more expensive fresh ground stuff in all its variations the coffee shops are doing so well with, are finding the price dropping in supermarkets as sales shrink. 
 According to market research company Mintel sales of filter coffee have increased by 49% in the last five years, against a drop of 36% in sales of the instant stuff, this the result of the preference of the younger consumers. 
LOSE WEIGHT AT MCDONALD'S 
 McDonalds in New Zealand have signed up Weight Watchers to rebrand some of its offerings as "healthy options" with a roll-out to Australia planned. 
 The dishes so far include fried chicken and fish. 
 Over in Australia they are still trying to persuade Chinese consumers that the noxious cane toad - of which the country has an estimated 200 million that have bred in Queensland since being ill-advisedly introduced in 1935 to control the sugar cane beetle - is a healthy eating option. 
 Perhaps a healthy McToadburger could be the next big marketing thing down there? 
WORLD OF THE INTERNET 
 The Internet World exhibition takes place at Earl's Court 2, 27-29 April. 
 The event is supported with 180 free seminars and 20 keynote sessions. 
 www.internetworld.co.uk 
FROM OUR READERS 
1) From Graham Hunt
 Re Your news item, below: RAISE PRICE TO LOWER DEATHS? 
 I feel this article was poorly and misleadingly written. For example: 
 &#8216;&#8230;a cost of 48pence for the recommended daily intake of 4 units for men&#8217;, should of course be: 
 &#8216;&#8230;a cost of 48pence for the recommended daily MAXIMUM intake of 4 units for men&#8217;, and likewise the figure for women. The recommendation is also that this amount is not consumed every day. 
 Your calculation of units in a bottle of wine is also potentially misleading. 9 units is correct for a bottle of 12% wine, but at 14% the figure would be 10.5 units. 
 Your wording &#8216;[Liam Donaldson] says [this] will cut binge drinking&#8217; also give the incorrect impression that this is merely his opinion. There is a very substantial body of research to show that this is the case, eg, this analysis (http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/121639213/PDFSTART) of 112 studies concludes:
 &#8216;A large literature establishes that beverage alcohol prices and taxes are related inversely to drinking. Effects are large compared to other prevention policies and programs. Public policies that raise prices of alcohol are an effective means to reduce drinking.&#8217;
 Yours  G Hunt 
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
20% WEB HOSTING DISCOUNT VOUCHER
 Save 20% on up to three months web hosting, starting from just &pound;4.98 per month.
 20% discount promotion is valid from 25th Mar 2010 to 25th April 2010 for BusinessPlus, Business, Standard and Basic hosting.
 Discount Code: ezine12 Visit: http://sg7.eu/hosting.html
GET AN EVENT QUALIFICATION IN 2010 
 The Society of Event Organisers (SEO) have announced dates for their qualification courses in event organisation in 2010, all hosted at 16, Park Crescent London. 

 o The 4-day Certificate in Conference Organisation (CCO) on April 6/7/8/9, August 24/25/26/27 and November 19 and 26, and December 3 and 10. 
 o The 8-day Diploma in Conference Organisation (DCO), for delegates who hold the CCO, on August 3/4/5/6/10/11/12/13. 
 o For those marketing a venue to the sector the Certificate in Conference Venue Marketing (CCVM) on August 17/18/19/20. 
 All course fees are subject to a 20% discount for SEO members. Free sign up and full details at www.seoevent.co.uk 
 Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316255 Visit: www.seoevent.co.uk
CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! 
 A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com
EMAIL MARKETING
 Newsletter, promotion, event invitation or just staying in touch?
 We can provide a low-cost, effective solution, tailored to your needs.
 Our bulk rates are as low as 0.3p per email, or &pound;3 per thousand.
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
GIFT BAG PROMOTION OPPORTUNITY 
 500 plus promotion bags are to be given out at our 2010 VSOC Motorbike Rally, 29th - 31st May. 
 We are looking for companies that would be interested in providing anything from the bags to key chains to go with our rally badges, buttons and other club items. Rally goers will be from all over the country, as well as from Europe. 
 www.vsoc13.org.uk Contact John Knott on email vsocjkk@yahoo.co.uk
THE EVENT PACKAGE 
 SG7.biz in conjunction with the Society of Event Organisers is offering a range of event packages that can include: Free Domain and Web hosting - Website design - Event advertising - Staff training. 
 Starting from just &pound;490 the packages are designed to kick start the promotion of your upcoming event. 
 For more details please contact us 
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz  www.sg7.biz 
FREE NEWSLETTERS

 www.eou.org.uk - Event Organisers Update  - International Event Organisers Update  - Corporate Hospitality and Party Update - Conference Venue Marketplace 

 www.ezinematters.com - Charity Matters - Marketing Matters 
 
 The views of the editor are not necessarily those of the publishers. 
Editor: 
 Peter Cotterell Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 
Published and distributed by:
 eZinematters.com, Firs Studio, Royston Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6QY Tel: 01462 896679 
 theteam@ezinematters.com
Unsubscribe - %%emailaddress%%
 If you wish to unsubscribe to this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link: %%unsubscribelink%%
%%emailaddress%% Subscription Options
 Click here to update your details
Subscribe 
 www.ezinematters.com
Forward to a friend
 Click here to send this email to a friend
 
 Newsletter distributed by SG7.biz for eZinematters.com
 More details: www.sg7.biz Info@sg7.biz tel: +44 (0)1462 896679 
]]></content>
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				<item>
			<title>Marketing Matters January/February 2010 ISSUE 11</title>
			<description>Marketing Matters January/February 2010 ISSUE 11</description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Friday 22nd 2010f January 2010 12:47:06 PM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters January/February 2010 ISSUE 11</subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters



 



 
Marketingmatters
 
January/February 2010 ISSUE 11
 %%Company%%
 To %%Name%%
 Welcome to Marketing Matters, a free monthly eZine we think you will find a useful and informative resource. It is distributed monthly to approximately 60,000 selected marketing professionals based throughout the UK and is designed to help keep you abreast of issues of potential interest.
 We welcome any comments you may have on how we could improve the content of our newsletter to ensure that it remains relevant to you. Please email us at theteam@ezinematters.com with your input.
 If you wish to unsubscribe %%emailaddress%% from this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link:Unsubscribe
 Please DO NOT use the reply button.
 Advertisements &#8211; up to 150 words per issue. The cost for one month is just &pound;160+VAT (SEO Member &pound;128+VAT), three months for &pound;120+VAT (SEO Member &pound;96+VAT) per issue. 
 
 
NEWS
PRODUCT PLACEMENT OPPOSED BY CHURCH 
 The paid-for placement of products in TV programmes, as proposed by Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw, has been attacked by the Church of England as destroying viewer trust in broadcaster's integrity. 
 This would, the Church feels undermine the editorial balance, and damage the relationship between audience and broadcaster. 
RAISE PRICE TO LOWER DEATHS? 
 More than 3000 deaths a year from alcohol-related causes would be avoided by significantly raising the price of drink bought in supermarkets. 
 This is the view of the chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson, who has advocated a minimum price of 50pence per unit, a move he says will cut binge-drinking. 
 Currently a large bottle of strong cheap cider delivers around 11 units and costs as little as 12pence per unit, or a cost of 48pence for the recommended daily intake of 4 units for men, 36pence for the three units recommendation for women. Two cans of lager delivers around 4 units at 30pence a unit, a &pound;3-4 bottle of wine delivers around 9 units at 35pence a unit and a bottle of spirits supplies 28 units at rates from around 30pence per unit. 
MP EXPENSES UNDERMINE BRITAIN 
 Britain has slipped to an 11 year low on the table of corrupt countries compiled by Transparency International. 
 This is due to a combination of greedy British MP's fiddling their expenses and the pathetic failure, for political reasons, of the British authorities to prosecute British firms for paying bribes (baksheesh) to Arab entrepreneurs. 
 Britain is currently 17th out of a total of 180 countries rated from zero to ten for their level of corruption, defined as "the abuse of entrusted power for personal gain" Countries such as Denmark, Sweden and New Zealand score highly with very little corruption, while countries such as Haiti, currently suffering a disastrous earthquake, and Myanmar, Iraq and Somalia bring up the rear. 
 Britain has suffered "a significant decline" in its ratings, according to Transparency International. 
WORSTGROUP 
 Three months of "commuting hell" inflicted on its customers by train operating company First Capital Connect has led to Transport Secretary Lord Adonis describing the company as sub-standard. 
 Service has been especially poor on the Bedford to Brighton line with a constant changing of timetables and a lack of customer communication from the company. 
 It has been suggested to Lord Adonis by Nadine Dorries, MP for Mid-Beds, that he consider stripping FirstGroup of their most lucrative franchise. 
MORE MUGABE FALL-OUT 

 o Swiss giant Nestle has suspended all operations in Zimbabwe. This, it says, follows harassment by government officials and police after it aborted a lucrative deal to buy milk from a farm taken over by Robert Mugabe's wife, Grace, after the owner was forced to sell it for a fraction of its value. (see SWISS MISS, Marketing Matters, October 2009) 
 o Two South African managers of a dairy company linked to Tetra Pak, DeLaval, have left the company after it was revealed by the Daily Telegraph that they had sold equipment to the above farm. Grace Mugabe, 44, is on the EU list of people subject to sanctions, being a financial beneficiary of Robert Mugabe's brutal regime. 
WHERE FROM? 
 The consumers association Which? has called for a tightening up of rules on labelling food products. 
 Currently the country of origin must be provided on beef and poultry if imported from outside the EU, but not on pork and pork products, or lamb, a situation that Which? calls "bizarre. In addition the manufacturer using imported meats can claim as the country of origin the place where the product last underwent a substantial change, rather than where the meat for it came from. 
 In a recent survey carried out by Which? 3 in 4 people want proper origin labelling for all meat and poultry, all processed foods made from them as well as dairy products, fish and fruit and vegetables. 
AMERICANS LOVE ADVERT BREAKS? 
 A study at the University of California has found that American viewers liked programmes best when they were broken up by adverts, although they claimed to dislike the ads. 
O'BLARNEY AGAIN 
 Latest nonsense from everyone's favourite marketeer, Michael O'Blarney of Ryanair, is the chance to avoid his rip-off &pound;5 per person credit or debit card charge by paying with the little-used Master Card prepaid, rather than the far more popular Electron card the airline used to process free. 
 The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has branded O'Blarney's latest earner as "peurile". It has been estimated that the cost to process a card payment is around 30 pence, a long way from the &pound;20 a family of four will pay to use it to buy a flight on Ryanair. Another budget firm, Travelodge, charges &pound;1.50 per transaction for credit cards, and nothing for debit cards. 
BANKER BASHING 
 Bankers continue to occupy a place in the public esteem somewhere below paedophiles. 
 News of more huge bonuses funded by taxpayers hasn't helped, as hasn't pleas by London Mayor Boris Johnson that we risk them leaving the country if we impose punitive taxes on them, against a popular view that it would be a Very Good Thing for UK Ltd if they all took their greed and incompetence and foxtrot oscared to screw up someone else's economy. 
FROM OUR READERS 
1) From Veronica-Mae Soar 
 The relative costs shown for a trolley of goodies (Carving up Christmas) do not tell the whole story. Quality has to be taken into account as well. For instance - What is the use of a cheap chicken when a large percentage of it is water and, because of the way it was raised, it has little nutritional value and is probaby pretty tasteless too. There is a difference between cheap (and nasty) and inexpensive (and good value for money)
 Veronica-Mae Soar
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
THE EVENT PACKAGE 
 SG7.biz in conjunction with the Society of Event Organisers is offering a range of event packages that can include: Free Domain and Web hosting - Website design - Event advertising - Staff training. 
 Starting from just &pound;490 the packages are designed to kick start the promotion of your upcoming event. 
 For more details please contact us 
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz  www.sg7.biz 
GET AN EVENT QUALIFICATION IN 2010 
 The Society of Event Organisers (SEO) have announced dates for their qualification courses in event organisation in 2010, all hosted at 16, Park Crescent London. 

 o The 4-day Certificate in Conference Organisation (CCO) on April 6/7/8/9, August 24/25/26/27 and November 19 and 26, and December 3 and 10. 
 o The 8-day Diploma in Conference Organisation (DCO), for delegates who hold the CCO, on August 3/4/5/6/10/11/12/13. 
 o For those marketing a venue to the sector the Certificate in Conference Venue Marketing (CCVM) on August 17/18/19/20. 
 All course fees are subject to a 20% discount for SEO members. Free sign up and full details at www.seoevent.co.uk 
 Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316255 Visit: www.seoevent.co.uk
CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! 
 A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com
EMAIL MARKETING
 Newsletter, promotion, event invitation or just staying in touch?
 We can provide a low-cost, effective solution, tailored to your needs.
 Our bulk rates are as low as 0.3p per email, or &pound;3 per thousand.
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
GIFT BAG PROMOTION OPPORTUNITY 
 500 plus promotion bags are to be given out at our 2010 VSOC Motorbike Rally, 29th - 31st May. 
 We are looking for companies that would be interested in providing anything from the bags to key chains to go with our rally badges, buttons and other club items. Rally goers will be from all over the country, as well as from Europe. 
 www.vsoc13.org.uk Contact John Knott on email vsocjkk@yahoo.co.uk
FREE NEWSLETTERS

 www.eou.org.uk - Event Organisers Update  - International Event Organisers Update  - Corporate Hospitality and Party Update - Conference Venue Marketplace 

 www.ezinematters.com - Charity Matters - Marketing Matters 
 
 The views of the editor are not necessarily those of the publishers. 
Editor: 
 Peter Cotterell Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 
Published and distributed by:
 eZinematters.com, Firs Studio, Royston Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6QY Tel: 01462 896679 
 theteam@ezinematters.com
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			<title>Marketing Matters December 2009 ISSUE 10</title>
			<description>Marketing Matters December 2009 ISSUE 10</description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Monday 21st 2009f December 2009 11:02:27 AM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters December 2009 ISSUE 10</subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters



 



 
Marketingmatters
 
December 2009 ISSUE 10
 %%Company%%
 To %%Name%%
 Welcome to Marketing Matters, a free monthly eZine we think you will find a useful and informative resource. It is distributed monthly to approximately 60,000 selected marketing professionals based throughout the UK and is designed to help keep you abreast of issues of potential interest.
 We welcome any comments you may have on how we could improve the content of our newsletter to ensure that it remains relevant to you. Please email us at theteam@ezinematters.com with your input.
 If you wish to unsubscribe %%emailaddress%% from this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link:Unsubscribe
 Please DO NOT use the reply button.
 Advertisements &#8211; up to 150 words per issue. The cost for one month is just &pound;160+VAT (SEO Member &pound;128+VAT), three months for &pound;120+VAT (SEO Member &pound;96+VAT) per issue. 
 
 
NEWS
FRENCH COURTS SUPPORT RESTRICTIVE PRACTICES 
 The Commercial Court in Paris has supported a ruling preventing French consumers from the buying or selling of some brands of perfumes or cosmetics on the internet. 
 The brands are marketed by luxury goods group LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy) and include Christian Dior, Guerlain and Givenchy, and the court recently fined auction site eBay &pound;1.5 million for allowing French consumers to buy the LVMH products at lower prices than they could buy in France. 
 EBay are appealing to the French High Courts over the ruling, which they say is restrictive and anti-competitive, and the case is due to be heard next May. The chief executive of LVMH is Bernard Arnault. 
SPORTS CELEBRITY ADS BANNED 
 The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned ads using cricketers Graham Gooch and Shane Warne, and tennis player Virginia Wade OBE. 
 Gooch and Warne promoted a cosmetic treatment for hair thinning marketed by Advanced Hair Studio with a national press ad that the ASA said was misleading. Wade OBE promoted a pain relief patch for Lifes2good with a national press ad the ASA also said was misleading. 
MODERN TIMES 
 A PR stunt awarding companies for being female-friendly employers and run by The Times newspaper has been brought into disrepute by the awarding of compensation by a tribunal against its organiser, for bullying employees. 
 Glenda Stone, who is also the co-chairman of Gordon Brown's Women's Enterprise Task Force, for what it's worth, founded and runs the Where Women Want to Work Top 50 awards, promoted every October by The Times. The tribunal found that Stone, 42, had a "dictatorial and intimidating" style of management, based on evidence supplied by three female employees, and ordered her to pay &pound;28,567.17 compensation to a former employee who she fired for complaining about mistreatment by her. 
 According to Private Eye, which ran the best story on the case, clients of Stone's Aurora recruitment company who enter the Times "competition" for an award always get one, which doesn't say a lot for the integrity of all involved. 
MARKETING BELOW THE BELT 
 Suggestions that smokers might be less attractive to the opposite sex are more likely to persuade them to give it up than warnings of death on cigarette packs. 
 This is the conclusion of a study at Universities in America and Switzerland which found that those especially influenced by the loss of attractiveness argument were teenagers who smoked to impress, or for peer group approval. 
 A few years back a TV ad showed two boys discussing a girl who smoked, who they said was "like kissing an old ashtray" 
FOUL PLAY 
 A London theatre is in trouble with Westminster trading standards officers after it quoted selectively from a generally negative review of a play it was staging and made it sound positive. 
 Wyndham's Theatre, in its promotion of a flopped theatrical production of The Shawshank Redemption used a quote from a review by critic Charles Spencer which stated that the film was "a superbly gripping, genuinely uplifting prison drama", and opined that "in almost every respect the stage version is inferior to the movie". Wyndham's only used the description of the film, implying that it was what the critic had said about the play, something that Spencer, when he saw it, described as "the dishonesty of its advertising" in a piece for the Daily Telegraph. This is a view supported by trading standards officers who point out that a breach of the Unfair Consumer Practices Directive, which became law in Britain last year, is punishable by an unlimited fine, or a maximum two-year custodial sentence. 
 Serious stuff. And what seems to be more honest advertising can be seen in some of the well-written and thought-provoking pieces contributed by Spencer to the same Daily Telegraph in which he justifiably complained about the dishonest variety. Here there are references to specific brands of cola, doughnuts and popcorn, which could make cynics wonder if product placement has found its way into impartial journalism. We should all be told. 
DEBT BY PHONE 
 More than 40% of the 100 million plus unsolicited telemarketing calls made to UK households in November were by loan companies hoping for rich pickings for Christmas. 
 According to the Call Prevention Registry many are now using pre-recorded sales messages. 
CARVING UP CHRISTMAS 
 Supermarket group ASDA are offering the cheapest trolley of Christmas goods this year. According to a recent survey by The Grocer trade magazine a trolley of 33 items, which included a turkey, Christmas pudding, cards, crackers and champagne, cost &pound;102.08 in ASDA, &pound;105.30 in Tesco, &pound;107.51 in Morrisons, &pound;114.57 in Sainsbury's and &pound;132.29 in Waitrose, which came out as 30% more expensive than ASDA. 
 According to the consumers association, Which?, UK supermarkets are the cheapest in Western Europe. 
A BLOW FOR TIGER 
 Oh dear. Since the allegation that golf's most marketed property, Tiger Woods, doesn't just play a round on the courses the tasteless jokes have come thick and fast, to the extent that some of the sponsors who provide much of Wood's &pound;60 million a year income for associations with his wholesome image to penetrate their markets are starting to favour withdrawal, with ads featuring Woods being pulled from prime-time TV slots. 
 The cover of Golf Digest magazine for January has not helped, featuring as it does a mocked-up photo of Nobel Peace Prize-winner, US President Obama lining up a putt and shadowed by Woods with the caption "10 tips Obama can take from Tiger" Inside the mag these included the prezz benefitting from " a Woods-like agility with image control" claiming that "Tiger never does anything that would make him ridiculous" 
 As if&#8230;
FROM OUR READERS 
1) From Veronica-Mae Soar 
 Dear team 
 Other surveys tell a different story. The New Economics Foundation's Happy Planet Index puts Costa Rica at the top, along with other Latin American countries. It shows that the USA, China and India were greener and happier 20 years ago. The UK is 74th amongst the 143 nations surveyed. The Happy Planet Index is based on countries representing 99 percent of the world's population and takes into account how efficiently they use their resources - life expectancy and satisfaction measured against their ecological footprint. See more at www.happyplanetindex.org 
 Veronica-Mae Soar 
2) From Leslie hunt
 I enjoy reading your ezine, keep up the good work! 
 Leslie hunt
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
GET AN EVENT QUALIFICATION IN 2010 
 The Society of Event Organisers (SEO) have announced dates for their qualification courses in event organisation in 2010, all hosted at 16, Park Crescent London. 

 o The 4-day Certificate in Conference Organisation (CCO) on April 6/7/8/9, August 24/25/26/27 and November 19 and 26, and December 3 and 10. 
 o The 8-day Diploma in Conference Organisation (DCO), for delegates who hold the CCO, on August 3/4/5/6/10/11/12/13. 
 o For those marketing a venue to the sector the Certificate in Conference Venue Marketing (CCVM) on August 17/18/19/20. 
 All course fees are subject to a 20% discount for SEO members. Free sign up and full details at www.seoevent.co.uk 
 Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316255 Visit: www.seoevent.co.uk
TARGET YOUR WEBSITE TO YOUR MARKET&#8230;
 We can provide a low cost effective solution tailored to your needs.
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz  www.sg7.biz
CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! 
 A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com
GIFT BAG PROMOTION OPPORTUNITY 
 500 plus promotion bags are to be given out at our 2010 VSOC Motorbike Rally, 29th - 31st May. 
 We are looking for companies that would be interested in providing anything from the bags to key chains to go with our rally badges, buttons and other club items. Rally goers will be from all over the country, as well as from Europe. 
 www.vsoc13.org.uk Contact John Knott on email vsocjkk@yahoo.co.uk
EMAIL MARKETING
 Newsletter, promotion, event invitation or just staying in touch?
 We can provide a low-cost, effective solution, tailored to your needs.
 Our bulk rates are as low as 0.4p per email, or &pound;4 per thousand.
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
FREE NEWSLETTERS

 www.eou.org.uk - Event Organisers Update  - International Event Organisers Update  - Corporate Hospitality and Party Update - Conference Venue Marketplace 

 www.ezinematters.com - Charity Matters - Marketing Matters 
 
 The views of the editor are not necessarily those of the publishers. 
Editor: 
 Peter Cotterell Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 
Published and distributed by:
 eZinematters.com, Firs Studio, Royston Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6QY Tel: 01462 896679 
 theteam@ezinematters.com
Unsubscribe - %%emailaddress%%
 If you wish to unsubscribe to this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link: %%unsubscribelink%%
%%emailaddress%% Subscription Options
 Click here to update your details
Subscribe 
 www.ezinematters.com
Forward to a friend
 Click here to send this email to a friend
 
 Newsletter distributed by SG7.biz for eZinematters.com
 More details: www.sg7.biz Info@sg7.biz tel: +44 (0)1462 896679 
]]></content>
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				<item>
			<title>Marketing Matters November2009 ISSUE 9</title>
			<description>Marketing Matters November2009 ISSUE 9</description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Thursday 19th 2009f November 2009 10:02:35 AM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters November2009 ISSUE 9</subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters



 



 
Marketingmatters
 
November 2009 ISSUE 9
 %%Company%%
 To %%Name%%
 Welcome to Marketing Matters, a free monthly eZine we think you will find a useful and informative resource. It is distributed monthly to approximately 60,000 selected marketing professionals based throughout the UK and is designed to help keep you abreast of issues of potential interest.
 We welcome any comments you may have on how we could improve the content of our newsletter to ensure that it remains relevant to you. Please email us at theteam@ezinematters.com with your input.
 If you wish to unsubscribe %%emailaddress%% from this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link:Unsubscribe
 Please DO NOT use the reply button.
 Advertisements &#8211; up to 150 words per issue. The cost for one month is just &pound;160+VAT (SEO Member &pound;128+VAT), three months for &pound;120+VAT (SEO Member &pound;96+VAT) per issue. 
 
 
NEWS
WE ARE WATCHING YOU 
 State-spying has now become a reality with news that 653 public bodies will be able to snoop on every telephone call, text message, email and website visit made by private citizens. 
 The excuse given by the government is that of combating terrorism, despite the dismal record of some councils whose employees have used anti-terrorism laws to combat dog-fouling and bin over-filling, and cannot be trusted with the new powers. 
CLEANING UP ONLINE 
 The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is to police advertising on UK websites from late next year, after some funding from Google. 
 The new remit is expected to also cover claims made on UK blogs and social networking websites but the ASA will have no jurisdiction over non-UK digital media aimed at UK consumers. 
BIGGER FINES FOR SILENT CALLERS 
 Companies that telemarket with automatic dialling equipment and generate large volumes of silent calls - those where the equipment hangs up on the answering customer if no salesperson is available to take the call - could be fined up to &pound;2million for their customer-unfriendly ignorance. 
 The new fine level, a marked increase on the maximum &pound;50,000 levied by telecoms watchdog Ofcom has been called for by the Consumer Minister, Kevin Brennan, who has stated that the offending calls are an inconvenient nuisance to victims and frightening for the elderly.
 Companies previously censured by Ofcom for silent calls have been Barclays, Abbey, Complete Credit Management, Carphone Warehouse, Toucan and Space Kitchens.
ATTACK ON FAKE JOURNALISM 
 A new hard-hitting documentary, Starsuckers, shows how easy it is to get fake celebrity stories published in our willing tabloids. 
 The film, which should be required viewing for all in marketing and PR, features secretly shot footage of self-confessed PR liar Max Clifford bragging about how he keeps negative stories about his clients out of the press. Judging by a presentation Clifford gave to young PR types a few years back this involves giving the tabloids alternative stories about people not represented by him, something he calls "collateral". 
 For some reason Clifford is unhappy about his inadvertent contribution to Starsuckers and, according to an amusing report in Private Eye, has tried to suppress it using libel lawyers Carter-Ruck, with no success. Private Eye, with commendable and understandable enthusiasm, has published the website address for Starsuckers (www.starsuckersmovie.com) which all those who support the plastic cult of celebrity, and the toe-rag tabloids that publish the tosh, will obviously not be visiting.
 Meanwhile press reviews for Starsuckers in non-tabloid organs have been very positive with The Scotsman describing Clifford's machinations as "especially sickening" and The Observer hailing it as "Not since Triumph of the Will (Nazi propaganda documentary, for our younger readers) have so many dislikeable real-life figures been brought together in one film".
ATTACK ON FAKE PHOTOS 
 Fake photographs, airbrushed to enhance the shape of models continue to come under attack for the lack of honesty in their use, and potential danger to health. 
 Following similar moves in France a group of UK academics, doctors and psychologists wants all advertisers to be forced to state when images have been artificially enhanced, to protect against body dissatisfaction leading to eating disorders. 
 Campaigners, who are lobbying the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) have singled out an advertisement run last month by Ralph Lauren which depicted, with the aid of extreme airbrushing, an impossibly stick-thin model with a waist smaller than her head, and very long and anorexic-looking arms and legs. 
 (See REALITY CHECK, Marketing Matters, Issue 8, October 2009)
TALKING THE TALK
 Some customer TLC is needed at TalkTalk, strapline "We're full of bright ideas" 
 One of these, we hear, is to give valued customers free calls to 0870/0845 premium rate numbers but to fail to make it clear that customers have to opt in to have the calls free, as some signed up to TalkTalk have discovered, too late, when the invoice has come in. 
 Whilst profitable for TalkTalk this is not one of the marketing department's brightest ideas, we'd say. 
NOT JUST ANY OVERPRICED FOOD&#8230; 
 The current ads from M&S comparing their prices for their Wise Buys budget range with those for Waitrose Essentials are causing some mirth amongst those who really know a bargain. 
 Such types know that Waitrose is the most expensive supermarket we have, and that one recent comparison of M&S and Waitrose budget baked beans, both at 49pence for a 420g tin was somewhat undermined by the deal running at Asda where 4 x 415g tins of the Heinz variety were walking out of the store for &pound;1, or 25pence a tin. 
 So much for the M&S claim to be "great value for money" 
SECRETS OF HAPPINESS?
 The Finns are the happiest people on earth.
 This is the conclusion of a recent survey of 104 countries measuring the general well-being, as well as the wealth of various nations and published by the Legatum Institute in London. The top ten, in descending order were Finland Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Australia, Canada, Holland, USA and New Zealand. Britain was 12th, and ahead of Germany in 14th place and France in 17th place.
 According to a report in the Daily Telegraph Britain did well, despite the current recession, in the wealth stakes but was let down in the well-being area by excessive regulation, domestic security, poor health and education, a lack of community spirit and a high rate of divorce.
 According to a Lonely Planet guide to Finland "Finns drink a lot. Aquavit characterises the entire hopeless drinking pattern of some Finns: drink until you pass out" Could this be why they're so happy?
 Answers on a wine voucher, please&#8230;
FROM OUR READERS 
1) From John Spon-Smith 
 Dear team, 
 What on earth is all this about fences around St Andrews - is it a joke? 
 Of all the risks we may need to be protected from, the danger of being killed by a stray golf ball has to be right at the bottom of the pile. 
 Riduculous. 
 Kind regards, 
 John Spon-Smith 
2) From Jane Ellison-Bates 
 Great read, as usual. 
 Best regards 
 Jane. 
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
TARGET YOUR WEBSITE TO YOUR MARKET&#8230;
 We can provide a low cost effective solution tailored to your needs.
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz  www.sg7.biz
JOIN THE SOCIETY OF EVENT ORGANISERS FREE
 The SEO now offers individual free membership to those organising events, or supplying the market. Members get a 20% discount on all SEO events.
 Visit: www.seoevent.co.uk
CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! 
 A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com
EMAIL MARKETING
 Newsletter, promotion, event invitation or just staying in touch?
 We can provide a low-cost, effective solution, tailored to your needs.
 Our bulk rates are as low as 0.4p per email, or &pound;4 per thousand.
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
GIFT BAG PROMOTION OPPORTUNITY 
 500 plus promotion bags are to be given out at our 2010 VSOC Motorbike Rally, 29th - 31st May. 
 We are looking for companies that would be interested in providing anything from the bags to key chains to go with our rally badges, buttons and other club items. Rally goers will be from all over the country, as well as from Europe. 
 www.vsoc13.org.uk Contact John Knott on email vsocjkk@yahoo.co.uk
FREE NEWSLETTERS

 www.eou.org.uk - Event Organisers Update  - International Event Organisers Update  - Corporate Hospitality and Party Update - Conference Venue Marketplace 

 www.ezinematters.com - Charity Matters - Marketing Matters 
 
 The views of the editor are not necessarily those of the publishers. 
Editor: 
 Peter Cotterell Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 
Published and distributed by:
 eZinematters.com, Firs Studio, Royston Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6QY Tel: 01462 896679 
 theteam@ezinematters.com
Unsubscribe - %%emailaddress%%
 If you wish to unsubscribe to this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link: %%unsubscribelink%%
%%emailaddress%% Subscription Options
 Click here to update your details
Subscribe 
 www.ezinematters.com
Forward to a friend
 Click here to send this email to a friend
 
 Newsletter distributed by SG7.biz for eZinematters.com
 More details: www.sg7.biz Info@sg7.biz tel: +44 (0)1462 896679 
]]></content>
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				<item>
			<title>Marketing Matters October 2009 ISSUE 8</title>
			<description>Marketing Matters October 2009 ISSUE 8</description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Monday 19th 2009f October 2009 11:32:14 AM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters October 2009 ISSUE 8</subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters



 



 
Marketingmatters
 
October 2009 ISSUE 8
 %%Company%%
 To %%Name%%
 Welcome to Marketing Matters, a free monthly eZine we think you will find a useful and informative resource. It is distributed monthly to approximately 60,000 selected marketing professionals based throughout the UK and is designed to help keep you abreast of issues of potential interest.
 We welcome any comments you may have on how we could improve the content of our newsletter to ensure that it remains relevant to you. Please email us at theteam@ezinematters.com with your input.
 If you wish to unsubscribe %%emailaddress%% from this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link:Unsubscribe
 Please DO NOT use the reply button.
 Advertisements &#8211; up to 150 words per issue. The cost for one month is just &pound;160+VAT (SEO Member &pound;128+VAT), three months for &pound;120+VAT (SEO Member &pound;96+VAT) per issue. 
 
 
NEWS
TRUST THE ROYAL MAIL? 
 Revelations that unions at the Royal Mail are just as greedy and stupidly short-sighted as its management are causing companies to look elsewhere for the distribution of messages and the delivery of product. 
 Reportedly the growth of email has resulted in 10 million fewer letters a day being sent, a total drop of 10%, and a national strike would significantly increase the decline. It has been proudly claimed by the Communication Workers Union that the last national strike in 2007 left an estimated 200 million letters and parcels caught in the backlog and that the recent local strikes have held up the delivery of 30 million. 
 Rumours that the popular children's character is to be rebranded as Postman Prat should be dismissed as mischievous, if not appropriate. 
SWISS MISS 
 Swiss food giant Nestle has been shamed into ceasing trading with Robert Mugabe's wife. 
 The company had been secretly buying milk from a farm seized from its white owners by Robert Mugabe's thugs in 2003, with the owner being paid around 10% of its value, and given to Grace Mugabe. The revelations were published in the Sunday Telegraph on September 27, and four days after the bad publicity Nestle announced that it would no longer trade with the Mugabes. 
 The Swiss giant has a track record for questionable ethics, based on allegations that it improperly promoted its formula milk in the Third World, an aspect that has led to consumer boycotts of its products in the West. 
WANNA BUY BRITISH? 
 Most UK consumers want to see all food labelled with the country of origin, so that they can choose to buy British if they wish. 
 This is the result of research carried out by the consumers association Which?. Currently many products dont have to carry the country of origin, particularly processed foods made from imported ingredients. In these cases the "country of origin" is legally the place that the product last underwent a substantial change, not the origin of the main ingredient. 
TICKET SCAMMERS TARGETTED 
 The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has set up a fake fraudulent website, to warn purchasers of tickets for events about the dangers of fraudulent websites.(Live UK) 
 Ticket buyers attracted by the deals featured on it, and clicking on "buy", are directed to a page which tells them it is a fake and gives advice on avoiding becoming a victim. According to the OFT most victims are caught by their desperation to obtain tickets and their excitement at finding them, as well as the legitimate appearance of the fraudulent websites. Around 8% of ticket buyers admit to having been defrauded, 20% of people know someone who has been defrauded and men are twice as likely to be victims as women. 
 Victims lose an average of &pound;80. 
ADVERTISING STANDARDS 
 The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has made a number of interesting adjudications over the last few weeks. 

 o Complaints were upheld about the truthfulness of Coca-Cola's ads for its Vitaminwater range of soft drinks, which claimed health benefits that Coca-Cola were unable to substantiate. 
 o Complaints were upheld about the truthfulness of a claim made by the National Pen Company of Ireland that they supplied "50 pens free" yet required customers to pay a compulsory charge of &pound;17.47 for shipping and VAT. 
 o Complaints were upheld about a TV ad for loan company QuickQuid that neglected to mention the 2356% interest rate. 
 o Complaints were upheld about the truthfulness of a reader offer on radiator panels made by the Daily Telegraph which claimed commercial benefits the newspaper was unable to substantiate. 
REALITY CHECK 
 Moves are being made in France to force advertisers to indicate when pictures used have been airbrushed or otherwise enhanced. 
 The moves, backed by 50 politicians, has been sparked by concerns for the health of young girls for whom the doctored photos become a body role-model, and prompt eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. There is also the issue of advertisers being honest with consumers and advising them that what they are looking at is not a reality. 
 Valerie Boyer, a member of President Sarkozy's UMP party told the Daily Telegraph "It is not an attempt to damage creativity of photographers or publicity campaigns, but to advise the public on whether what they are seeing is real or not."
 "Not real" according to the newspaper would have been the picture of Sarkozy with an airbrushed waistline which appeared in Paris Match two years ago and hundreds of airbrushed photos of his wife and former model, Carla Bruni. 
SUBLIMINAL WORKS 
 Subliminal advertising, currently banned, does actually work, say researchers at University College, London.
 In a recent study 50 participants were shown a series of words on a computer screen for a fraction of a second, too short a time to be clocked consciously. The words were either positive (flower, peace or cheerful) neutral (box, ear or kettle) or negative (murder, agony or despair). Recognition was high, particularly for the negative words. 
 The current ban is due to fears that the process could be used for political ends. 
MORE GOLF SAFETY 
 o email to Sir Menzies Campbell, October 12.
 Dear Sir Menzies Campbell 
 I write again with regard to the safety provisions at the Old Course, St Andrews, of which you are a trustee. 
 You will have read by now about the tragic death of a golfer, Janet Llewellyn, who was hit on the head by a golf ball at the Strathendrick Golf Club, Drymen, Stirlingshire on October 1st. 
 I appreciate that this is the first such tragedy to happen in Scotland from an accidentally mis-hit golf ball. But as my own experience at your course shows the potential is ever-present for such an accident to result in an injury, or worse to a member of the public simply walking or driving by your Old Course (see my previous emails to you). 
 Would you please now confirm that your management at the Old Couse will be taking common-sense steps to screen off the paths and roads around the course with simple mesh barriers that will prevent members of the public being injured or killed by accidentally mis-hit golf balls. 
 Thanking you in anticipation 
 Yours Sincerely 
 Peter Cotterell .
 (Note; see LATEST GOLF SAFETY UPDATE Marketing Matters, September Issue, MORE GOLF SAFETY UPDATE Marketing Matters, August issue, GOLF SAFETY UPDATE Marketing Matters, July issue and CAUSE FOR CONCERN? Marketing Matters, June issue.)
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
JOIN THE SOCIETY OF EVENT ORGANISERS FREE
 The SEO now offers individual free membership to those organising events, or supplying the market. Members get a 20% discount on all SEO events.
 Visit: www.seoevent.co.uk
EMAIL MARKETING
 Newsletter, promotion, event invitation or just staying in touch?
 We can provide a low-cost, effective solution, tailored to your needs.
 Our bulk rates are as low as 0.4p per email, or &pound;4 per thousand.
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
NEW TRAINING
 The Society of Event Organisers (SEO) has launched two new one-day tutorial sessions for 2009, How to write a press release and How to be much more creative.
 Also new is a one-day Delegate Agenda conference where event organisers choose their own discussion topics and a two day Certificate in Conference Food and Beverage.
 Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 Visit: www.seoevent.co.uk
TARGET YOUR WEBSITE TO YOUR MARKET&#8230;
 We can provide a low cost effective solution tailored to your needs.
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz  www.sg7.biz
GIFT BAG PROMOTION OPPORTUNITY 
 500 plus promotion bags are to be given out at our 2010 VSOC Motorbike Rally, 29th - 31st May. 
 We are looking for companies that would be interested in providing anything from the bags to key chains to go with our rally badges, buttons and other club items. Rally goers will be from all over the country, as well as from Europe. 
 www.vsoc13.org.uk Contact John Knott on email vsocjkk@yahoo.co.uk
CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! 
 A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com
FREE NEWSLETTERS

 www.eou.org.uk - Event Organisers Update  - International Event Organisers Update  - Corporate Hospitality and Party Update - Conference Venue Marketplace 

 www.ezinematters.com - Charity Matters - Marketing Matters 
 
 The views of the editor are not necessarily those of the publishers. 
Editor: 
 Peter Cotterell Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 
Published and distributed by:
 eZinematters.com, Firs Studio, Royston Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6QY Tel: 01462 896679 
 theteam@ezinematters.com
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			<title>Marketing Matters September 2009 ISSUE 7 </title>
			<description>Marketing Matters September 2009 ISSUE 7 </description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Friday 18th 2009f September 2009 10:01:03 AM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters September 2009 ISSUE 7 </subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters



 



 
Marketingmatters
 
September 2009 ISSUE 7
 %%Company%%
 To %%Name%%
 Welcome to Marketing Matters, a free monthly eZine we think you will find a useful and informative resource. It is distributed monthly to approximately 60,000 selected marketing professionals based throughout the UK and is designed to help keep you abreast of issues of potential interest.
 We welcome any comments you may have on how we could improve the content of our newsletter to ensure that it remains relevant to you. Please email us at theteam@ezinematters.com with your input.
 If you wish to unsubscribe %%emailaddress%% from this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link:Unsubscribe
 Please DO NOT use the reply button.
 Advertisements &#8211; up to 150 words per issue. The cost for one month is just &pound;160+VAT (SEO Member &pound;128+VAT), three months for &pound;120+VAT (SEO Member &pound;96+VAT) per issue. 
 
 
NEWS
LET'S HOPE
 Unethical pre-pack insolvencies, which have been highly profitable for directors wanting to dump their creditors and for insolvency practitioners wanting to make some fast and easy money, could soon be a thing of the past.
 Reforms are being considered by the government's Insolvency Service which would give more companies more time to arrange rescue finance, and which would give more security for loans advanced to businesses after they come out of administration.
 Directors of companies, knowing that they have already arranged a pre-pack with an insolvency practitioner, have continued to order goods and services that they know they won&#8217;t be paying for, and taking customer deposits for goods and services that they know will never be supplied. This aspect has damaged the reputation of the practitioners, who many see as willing and well-paid parties to the deception.
DRINK UP, CHILDREN
 Alcoholic drink sponsorship of sport and music events grooms children to become binge drinkers.
 This is the view of Professor Gerard Hastings, who has prepared a report Under the Influence for the British Medical Association (BMA) in which it is claimed that 96% of 13-year-olds were influenced by alcoholic drink promotion, such as at sporting events and festivals. And 181 children under 12 were admitted to hospital for alcohol abuse last year.
 According to the voluntary code of the advertising industry alcohol is not supposed to be linked with sporting success or youth culture, although this has not stopped such as Carling's &pound;20 million sponsorship of League Cup and its Reading and Leeds music festivals, Carlsberg's &pound;10 million support of Liverpool, Tennant's T in the Park and Bacardi's B-Live.
 The drink industry's PR machine, the Portman Group argues that drink advertising, like tobacco advertising, does not cause people to drink, or to drink more but merely to switch brands, so perhaps all the above under-12's had merely switched from beer to Bacardi rum.
 Some marketing cynics believe that if the &pound;800 million-a year alcoholic drinks industry wants to save its lucrative sponsorship deals from impending legal bans they only have to make a &pound;1 million donation to the Labour Party, a device which seemed to do the trick for Bernie Ecclestones Formula One with tobacco sponsorship a few years back, despite the overwhelming evidence that smoking kills.
BBC UNDER FIRE, AGAIN 
 Sir Michael Lyons, chairman of the BBC Trust has been criticised for pretending to speak for the licence- payers but actually representing the interests of BBC management. 
 Lyons has claimed that only a tiny percentage of the public that fund the BBC to the tune of &pound;3.2 billion want it to give some of its monopoly money to other broadcasters, to fund better news services that would compete with the BBC, a move that the government would like to see. Viewers, says Lyons, would rather see the current licence fee of &pound;142.50 cut by &pound;5.50. Of the even better suggestion that the licence fee is scrapped in favour of a voluntary subscription Lyons, the licence-payer's champion has a lot less to say. 
 Scrapping the compulsory licence would also bring the welcome winding-up of the BBC's pathetic and blustering debt-collectors, the much-criticised TV Licensing. 
OYSTERS AND CHAMPERS 
 Those who enjoy their "gulp of the sea" from an oyster shell could get more than the hoped-for aphrodisiac effect, even if the molluscs are consumed at a high price at a top restaurant, it seems. 
 The Health Protection Agency has published its report into the 500+ oyster lovers who suffered vomiting and diarrhoea after eating them at top Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck restaurant at Bray, Berkshire. The report has criticised Blumenthal for poor staff hygiene, and for not responding quickly enough when the first customers fell ill, and has said that the most likely cause of the problem was oysters infected with Norovirus, the winter vomiting bug, from raw sewage contaminating the Essex oyster beds. 
 On the plus side it will be cheaper for fans of Champagne to glug the bubbly this Christmas. Owing to a fall in worldwide demand of 45%, a result of recessional times, experts are forecasting supermarket deals of &pound;10-15 a bottle 
ALL IN THE BEST POSSIBLE TASTE 
 Tasteful marketeers are hard at work in Belfast, trying to turn a disaster that killed 1500 people into a profitable brand.
 Developers Titanic Quarter are planning a new five-star 90 bedroom Titanic-themed hotel at the old Harland and Wolff headquarters, where the unsinkable luxury liner, which sank on its maiden voyage in 1912, was badly constructed. They are hoping the project will bring 400,000 tasteful tourists a year to the site and claim it will "add to the Northern Ireland tourism experience." 
 Quite what form the Titanic theming of the hotel will take is not known, but it is to be hoped that it won&#8217;t feature cabin-style bedrooms that list heavily in the small hours and then fill with freezing seawater, to the strains of the hymn Nearer my God to Thee. 
TOAD IN THE ORIFICE, THEN 
 Amusing, it is, to read of the image-conscious caterers in Flintshire, North Wales, who have re-branded the traditional spotted dick currant sponge pudding and rolled it out as "Spotted Richard". 
 The story goes that they thought the word "dick" was offensive and wanted to put an end to all the childish comments they were getting from people ordering it. 
 Good job they are blissfully innocent of some of the coarser variations of Cockney rhyming slang, we'd say. 
LATEST GOLF SAFETY UPDATE
 o   email from Sir Menzies Campbell on 18th August
 Thank you for your email of 17th August. Like the Chief Executive I can assure you that as Trustees we take issues of safety seriously and have expert advice to guide us. We are obliged by law to take reasonable care and we do this to the best of our ability. There is no titanic mentality.
 Kind regards Menzies Campbell
 o   email to Sir Menzies Campbell on 13th September
 Thank you for your email of 18th August. I am disappointed I have been unable to persuade your trust to add common sense to expert advice and law compliance at the Old Course. Accidents will always happen but a sensible approach would be to stop the accidents of mis-hit golf balls turning into injuries to people. To do this your trust merely has to erect mesh screening, as is used to protect footpaths and roads at other courses.
 Is it too much to ask?
 Kind regards Peter Cotterell
 (Note; see MORE GOLF SAFETY UPDATE Marketing Matters, August issue, GOLF SAFETY UPDATE Marketing Matters, July issue and CAUSE FOR CONCERN? Marketing Matters, June issue.)
FROM OUR READERS
1) From Erik Blakeley
 Dear Editor, 
 I feel that it is time you hung up the cudgel about your unfortunate accident at the golf course. It is clear that various people have taken your concerns seriously and unless you can show that many people are regularly being injured on that course you ought to consider the possibility that you were just extremely unlucky. If we insist on taking a zero risk policy to what we do we will never be able to do anything. Have you considered that the logical zero risk reaction to your complaints might be for the course to apply to have the footpaths closed or redirected off the course reducing the enjoyment of walkers for generations to come? 
 Erik Blakeley 
2) From Steve Warburton
 Excellent e-zine, the only one I read. Interesting to hear that the Conservatives are looking to SAVE TV by REDUCING the quality and integrity of the content, (&#8230;even more so)....it must be a clever idea because most normal people can&#8217;t make any sense of it&#8230;..how dumb are we??... 
 I mean, I don&#8217;t want to see compelling shows like Big Brother SPOILT by a tactically placed branded kitchen knife being wielded around willy nilly&#8230;.. 
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
TARGET YOUR WEBSITE TO YOUR MARKET&#8230;
 We can provide a low cost effective solution tailored to your needs.
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz  www.sg7.biz
GIFT BAG PROMOTION OPPORTUNITY 
 500 plus promotion bags are to be given out at our 2010 VSOC Motorbike Rally, 29th - 31st May. 
 We are looking for companies that would be interested in providing anything from the bags to key chains to go with our rally badges, buttons and other club items. Rally goers will be from all over the country, as well as from Europe. 
 www.vsoc13.org.uk Contact John Knott on email vsocjkk@yahoo.co.uk
JOIN THE SOCIETY OF EVENT ORGANISERS FREE
 The SEO now offers individual free membership to those organising events, or supplying the market. Members get a 20% discount on all SEO events.
 Visit: www.seoevent.co.uk
CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! 
 A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com
EMAIL MARKETING
 Newsletter, promotion, event invitation or just staying in touch?
 We can provide a low-cost, effective solution, tailored to your needs.
 Our bulk rates are as low as 0.4p per email, or &pound;4 per thousand.
 Tel: 01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz www.sg7.biz
NEW TRAINING
 The Society of Event Organisers (SEO) has launched two new one-day tutorial sessions for 2009, How to write a press release and How to be much more creative.
 Also new is a one-day Delegate Agenda conference where event organisers choose their own discussion topics and a two day Certificate in Conference Food and Beverage.
 Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 Visit: www.seoevent.co.uk
FREE NEWSLETTERS

 www.eou.org.uk - Event Organisers Update  - International Event Organisers Update  - Corporate Hospitality and Party Update - Conference Venue Marketplace 

 www.ezinematters.com - Charity Matters - Marketing Matters 
 
 The views of the editor are not necessarily those of the publishers. 
Editor: 
 Peter Cotterell Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 
Published and distributed by:
 eZinematters.com, Firs Studio, Royston Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6QY Tel: 01462 896679 
 theteam@ezinematters.com
Unsubscribe - %%emailaddress%%
 If you wish to unsubscribe to this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link: %%unsubscribelink%%
%%emailaddress%% Subscription Options
 Click here to update your details
Subscribe 
 www.ezinematters.com
Forward to a friend
 Click here to send this email to a friend
 
 Newsletter distributed by SG7.biz for eZinematters.com
 More details: www.sg7.biz Info@sg7.biz tel: +44 (0)1462 896679 
]]></content>
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		</item>
				<item>
			<title>Marketing Matters August 2009 ISSUE 6</title>
			<description>Marketing Matters August 2009 ISSUE 6</description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Thursday 20th 2009f August 2009 03:46:05 PM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters August 2009 ISSUE 6</subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters



 



 
Marketingmatters
 
August 2009 ISSUE 6 
 %%Company%%
 To %%Name%%
 Welcome to Marketing Matters, a free monthly eZine we think you will find a useful and informative resource. It is distributed monthly to approximately 60,000 selected marketing professionals based throughout the UK and is designed to help keep you abreast of issues of potential interest.
 We welcome any comments you may have on how we could improve the content of our newsletter to ensure that it remains relevant to you. Please email us at theteam@ezinematters.com with your input.
 If you wish to unsubscribe %%emailaddress%% from this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link:Unsubscribe
 Please DO NOT use the reply button.
 Advertisements &#8211; up to 150 words per issue. The cost for one month is just &pound;160+VAT (SEO Member &pound;128+VAT), three months for &pound;120+VAT (SEO Member &pound;96+VAT) per issue. 
 
 
NEWS
DISHONEST PLUGS TO SAVE TV? 
 A Conservative government would allow product placement in TV programmes, to increase revenue for struggling commercial stations. 
 Analysts believe that the deception of viewers, currently banned, would generate as much as &pound;100 million a year. ITV have just announced a half-year loss of &pound;105 million, due mostly to plunging ad revenues. 
 Product placement, the advertorial of broadcast media was beautifully satirised in the 1998 US film The Truman Show. Watch it for a depressing glimpse of the near future. 
ROTTEN APPLE 
 Computer giant Apple may have some rot at its core with press reports that it tried to legally gag a complainant whose &pound;162 iPod music player exploded. 
 Reportedly brave Apple would only offer a refund if the settlement was not revealed to anyone, and threatened legal action if it was. 
 When are large companies, and their legal advisors, going to learn that such stupidity only makes things worse? 
INTEGRITY MAKEOVER FOR PCC 
 Those who worry about press standards, and the ludicrously self-serving Press Complaints Commission (PCC) lapdog that is supposed to police them, might be cheered to hear that the whole structure is to be reviewed, this following complaints about its lack of transparency, accountability and its glaringly obvious conflicts of interest.
 Some are concerned that if the PCC cannot improve then the government will take over the role - Lord Mandy, your time has come - and this would mean the end of great stories, like MP's fiddling us all. 
PROPAGANDA UP 
 Meanwhile a little good news for TV stations is that government spend on advertising and marketing has jumped 50% in the last year. 
 Around &pound;200 million went on TV, press and radio advertising. 
NSPCC MISLEAD 
 The National Society For The Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) have been barred by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) from claiming that "1 in 6 children in the UK are sexually abused" in their advertising. 
 The ASA found that the shocking figure derived from a study made by the charity in 2000, and was not a current one. 
MORRISONS MISLEAD
 The ASA has also upheld a complaint against Morrisons after the supermarket compared the cost of a trolley-load of items it had on short term promotion with the cost charged by its rivals for the same goods, but at normal prices. 
 The ASA said the comparison, which showed a &pound;20 saving at Morrisons, was unfair. 
FLY EARLY FOR FREE FOOD 
 British Airways have scrapped free meals on all short-haul flights leaving after 10.00. 
 Breakfast will still be given but all other meals will be replaced with drinks and snacks. 
EATING OUT UP, SPEND DOWN 
 Diners are eating out more, but spending less in the current recession, a survey by market analyst Horizons has found. (Caterer and Hotelkeeper) 
 Half the diners said they spent less on drinks, 40% ordered fewer starters and desserts and nearly a third are starting to share dishes. 
 According to the chief executive of Unilever, Paul Polman, the frugality is likely to last long after the recession is over. 
CUNNING STUNT? 
 Latest PR ploy, aided by a gullible press is the job offer, according to Private Eye. 
 The UK&#8217;s most honest, intelligent and thought-provoking mag has pointed out that the Tourism Queensland search for a desert island caretaker was entered for and has won an award at the Cannes Advertising Festival. 
 In the same vein Wookey Hole's search for a witch generated much valuable coverage in the media. The question is though, will they fall for it again?
MORE GOLF SAFETY UPDATE
 Dear Sir Menzies Campbell
 Thank you for persuading the chief executive of the St Andrews Links Trust, Alan J R McGregor to respond to my concerns about safety at the Old Course.
 His letter, dated 15 July reads as follows.
 "Dear Mr Cotterell
 Thank you for your letter of 1 June 2009 addressed to The Captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club.
 I was sorry to hear of your accident and hope that you have now fully recovered.
 The Links Trust, the organisation which manages the courses, takes matters of Health and Safety extremely seriously and employs a consultant for advice on such matters. As a result of risk assessments we have many warning notices for both golfers and members of the public.
 However, with around 230,000 rounds of golf being played on almost 1,000 acres of land open to the public, occasionally accidents occur. We will continue to monitor closely these matters and ensure we take sensible and practical measures to both comply with the law and reduce risks.
 Yours sincerely
 Alan J R McGregor
 Chief Executive"
 My response to this is that there seems to be a Titanic mentality at your trust.
 You will know that RMS Titanic sailed with the blessing of its safety experts, whose risk assessments had led them to pronounce her as "designed to be unsinkable". In carrying only sufficient lifeboat capacity for around 1,200 of her 2,240 passengers she was not just complying with the law but exceeding the capacities laid down, although simple common sense would have flagged up the dangers of such an approach and perhaps saved some of the lives of the more than 1,500 souls who perished.
 The reliance of your trust on warning notices around the perimeter of the Old Course is also questionable since these are not going to stop an errant golf ball injuring or killing a passer-by, unless it hits the back of one of them. A sensible and practical way of stopping the accident of a mis-hit ball turning into a tragedy would be stopping the balls hitting people, with some practical and sensible mesh netting, as is used at other golf clubs.
 RMS Titanic had a number of warnings about the danger ahead, but chose to ignore these. I hope your trust isn't waiting for a fatality before it takes some sensible and practical measures to avoid it.
 Thank you for your help so far
 Yours sincerely
 Peter Cotterell Society of Event Organisers. 
 (Note; see GOLF SAFETY UPDATE Marketing Matters, July issue and CAUSE FOR CONCERN? Marketing Matters, June issue.)
FROM OUR READERS
1) From Triss Pollington 
 Just to let you know I enjoyed the copy of eZinematters I received today.. 
 Triss 
2) From Mary Ann
 Hello 
 I am very new to this arena but as you invited feedback - found the variety entertaining. Of particular note was the professional testing of vodkas and wonder if the same could be done for brandy and whiskey - or have they been done. 
 Thank you.
Response
 The editor would love to find three or four like-minded souls to sacrifice some time and sobriety in a series of serious alcoholic beverage tastings in Central London, results to be published in Marketing Matters. 
 Any volunteers? 
 Peter Cotterell Editor
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
GIFT BAG PROMOTION OPPORTUNITY 
 500 plus promotion bags are to be given out at our 2010 VSOC Motorbike Rally, 29th - 31st May. 
 We are looking for companies that would be interested in providing anything from the bags to key chains to go with our rally badges, buttons and other club items. Rally goers will be from all over the country, as well as from Europe. 
 www.vsoc13.org.uk Contact John Knott on email vsocjkk@yahoo.co.uk
JOIN THE SOCIETY OF EVENT ORGANISERS FREE
 The SEO now offers individual free membership to those organising events, or supplying the market. Members get a 20% discount on all SEO events.
 Visit: www.seoevent.co.uk
EMAIL MARKETING
 Newsletter, promotion, event invitation or just staying in touch?
 We can provide a low-cost, effective solution, tailored to your needs.
 Our bulk rates are as low as 0.4p per email, or &pound;4 per thousand.
 www.sg7.biz Tel:01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz
NEW TRAINING
 The Society of Event Organisers (SEO) has launched two new one-day tutorial sessions for 2009, How to write a press release and How to be much more creative.
 Also new is a one-day Delegate Agenda conference where event organisers choose their own discussion topics and a two day Certificate in Conference Food and Beverage.
 Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 Visit: www.seoevent.co.uk
CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! 
 A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com
FREE NEWSLETTERS

 www.eou.org.uk - Event Organisers Update  - International Event Organisers Update  - Corporate Hospitality and Party Update - Conference Venue Marketplace 

 www.ezinematters.com - Charity Matters - Marketing Matters 
 
 The views of the editor are not necessarily those of the publishers. 
Editor: 
 Peter Cotterell Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 
Published and distributed by:
 eZinematters.com, Firs Studio, Royston Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6QY Tel: 01462 896679 
 theteam@ezinematters.com
Unsubscribe - %%emailaddress%%
 If you wish to unsubscribe to this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link: %%unsubscribelink%%
%%emailaddress%% Subscription Options
 Click here to update your details
Subscribe 
 www.ezinematters.com
Forward to a friend
 Click here to send this email to a friend
 
 Newsletter distributed by SG7.biz for eZinematters.com
 More details: www.sg7.biz Info@sg7.biz tel: +44 (0)1462 896679 
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			<title>Marketing Matters July 2009 ISSUE 5</title>
			<description>Marketing Matters July 2009 ISSUE 5</description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Tuesday 21st 2009f July 2009 01:15:17 AM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters July 2009 ISSUE 5</subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters



 



 
Marketingmatters
 
July 2009 ISSUE 5 
 %%Company%%
 To %%Name%%
 Welcome to Marketing Matters, a free monthly eZine we think you will find a useful and informative resource. It is distributed monthly to approximately 60,000 selected marketing professionals based throughout the UK and is designed to help keep you abreast of issues of potential interest.
 We welcome any comments you may have on how we could improve the content of our newsletter to ensure that it remains relevant to you. Please email us at theteam@ezinematters.com with your input.
 If you wish to unsubscribe %%emailaddress%% from this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link:Unsubscribe
 Please DO NOT use the reply button.
 Advertisements &#8211; up to 150 words per issue. The cost for one month is just &pound;160+VAT (SEO Member &pound;128+VAT), three months for &pound;120+VAT (SEO Member &pound;96+VAT) per issue. 
 
 
NEWS
LESSONS IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP
 Cobra Beer, which spent &pound;2 million a year on marketing itself as a success-story has gone into a pre-pack administration owing unsecured creditors &pound;75 million.
 The terms of the pre-pack are that the assets, but not the debts have been sold to brewers Molson Coors for &pound;14 million with Cobra's founder and talented publicist Lord Bilimoria taking a 49.9% share. The creditors who supported Cobra will get, of course, nothing.
 Cobra is a popular choice with a curry in Indian restaurants. Lord Bilimoria, for what it's worth, is the deputy president of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, chairman of the UK-India Business Council, Chancellor of Thames Valley University, a valued keynote speaker at the upcoming 2009 national conference of the Chartered Management Institute and the author of an inspirational book, Against the Grain: Lessons in Entrepreneurship.
DO YOU MEAN A BIRMINGHAM BALTI?
 Meanwhile elsewhere in the world of Indian cuisine marketing Birmingham City Council are trying to prevent all curry houses outside its city from using the word Balti, by trying to give it protected status, like champagne, Jersey potatoes and Stilton cheese.(Caterer and Hotelkeeper magazine)
 The word describes the pot the curry is cooked in and Birmingham's councillors say that since the term originated in the Sparkbrook area of the city in the 1970's they have a right to protect the name and stop all other restaurants using it.
 Daft, or what?
STAY WITH IT
 Those with complaints that the reality of a product supplied didn&#8217;t measure up to the marketing should be encouraged by an exchange of letters between an unhappy customer and ticket agency Ticketmaster, sent recently to Marketing Matters.  These referred to the purchase of tickets for "VIP facilities" at a music festival, which turned out to be non-existent. Ticketmaster first denied all responsibility for the let-down, but after being reminded of their legal responsibilities and threatened with court action they consulted their lawyers, and the promoters of the festival, and refunded their customer's &pound;200  Getting large companies to do the right thing can take a little time.
JUNK MARKETING 
 Gourmet cuisine company Burger King have withdrawn an ad featuring an image of Lakshmi, the Indian goddess of wealth.
 The ad, which ran in Spain, promoted Burger King's Texican Whopper, an all-beef patty with a beef chili slice and egg-based Cajun mayonnaise, all of which are forbidden foods to strict Hindus. The ad also featured the claim "The snack is sacred" and was withdrawn after Hindus across the world protested.
COBBLERS TO COD
 Some profit-minded fish and chip emporia have been caught marketing farmed Vietnamese catfish as sea fished cod, and forgetting to tell their gourmet customers about the switch, according to trading standards officers.
 The catfish, Pangasius hypophthalmus, is more commonly known as panga, river cobbler or basa, and is less than half the price of cod. It has the same mild flavour, though not the flaky texture, and once it is plastered with batter, salt and vinegar most people can&#8217;t tell the difference. In fact many prefer the farmed fish, both for its taste and sustainability, and buy the plain and smoked fillets now widely available in supermarkets
 Prosecutions of fish and chippies for passing off have been mostly in the Midlands, although the fraud is thought to be widespread. Many though honestly sell the catfish as a declared alternative to expensive cod.
EXPENSIVE VODKAS KNOCKED BACK
 The world of vodka marketing has been shaken, if not stirred, by a blind tasting of ten where the cheapest was voted the best.
 The tasting was organised with spirits experts and drinks journalist Jonathan Ray from the Telegraph and the ten vodkas were tasted blind and therefore uninfluenced by marketing, and sampled neat, chilled, with a sniff of vermouth and mixed with tonic. The three judges were unanimous on the top three, with Glen's, made in Ayshire from sugar beet and costing &pound;11.24 a litre coming first, followed by Russian Standard at &pound;18.42 a litre and Absolut at &pound;15 a litre. Forth was Wyborowa at &pound;22.84 a litre, fifth was Finlandia at &pound;20.27 a litre and joint sixth were Smirnoff Red at &pound;14, Stolichnaya at &pound;21.41 and Belvedere at &pound;42.85. Ninth place went to Grey Goose at &pound;43.99, and tenth place to Smirnoff Black at &pound;22.84, all prices per litre.
 According to Ray, his view of vodka is that it is "no more than an efficient alcohol delivery system, sold on the back of crafty marketing" However he noted that all the samples tasted benefitted from chilling and the aspects liked about Glen's were its "nice spicy notes and a faint hint of citrus and ginger"
MORE O' BLARNEY
 Does anyone take Ryanair's Michael O'Blarney seriously?
 Latest from Ireland's top marketeer is his criticism of the government's plans to raise Air Passenger Duty (APD) by &pound;2 in the next 12 months, which O'Blarney claims is an unfair charge that puts people off flying, especially on low cost carriers.
 He should know. His latest money-maker is a charge of &pound;5 per passenger per one-way flight for those paying by card, or &pound;40 for a family of four on return flights.
 O'Blarney hates those who rip off travellers. That's his job&#8230;
GOLF SAFETY UPDATE
 Dear Sir Menzies Campbell
 I understand that you are a trustee of the St Andrews Links Trust and it is in this capacity that I write to you.
 I recently had a very lucky escape at St Andrews involving a badly hit golf ball on the Old Course there. I published a letter I subsequently wrote to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, and their response, in our Incentive Travel Update newsletter, which goes to organisations running corporate events, such as golf days. (see www.seoevent.co.uk Incentive Travel Update, last article entitled CAUSE FOR CONCERN?)
 I had to telephone the Trust to get a response from them, which I understand is that they have forwarded my concerns to their insurance company and are putting their PR practitioner in touch with me, neither of which seem to be intelligent, thoughtful or responsible over a matter of public safety.
 I would be grateful therefore if you could assure me, on behalf of the trustees that my concerns are being taken seriously by the Trust's management. In this way a potential tragedy at "the home of golf" might be avoided.
 Peter Cotterell Society of Event Organisers 
Response from Menzies Campbell
 Dear Mr Cotterell,
 Thank you for your email of 9th July. I have asked the Chief Executive of the Links Trust to reply to you direct. I can assure you that Trustees take seriously any issue of the kind you describe.
 Menzies Campbell 
FROM OUR READERS
1) From Robert Spigel
 Unless I have a poor sense of humour and have missed the clever irony behind your &#8216;Ultimate Sacrifice&#8217; headline, I find your tone disgraceful. 
 Unsubscribe me immediately. 
 Robert Spigel. 
Response
 Dear Mr Spigel
 I am sorry you misunderstood my headline. No irony or humour was intended. There is nothing funny about someone dying as a result of drinking as part of their job and the headline was a deadly serious comment on the tragedy of this.
 As requested you have been unsubscribed. 
 Peter Cotterell Editor
2) From Simon Nickerson
 Dear Peter 
 In answer to your reply, yes, you're probably correct, but, forgive me, I think the term involved is spelt pleonasm (Oxford Concise Dictionary). Enjoy reading the eZine - keep it up. 
 Kind regards  Simon Nickerson 
3) From Eden Spenceley-Buckham
 Dear Peter Cotterell, 
 Thank you for another interesting ezine. 
 With regard to your apposite reply to Simon Nickerson, I think you meant 'pleonasm'. 
 Eden Spenceley-Buckham 
4) From Carol Alderman
 I believe it is pleonasm actually, Peter&#8230;&#8230;
Response
 Thanks to the above for the correction. That'll teach me to use poncey words without the spell-checker.
 Peter Cotterell Editor
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
JOIN THE SOCIETY OF EVENT ORGANISERS FREE
 The SEO now offers individual free membership to those organising events, or supplying the market. Members get a 20% discount on all SEO events.
 Visit: www.seoevent.co.uk
EMAIL MARKETING
 Newsletter, promotion, event invitation or just staying in touch?
 We can provide a low-cost, effective solution, tailored to your needs.
 Our bulk rates are as low as 0.4p per email, or &pound;4 per thousand.
 Tel:01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz
NEW TRAINING
 The Society of Event Organisers (SEO) has launched two new one-day tutorial sessions for 2009, How to write a press release and How to be much more creative.
 Also new is a one-day Delegate Agenda conference where event organisers choose their own discussion topics and a two day Certificate in Conference Food and Beverage.
 Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 Visit: www.seoevent.co.uk
CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! 
 A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com
FREE NEWSLETTERS

 www.eou.org.uk - Event Organisers Update  - International Event Organisers Update  - Corporate Hospitality and Party Update - Conference Venue Marketplace 

 www.ezinematters.com - Charity Matters - Marketing Matters 
 
 The views of the editor are not necessarily those of the publishers. 
Editor: 
 Peter Cotterell Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 
Published and distributed by:
 eZinematters.com, Firs Studio, Royston Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6QY Tel: 01462 896679 
 theteam@ezinematters.com
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			<title>Marketing Matters June 2009 ISSUE 4 </title>
			<description>Marketing Matters June 2009 ISSUE 4 </description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Monday 22nd 2009f June 2009 10:32:47 AM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters June 2009 ISSUE 4 </subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters



 



 
Marketingmatters
 
June 2009 ISSUE 4 
 %%Company%%
 To %%Name%%
 Welcome to Marketing Matters, a free monthly eZine we think you will find a useful and informative resource. It is distributed monthly to approximately 60,000 selected marketing professionals based throughout the UK and is designed to help keep you abreast of issues of potential interest.
 We welcome any comments you may have on how we could improve the content of our newsletter to ensure that it remains relevant to you. Please email us at theteam@ezinematters.com with your input.
 If you wish to unsubscribe %%emailaddress%% from this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link:Unsubscribe
 Please DO NOT use the reply button.
 Advertisements &#8211; up to 150 words per issue. The cost for one month is just &pound;160+VAT (SEO Member &pound;128+VAT), three months for &pound;120+VAT (SEO Member &pound;96+VAT) per issue. 
 
 
NEWS
ULTIMATE SACRIFICE
 A 33 year old female PR executive who drank regularly but not to excess with clients has died suddenly of liver disease.
 Emma Pycroft had worked in publicity for a film distributor for the last six years and for a PR company prior to that. A post-mortem revealed the liver damage which doctors said was most likely to have been caused by regular drinking, although Ms Pycroft experienced no symptoms before she collapsed and died.
 Medical experts say such tragedies are not uncommon and that it is "very, very easy" to put yourself at risk, with alcoholic liver disease developing in a matter of months and some much more susceptible than others. 
 Wine experts also warn that the current practice of serving wine in 250ml glasses, to maximise profit for the bar or pub, coupled with the higher alcoholic content of some wines is making it ever easier to unwittingly self harm.
 A 250ml glass of average strength wine is one third of a bottle and delivers 3.5 units of alcohol against the recommended sensible drinking level of 2-3 units per day for women and 3-4 units per day for men.
MORE TROUBLE AHEAD
 Creditors of the organisers of the National Incentive Show, Touchstone Exhibitions and Conferences, have petitioned to wind up the company. An application by Bauer Radio Ltd was heard at Leeds District Registry on May 12 but the case was adjourned until July 7. (see also Marketing Matters for March, April and May)
 Another company, Incentive Shows Ltd, run by Touchstone directors David Jones, Lynn Whitley and Robert Cakebread and based at Cakebread's home address was wound up at Leeds District Registry on May 12 following a petition by creditors Reed Exhibitions.  When Marketing Matters called Touchstone on June 11 none of the directors was available to clarify whether or not the National Incentive Show, which ran last September in Birmingham, was going ahead this year.
 Meanwhile Touchstone have attracted more negative publicity for their postponement of the Executive Secretary and PA Event, sponsored by The Times newspaper. According to a report in trade magazine Executary, visitors to the show had already booked non-refundable train tickets to attend seminars on the original show dates, and some exhibitors had already committed money to stand hire, furniture hire and dated promotional items, and were unable to exhibit on the new dates given to them. 
 Speaking for The Times, Adam Mitchell the newspaper's recruitment business manager expressed sorrow for what had happened but stated that, as sponsors his employer was not responsible. 
MARKETING CONS 
 Marketeers working for food manufacturers and supermarkets are misleadingly giving imported food a British image, the better to sell it.
 This is a conclusion to be drawn from a recent article in the Daily Telegraph written by food columnist Rose Prince and headlined ARE THEY REALLY BRITISH?
 Named and shamed included:-

 o Birds Eye Great British Menu Roast Beef, Roast Pork and Chicken Supreme, all made from imported meat.
 o Bernard Matthews Southern Fried Crispy Chicken, uses poultry meat from South America
 o Tesco Thick Cumberland Sausages, made from meat from Holland and Denmark.
 o Richmond Sausages, made by Kerry Foods with pork from "EU countries"
 According to the English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX) shoppers value British, because they want to support the farming economy in the British countryside, and have concerns about carbon footprint, food miles and farm animal welfare. They are, say EBLEX, easily taken in by British-themed marketing.
PRICE FIGHTS IN HOTEL SECTOR
 A price war between Travelodge and InterContinental Hotel Group's Express by Holiday Inn brand has resulted in a win for consumers.
 First shots were fired by Travelodge in a press ad which was headed "Expensive by Holiday Inn" and which stated TRAVELODGE &pound;39 EXPRESS BY HOLIDAY INN &pound;65 SAVE &pound;26. This got Travelodge into trouble with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) which upheld a complaint that it was misleading because the comparison did not take into account the fact that the Holiday Inn price included a continental breakfast and the Travelodge price did not.
 To highlight the jolly unfair comparison Express by Holiday Inn then sent branded coaches emblazoned WAKE UP TO FREE BREAKFAST to Travelodges in London and Birmingham, and friendly young ladies to give away free continental breakfasts to Travelodge customers and staff. Travelodge told Caterer and Hotelkeeper trade magazine that their highlighting of their rival's "ridiculously high prices" had "antagonised them" into spending &pound;50,000 on a PR exercise.
 Meanwhile consumers eagerly await the next move. Will Travelodge, which runs regular sales disposing of unsold rooms at &pound;19 or even &pound;9 a night (no breakfast) start including some tasty croissants and jam or fruity muffins in their prices? And will Express by Holiday Inn respond by throwing in free drinks and dinner?
 Watch this space (hopefully)
ETHICALLY BANKRUPT
 The current recession is spawning an increase in the unethical but currently legal pre-pack administrations beloved by directors keen to shrug off their creditors, and by administrators keen to make some fast money, with the creditors, as always, paying.
 One example from the travel industry is that of Steven Freudmann whose company, Unpackaged Holidays was only in administration long enough, by pre-arrangement, for the assets to be sold to one of his brother's companies (Association News).
 As a result Freudmann has had to resign from the board of the Association of British Travel Agents, ABTA of which his company was a member and which once pioneered customer confidence with its ABTA bond scheme. This it then ruined in 2006 with greatly reduced protection for consumers, resulting in the withdrawal of approval by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT)
 Freudmann is holding on however to his chairmanship of the Institute of Travel and Tourism (ITT) which is arguably not as fussy about its member's activities as ABTA, although he is facing a vote of confidence for his continuance in the post, the result of which could say much about travel industry standards.
CAUSE FOR CONCERN?
 Colin M Brown Captain 2009-2010 The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews Fife Scotland KY16 9JD
 28 May 2009
 Dear Mr Brown
 I am writing to let you know about an incident in which I was involved at your Royal and Ancient Golf Club recently.
 I was in St Andrews to write about the incentive and corporate hospitality possibilities of the destination for the corporate market. Whilst walking on the designated pathway which runs alongside the first fairway I was suddenly struck, hard, on the side of the head by a golf ball driven off very badly by one of your players.
 The point of impact was around three inches from the right eye and the same distance from the right temple.
 This happened around 11 00am on Saturday May 23, and, concerned about possible serious injury I attended the Minor Injury Unit at St Andrews Memorial Hospital where I was told that golf ball injuries were common in St Andrews, checked over for signs of serious damage and given some written advice on what symptoms to look out for.
 We are both aware that head injury symptoms can sometimes take weeks to develop. However to date the only damage is a sore spot and a negative memory of St Andrews and your club.
 On reflection, Mr Brown, I now take the view that we have both had a very lucky escape. The outcome could have been, with a microscopic change in ball direction, so much worse. An eye could have been lost, or, with a hit in the temple, a life. And the victim could have been someone frail, or a child.
 With the Corporate Manslaughter Act now starting to bite it raises the question of whether or not your club, and in fairness every other golf club is doing enough to protect members of the public, and players, from potentially tragic accidents caused by bad play. A simple and low cost netting barrier, through which the golf would still be seen could be all it needs. Clearly from my own experience the requirements that all players on your course have a handicap, and that of a shouted warning when one still mis-hits the ball are not enough.
 Your prompt attention to this important matter, for all our sakes, would be appreciated
 Yours Sincerely
 Peter Cotterell
 ======================
 Peter Cotterell
 Society of Event Organisers 
Response from Peter Dawson, Secretary, Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.
 Dear Mr Cotterell
 I am writing in reply to your recent letter to our Captain-elect, Colin Brown.
 I was very sorry to hear about your unfortunate accident and hope that you have fully recovered with no lasting damage.
 I have to tell you that the golf courses at St Andrews are not managed by The Royal and Ancient Golf Club but by St Andrews Links Trust. I have set out the Links Trust's contact details below as this is the appropriate body to which you should direct your remarks.
 With kind regards
 PETER DAWSON
 Secretary
 St Andrews Links Trust Pilmour House ST ANDREWS Fife KY16 9SF 
FROM OUR READERS
1) Andy Owen 
 Good morning...
 As your ezine seems to tell it the way it is (which is most refreshing), I thought you might be interested in my latest article...
 www.andyowen.co.uk/pdfs/MarketingMeltdown.pdf
 All the best
 Andy 
Response
 Andy 
 Thanks for article, which I found red in tooth and claw and which didn't take prisoners. Most enjoyable! 
 Peter Cotterell  Editor
2) Simon Nickerson
 Dear Marketing Matters
 I enjoyed the May issue, but - with apologies for the pedantry - may I point out a tautology? Your item headed "Not here, actually" starts "Following on from...." The words "on from" are superfluous - "following" on its own is all you need, so that the sentence reads: "Following the attempt by the Spanish tourist authorities...." Tautologies like this are rife at the moment; two frequent horrors are "reflect back" and "revert back" Ugh!
 Best wishes,  Simon Nickerson
Response
 Simon
 Thanks for your interest in us.
 You are right to complain about superfluous words, but isn't "following on from" more of a pleonism than a tautology?
 Kind regards
 Peter Cotterell Editor
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
JOIN THE SOCIETY OF EVENT ORGANISERS FREE
 The SEO now offers individual free membership to those organising events, or supplying the market. Members get a 20% discount on all SEO events.
 Visit: www.seoevent.co.uk
EMAIL MARKETING
 Newsletter, promotion, event invitation or just staying in touch?
 We can provide a low-cost, effective solution, tailored to your needs.
 Our bulk rates are as low as 0.4p per email, or &pound;4 per thousand.
 Tel:01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz
NEW TRAINING
 The Society of Event Organisers (SEO) has launched two new one-day tutorial sessions for 2009, How to write a press release and How to be much more creative.
 Also new is a one-day Delegate Agenda conference where event organisers choose their own discussion topics and a two day Certificate in Conference Food and Beverage.
 Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 Visit: www.seoevent.co.uk
CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! 
 A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com
FREE NEWSLETTERS

 www.eou.org.uk - Event Organisers Update  - International Event Organisers Update  - Corporate Hospitality and Party Update - Conference Venue Marketplace 

 www.ezinematters.com - Charity Matters - Marketing Matters 
 
 The views of the editor are not necessarily those of the publishers. 
Editor: 
 Peter Cotterell Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 
Published and distributed by:
 eZinematters.com, Firs Studio, Royston Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6QY Tel: 01462 896679 
 theteam@ezinematters.com
Unsubscribe - %%emailaddress%%
 If you wish to unsubscribe to this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link: %%unsubscribelink%%
%%emailaddress%% Subscription Options
 Click here to update your details
Subscribe 
 www.ezinematters.com
Forward to a friend
 Click here to send this email to a friend
 
 Newsletter distributed by SG7.biz for eZinematters.com
 More details: www.sg7.biz Info@sg7.biz tel: +44 (0)1462 896679 
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			<title>Marketing Matters May 2009 ISSUE 3 </title>
			<description>Marketing Matters May 2009 ISSUE 3 </description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Wednesday 13th 2009f May 2009 11:45:04 AM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters May 2009 ISSUE 3 </subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters



 



 
Marketingmatters
 
May 2009 ISSUE 3 
 %%Company%%
 To %%Name%%
 Welcome to Marketing Matters, a free monthly eZine we think you will find a useful and informative resource. It is distributed monthly to approximately 60,000 selected marketing professionals based throughout the UK and is designed to help keep you abreast of issues of potential interest.
 We welcome any comments you may have on how we could improve the content of our newsletter to ensure that it remains relevant to you. Please email us at theteam@ezinematters.com with your input.
 If you wish to unsubscribe %%emailaddress%% from this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link:Unsubscribe
 Please DO NOT use the reply button.
 Advertisements &#8211; up to 150 words per issue. The cost for one month is just &pound;160+VAT (SEO Member &pound;128+VAT), three months for &pound;120+VAT (SEO Member &pound;96+VAT) per issue. 
 
NEWS
TRUST US
 Given the catastrophic collapse in public trust suffered by expenses-fiddling MPs and MEPs, and a weak and gaffe-prone government it will be interesting to get a measure of how much lower this group has sunk in the public esteem.
 Measuring this on an annual basis has been pollsters Ipsos MORI, and their last Trust in Professions survey for 2008 showed politicians and government ministers only marginally above journalists (surely some mistake?) in the honesty register, as below, which gives the average number of people who trusted various professionals.

 Doctors 92% Teachers 87% Professors 79% Judges 78% Clergy/Priests 74% Scientists 72% Television Newsreaders 66% Police 65% Man/Woman in street 60% Pollsters 48% Civil Servants 48% Trade Union Officials 45% Business Leaders 30% Government Ministers 24% Politicians generally 21% Journalists 19%
 Apparently there are some significant variations hidden within the above averages. Men are more likely than women to trust doctors, teachers, judges, scientists, business leaders, journalists and government ministers. Younger people are more likely to trust professors, judges, scientists, police, civil servants, trade union officials, politicians and government ministers, whereas older people are more trusting of television newsreaders, pollsters, Joe and Jo Public, and priests/clergy. And those belonging to the affluent A/B socio-economic groups are, perhaps understandably, more trusting of all their fellow professionals than those less fortunate from D/E groups, with the exception of politicians and government ministers.
 The excellent trade journalist Iain Murray once wrote in Marketing Week that the first rule of surveys was that the sponsor has to come out rather well, and perhaps this one is no exception, being sponsored by the Royal College of Physicians.
 Still, given the undisputed fact that it has been untrustworthy journalists who have been exposing government failings it will be interesting to see if the groups have now traded places at the bottom of the trust totem pole for 2009.
 Watch this space&#8230;
DO AS I DO?
 A PR practitioner became a whistle-blower against one of her clients who was not paying her bills.
 Karen Berman ran PR for cosmetics firm Young and Pure and told the Daily Telegraph that she was owed &pound;17,000 for work carried out. Young and Pure was set up by 42 year old South African entrepreneur Lianne Miller of Southwold, Suffolk in 2005 to market a range of chemical-free skin-care and fragrance products to teenagers, which were stocked by such retailers as Harrods, Fenwicks and Debenhams. In late 2008 the company picked up several county court judgements for non-payment of bills totalling around &pound;25,000, along with more earlier this year, culminating in the winding up of the firm by a creditor in the High Court on April 1
 Berman told the press that she blew the whistle on Miller in a press release because her client was "putting herself around to young, vulnerable people as an advisor and mentor"
NOT HERE, ACTUALLY
 Following on from the attempt by the Spanish tourism authorities to pass off beaches in Australia and the Bahamas as their own Costa Brava, and mountains in Canada as their Pyrenees, it is amusing to note the recent try-on by the Canadian government. (See SPANISH PRACTICES, Marketing Matters, April)
 Claiming the similarly lame excuse of conceptualisation the Canadian spinners used some video footage of a beach at Bamburgh, Northumberland to promote land-locked Alberta, telling a curious press that it "just fitted the mood and tone of what we are trying to do"
 Given such a talent for misleading it cannot be long before tourism authorities start pretending that things that hurt their image abroad really happen somewhere else entirely. Nice Canadians could start the ball rolling by featuring footage of their infamous seal cull, the lucrative and disgusting commercial spoils of which have just been banned from importation into the EC, and pretend it actually happens in Madrid. Those nice Japanese could do something similar with their whaling.
 Remember, you read it here first&#8230;
ORGANISERS POSTPONE
 Touchstone Exhibitions and Conferences, organisers of the National Incentive Show, have just postponed one of their events, the Creme exhibition for secretaries and PA's. This was due to run this month at Olympia but exhibitors received an email from Touchstone chairman David Jones on April 30 advising them that it had been postponed until November.
 Jones has blamed the current economic climate for the belated move and has pointed out to exhibitors who have already paid for stands that his company's terms and conditions allow them to move their shows and transfer the exhibitor's bookings to the new dates. A number of exhibitors who have asked for their money back, on the basis of the new dates not being convenient are at the time of writing still waiting to hear.
 It is understood that the National Incentive Show, described by Jones as "the most established event for incentive, motivational and promotional marketing products and services", is due to run this September at the NEC, Birmingham, economic climate permitting.
 (Note; see TROUBLE AHEAD? Marketing Matters, March, plus letters in April issue)
HONESTLY
 The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) have banned a beer poster which implied that drinking the product would give men more confidence.
 The Courage ad showed a woman of generously normal proportions trying on a figure-hugging dress and turning to a hapless-looking man with a tin of Courage beer at his feet, presumably to ask him the killer question, "Does my bum look big in this?" The double-entendre punch line was Take Courage My Friend (geddit?)
 The ASA, whilst noting the humour in the situation, pointed out that it breached the Code by suggesting that when confidence was lacking alcohol would put it back.
 As every gallant man out there knows the correct answer to the question, which doesn't need courage or Courage is "Yes it does my beautiful one, and I love it"
THE FRIGHTENERS
 Meanwhile the other campaign arguably worthy of the ASA's notice is the direct mail piece being sent out to businesses by Bedford-based solicitors Premier.
 This is a letter sensitively headed NOTICE OF COURT PROCEEDINGS, a marketing ploy in questionable taste, designed to get the sales pitch, for debt collection services read. Recipients (relieved?) doing so are then told that the headline has been given as an example of how letters to debtors would be headed.
 The legal profession are quite new to marketing, and sometimes it shows.
FROM OUR READERS
1) Antony Griew
 Dear Marketing matters,
 We like the newsletter. Here&#8217;s a comment on the first item of your April posting.
 We are registered with the Telephone Preference Service and we still get these silent calls. I don&#8217;t know how many are received by those not so registered, probably more than we do, but I absolutely agree it&#8217;s irritating, unmannerly and a practice not to be employed by responsible organisations. But then who ever said that the companies you list, especially those who have been fined, fall within this category? Especially the banking sector, wouldn&#8217;t you agree?
 Yours faithfully,
 Antony Griew
2) REDROD
 I like your newsletter, a breath of fresh air for this class ridden abuse sodden s----y little Island off the edge of europe. 
 REDROD
3) J D Marshall
 Thanks for latest magazine - originally recommended by a colleague.
 I have recently been bombarded with SPAM - offering training on 'how to make your cold calling more effective'. I personally find any telemarketing cold calling offensive and a breach of my right to privacy! My personal telephone is for my use and those with whom I wish to communicate. Worst of all are the silent calls that are made during the evening or at weekends when I wish to relax with my family. I also began to receive text to voice messages at 7am on a Sunday morning!  (BT OPT OUT OF TEXT TO VOICE MESSAGES = 0800 587 52 52 )
 Nuisance calls are of course illegal! Under s43 of the Telecommunications Act 1984 and Section 92 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994  A person who makes indecent, offensive or threatening calls to another via the telephone system network is guilty of an offence. The conviction penalty varies from imprisonment to a maximum fine of up to &pound;5,000. 
 Section 43 Telecommunication Act 1984.  Improper use of public telecommunication system. &#8212; (1) A person who&#8212; (a) sends, by means of a public telecommunication system, a message or other matter that is grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character; or (b) sends by those means, for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety to another, a message that he knows to be false or persistently makes use for that purpose of a public telecommunication system.
 In a former life - I successfully prosecuted a woman twice - who repeatedly rang her ex husband's taxi firm - to obstruct his business!
 When I receive cold calls at work - including customer surveys from umpteen Govt and Utility depts, I inform them politely that I do not have 10, 15 or 20 minutes to spare. If they wish to speak with me further, I charge &pound;10 per minute - payable in advance!
 Registered for C.T.P.S. T.P.S & F.P.S. but still receive calls. (USA callers claim they are not subject to UK law!) You have to renew registration for C.T.P.S.
 With regard to SPAM - yes you can use filters to weed some out but the industry needs an effective method to remove spammers from the Internet at source via I.S.P. providers - who are just happy to keep taking their money!
 J D Marshall
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
JOIN THE SOCIETY OF EVENT ORGANISERS FREE
 The SEO now offers individual free membership to those organising events, or supplying the market. Members get a 20% discount on all SEO events.
 Visit: www.seoevent.co.uk
EMAIL MARKETING
 Newsletter, promotion, event invitation or just staying in touch?
 We can provide a low-cost, effective solution, tailored to your needs.
 Our bulk rates are as low as 0.4p per email, or &pound;4 per thousand.
 Tel:01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz
NEW TRAINING
 The Society of Event Organisers (SEO) has launched two new one-day tutorial sessions for 2009, How to write a press release and How to be much more creative.
 Also new is a one-day Delegate Agenda conference where event organisers choose their own discussion topics and a two day Certificate in Conference Food and Beverage.
 Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 Visit: www.seoevent.co.uk
CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! 
 A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com
FREE NEWSLETTERS

 www.eou.org.uk - Event Organisers Update  - International Event Organisers Update  - Corporate Hospitality and Party Update - Conference Venue Marketplace 

 www.ezinematters.com - Charity Matters - Marketing Matters 
 
 The views of the editor are not necessarily those of the publishers. 
Editor: 
 Peter Cotterell Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 
Published and distributed by:
 eZinematters.com, Firs Studio, Royston Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6QY Tel: 01462 896679 
 theteam@ezinematters.com
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			<title>Marketing Matters April 2009 ISSUE 2</title>
			<description>Marketing Matters April 2009 ISSUE 2</description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Thursday 16th 2009f April 2009 05:30:14 PM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketing Matters April 2009 ISSUE 2</subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters



 



 
Marketingmatters
 
April 2009 ISSUE 2 
 %%Company%%
 To %%Name%%
 Welcome to Marketing Matters, a free monthly eZine we think you will find a useful and informative resource. It is distributed monthly to approximately 60,000 selected marketing professionals based throughout the UK and is designed to help keep you abreast of issues of potential interest.
 We welcome any comments you may have on how we could improve the content of our newsletter to ensure that it remains relevant to you. Please email us at theteam@ezinematters.com with your input.
 If you wish to unsubscribe to this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link: %%unsubscribelink%%
 Please DO NOT use the reply button.
 Advertisements &#8211; up to 150 words per issue. The cost for one month is just &pound;160+VAT (SEO Member &pound;128+VAT), three months for &pound;120+VAT (SEO Member &pound;96+VAT) per issue. 
NEWS
MORE SCRAG END MARKETING
 The incoming chairman of Ofcom, Colette Bowe has described the silent calls inflicted by the telemarketing sector as "an abuse" and "the unacceptable face of the industry".
 Bowe has called for an uplift in the maximum fine of &pound;50,000 after more than 12,000 complaints about the calls were made in 2008, a 300% increase on 2007. Abbey and Barclaycard have both been fined by Ofcom.
 As readers will know the silent calls occur when the caller hangs up as the phone is picked up, a customer-unfriendly rudeness caused by computer dialling of numbers when no telesales operative is available to take the call. The unacceptable practice of a few large companies has resulted in millions of people blocking all marketing calls via the Telephone Preference Service, to the detriment of all.
 One ongoing source of silent calls is marketing agency The Listening Company, who list BT, Volkswagen, Shell, Toyota, Microsoft, NCP, Mecca Bingo, and Travelodge among their clients and whose managing director, accountant Neville Roderick Upton, clearly isnt listening.
TOON ATTACK
 Cartoon characters are almost exclusively used by food marketeers to promote unhealthy junk products to children, a study by Which? has found. (Ethical Consumer magazine)
 All of the 19 cartoon characters found by the study in leading supermarkets were featured on products high in fat, sugar and/or salt. A current industry code restricts the use of third party licenced characters but not that of company-owned characters.
 Which? is asking supporters to call on their MPs to stop the irresponsible marketing of junk food to children. (see www.which.co.uk/campaigns and go to Healthy Eating)
GOOD ADVICE?
 Marketeers should be wary of deep discounting to keep the business coming in during the current downturn since customers might never then want to pay the full price again.
 This is the view of Chris Cameron, head of marketing at Heinz Foodservice, and reported in Caterer and Hotelkeeper magazine. Such offers as 25% off and 2 for 1 vouchers on the net, says Cameron, can generate welcome trade on a short term basis but could result in a customer perception of a "bargain basement "operator. It can also lead to trouble ahead - " Don't discount the future", he warns.
 The issue for many is that if they don't hang in there and discount to get through the downturn there may not be a future to worry about.
UPS AND DOWNS
 Internet advertising is forecast to grow by 2.5% this year, against falls in advertising in newspapers of more than 20%, in magazines of 17%, on radio of 16%, on TV of 14% and in cinemas of just 0.1%
 This is according to the Group M media buying agency whose predictions were published in the Daily Telegraph, on April 1.
CHEEP MARKETING
 The successful social networking site Twitter plans to make money by giving companies access to its claimed 7 million users.
 Which could just be the kiss of death&#8230;
A BIT OF HISTORY
 One interesting old product being showcased at the recent Promotional Marketing Exhibition was the DUKW (DUCK) amphibious vehicle used by the organisers to ferry visitors from Victoria station to the show and back.
 This six-wheel-drive truck was designed in 1942 to transport goods and troops over land and water. For the technical its 4.4 litre engine drives it at 50-55 mph on land and 6.4 mph on water.
 DUKW's were used by the British military on the D-Day beaches of Normandy and many other operations since, and they are still used today for land and water rescue, one recent example being in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
 Currently a lot of cities across the world have DUKW's operating tourist trips, in the UK in London and Liverpool. They hold up to 30 persons and can be hired for corporate events, as they have been for the BBC, RAC, American Express, Ernst and Young and KPMG. One has even crossed the Channel. (Now there's an idea?)
 London Duck Tours 0845 423 8437, www.londonducktours.co.uk
SPANISH PRACTICES
 Most amused, we were, to note that tourist boards continue to use photographs of other places to promote their own locations.
 Faking it recently were clever marketeers in Spain who used pictures of Canadian mountains to promote their Pyrenees, and those of deserted beaches in Perth, Western Australia, and the Bahamas to sell their Costa Brava. Quizzed on the reason for the misleading passing off the canny Spanish promoters explained that it was "conceptual", so that's all right then.
 Meanwhile, not to be outdone in the wacky practice of conceptualisation, the Perth promoters have released a bullfighting photo taken in Spain and digitally altered to show the brave matador fighting, er, a kangeroo.
 Where will it all end?
FROM OUR READERS
1) Robert Blevin
 Dear Peter Cotterell As discussed please can you use the following statement to clarify that we are no longer associated with Touchstone, as incorrectly stated in your "Marketing Matters March 2009 Issue 1" newsletter.
 "The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development no longer uses Touchstone to manage any of our exhibitions. All exhibition organisation and sales of our successful Annual Conference and Exhibition, HRD Show, Recruitment and Retention Conference, and HR Software Show is now handled in-house"
 Kind regards Rob
2) Editors response to Robert Blevin
 Dear Robert Blevin
 If you read our piece you will note that we do not incorrectly state that CIPD are still associated with Touchstone, as you claim, but correctly state that CIPD events are still being featured on the Touchstone website.
 Given that you told me CIPD would be taking this up with Touchstone a thank you from CIPD for alerting them would, along with an apology for the above accusation, be appropriate.  Kind regards Peter Cotterell
3) Robert Blevin
 Apologies Peter. 
 I drafted the email on Friday to run it past our Exhibition manager, and in my haste to send it to you on Monday, I failed to amend that bit. An entirely unintentional mistake on my part. Please accept my apologies.
 As discussed on the phone, I had by the time we spoke discovered that Touchstone were still listing us as clients of theirs on their website.
 My error in the email to you notwithstanding, would still be grateful for the clarification. Hope that is OK.
 Have also passed the details of your newsletters etc. on to Nina Harman, as promised.
 Cheers, Rob
4) Dee Waite
 Thanks for confirming what I have long suspected. That my kids are filling out marketing questionnaires in school. 
 Very annoying. 
 Dee Waite
5) Kath Sexton
 Thanks for your ebulletin very good &#8230;but can you please make all your link into hyperlinks it would be useful.
 Kath
6) Ian Kerry
 I get hundreds of e magazines and most byte the dust very quickly. 
 But I actually enjoyed this one, well done! 
 Ian 
7) Tim 
 Thanks for this! 
 Really interesting to come into work and read something that touched on marketing in an enlightening, informative way! 
 Great features! 
 Tim 
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
JOIN THE SOCIETY OF EVENT ORGANISERS FREE
 The SEO now offers individual free membership to those organising events, or supplying the market. Members get a 20% discount on all SEO events.
 Visit: www.seoevent.co.uk
YOUR WEBSITE... YOUR EMAILS... YOUR NEWSLETTERS 
 We can provide a low cost effective solution tailored to your needs.

 o Website not up to date? 
 o Taking too long to check through all those unwanted emails?
 o No regular newsletter? 
 Cost should not be an issue, we can typically save you money with our charitable rates. Just quote &#8220;Charity Matters&#8221;
 Tel:01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz 
NEW TRAINING
 The Society of Event Organisers (SEO) has launched two new one-day tutorial sessions for 2009, How to write a press release and How to be much more creative.
 Also new is a one-day Delegate Agenda conference where event organisers choose their own discussion topics and a two day Certificate in Conference Food and Beverage.
 Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 Visit: www.seoevent.co.uk
CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! 
 A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com
FREE NEWSLETTERS

 www.eou.org.uk - Event Organisers Update  - International Event Organisers Update  - Corporate Hospitality and Party Update - Conference Venue Marketplace 

 www.ezinematters.com - Charity Matters - Marketing Matters 
  
 
 The views of the editor are not necessarily those of the publishers. 
Editor: 
 Peter Cotterell Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 
Published and distributed by:
 eZinematters.com, Firs Studio, Royston Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6QY Tel: 01462 896679 
 theteam@ezinematters.com
Subscription Options
 To change your preferred format or to unsubscribe then please visit: www.ezinematters.com 
 
 Newsletter distributed by SG7.biz for eZinematters.com
 More details: www.sg7.biz Info@sg7.biz tel: +44 (0)1462 896679 
]]></content>
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			<title>Marketingmatters March 2009 ISSUE 1</title>
			<description>Marketingmatters March 2009 ISSUE 1</description>
			<author>admin</author>
			<pubdate>Wednesday 08th 2009f April 2009 04:45:02 PM</pubdate>
			<subject>Marketingmatters March 2009 ISSUE 1</subject>
			<content><![CDATA[
Marketingmatters



 



 
Marketingmatters
 
March 2009 ISSUE 1 
 %%Company%%
 To %%Name%%
 Welcome to Marketing Matters, a free monthly eZine we think you will find a useful and informative resource. It is distributed monthly to approximately 60,000 selected marketing professionals based throughout the UK and is designed to help keep you abreast of issues of potential interest.
 We welcome any comments you may have on how we could improve the content of our newsletter to ensure that it remains relevant to you. Please email us at theteam@ezinematters.com with your input.
 If you wish to unsubscribe to this newsletter please either visit www.ezinematters.com or use this link: %%unsubscribelink%%
 Please DO NOT use the reply button.
 Advertisements &#8211; up to 150 words per issue. The cost for one month is just &pound;160+VAT (SEO Member &pound;128+VAT), three months for &pound;120+VAT (SEO Member &pound;96+VAT) per issue. 
NEWS
OLYMPIC GOLD FOR LITTLE CHEF
 Restaurant chain Little Chef has secured an early gold medal for 2012 in the legal right versus legal might event, beating the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) into a much deserved second place.
 LOCOG called in their learned friends to legally restrain Little Chef from promoting their famous and long established Olympic Breakfast.
 Happily for Little Chef LOCOG&#8217;s finest legal brains got it wrong and a court has ruled that the restaurants can go on promoting their Olympic Breakfast since its establishment predates the protectionist 2012 branding regulations, a result which even for non legal brains would seem to have been a foregone conclusion.
 Now, we hear, some of the UK&#8217;s top marketing minds are, as we write, scheming up legal ways that Little Chef can erect two digits to LOCOG which, like the banks is supported with millions of pounds of taxpayer&#8217;s money.
 It seems that the marketing lesson has still not been learned, that a very large organisation that sues a very small one, especially when it is for the protection of other very large ones, will, whether it wins or loses in court, lose the hearts and minds of a fair-minded public.
 In the case of LOCOG its disastrous action does also seem to undermine the very spirit of the Olympics.
THE SCRAG END OF MARKETING
 Marketing to children, especially by using other children with the blessing and cooperation of their schools, has come under attack with the publication of an expos&eacute;, Consumer Kids.
 The book documents how one large specialist marketing company, Dubit, has an agreement with 600 head teachers, who should know better, for children in their care to answer marketing questionnaires, with each completed one earning the school &pound;2 and some schools trousering &pound;4,000 a year.
 Dubits, who have Mattel, McDonalds, Coca Cola, Wrigley and Tizer as clients also boast of having 7,000 salesboys and salesgirls &#8211; they call them &#8220;brand ambassadors&#8221; &#8211; many as young as seven who are paid to promote a variety of kids&#8217; products to their classmates. This seems a great way for the very young recruits to quickly lose all their friends, and their personal credibility.
 According to a press release on their website Dubits are particularly offended by the suggestion that they are &#8220;grooming&#8221; very young children for profit.
LEAVE THOSE KIDS ALONE
 More attacks on marketing methods have been made on the way that the children&#8217;s cheese product, Golden Vales Cheesestrings, is promoted through schools.
 This is done using the ASDA Dairy Bus which parks in school playgrounds and supplies a number of dairy related educational activities to 5-10 year old children &#8211; including a mechanical cow that can be milked &#8211; and goodie bags containing Cheesestrings and Cheesestrings branded items.
 According to a recent piece in the Daily Telegraph the Cheesestring product is very poor value for money when compared to buying conventional cheese. At &pound;1.55 for 4 small pieces (84 gms) this costs out at more than &pound;18 a kilo. Currently ASDA also sell mild Dutch Edam cheese, which for many has far more flavour and a better, less artificial texture for around &pound;5.50 a kilo, or between a third and a quarter of the price.
 Presumably Golden Vale has found that a satisfying high proportion of parents are gullible and can&#8217;t do sums &#8230;.
US CLEANS UP MEDICAL ACT
 The US pharmaceutical industry has agreed to stop giving promotional branded merchandise to doctors. (Sales Promotion magazine).
 This is in response to growing concerns about conflict of interest and the ethics of incentivising doctors to perhaps prescribe one drug in favour of another. Such items as pens, staples and calculators with company logos and messages on are being banned in a voluntary code drawn up by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.
 In the UK the giving of pens, calculators and staplers to doctors is currently allowed by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulation Agency as long as the value doesn&#8217;t exceed &pound;6. Meanwhile, following a longer established ruling that medical events may not be held in five star hotels a number overseas have voluntarily down-graded themselves to four star &#8230;.
TROUBLE AHEAD?
 The organisers of the National Incentive Show, Touchstone Exhibitions and Conferences have 17 unsatisfied County Court Judgements (CCJ&#8217;s) against them for a total of &pound;169,204.
 According to records at the Registry Trust, which documents CCJ&#8217;s High Court judgements and fines the orders to pay date from 9/3/2007 to 3/2/2009 and amount to three in 2007 totalling &pound;11,619, thirteen in 2008 totalling &pound;149,676 and one in 2009 for &pound;7,909.
 The directors of Touchstone are David Jones, Lynn Whitley and Robert Cakebread, who is also the company secretary. The company is currently very late in submitting its accounts, due in April 2008. Another associated company, Infomail, was the subject of a court order to wind up issued in late 2006 and this was completed in January this year.
 As well as the National Incentive Show the company organises, according to its website, the Times Cr&egrave;me exhibitions for secretaries and PA&#8217;s in London and Manchester and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development&#8217;s (CIPD) HR Software Show, Recruitment Exhibition and Annual Conference and Exhibition.
 Another exhibition company run by Jones, Whitley and Cakebread is Incentive Shows Ltd incorporated in early 2007 and run from Cakebread&#8217;s home address. This failed to submit accounts as due on 16/12/2008.
TRY BEFORE YOU BUY
 Sampling as a marketing tool has reached monasteries and nunneries.
 A number are now throwing open their doors to give would-be-monks and nuns a weekend taste of the holy life.
NEW SHOW
 A new exhibition, Marketing Week Live has been launched by the publishers and takes place at Olympia, London 30 June &#8211; 1 July 2009.
 Four marketing disciplines are covered &#8211; online, data, research and in-store. www.marketingweeklive.co.uk
PROMOTIONAL MARKETING
 The Promotional Marketing Exhibition takes place at the Royal Horticultural Halls, Westminster, Tuesday 24 March &#8211; Thursday 26 March.
 www.promotionalmarketingexhibition.co.uk
TWO VENUE IDEAS
 The Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes Hotel at the top of Londons Baker Street has an atmospheric lounge area just made for Murder Mystery events and holding up to 70 detectives. The Park Plaza Victoria London Hotel has a balcony area,with great views over London and made for upscale corporate hospitality for up to 120 standing for drinks, buffet or barbecue. 
 www.parkplaza.com 
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
NEW TRAINING
 The Society of Event Organisers (SEO) has launched two new one-day tutorial sessions for 2009, How to write a press release and How to be much more creative.
 Also new is a one-day Delegate Agenda conference where event organisers choose their own discussion topics and a two day Certificate in Conference Food and Beverage.
 Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 Visit: www.seoevent.co.uk
CALLING ALL EVENT ORGANISERS! 
 A host of free fact sheets on all aspects of event planning and implementation are available from event training specialists RJA. 
 For a list of sheets, just send an e-mail to contact@rjagb.com
YOUR WEBSITE... YOUR EMAILS... YOUR NEWSLETTERS 
 We can provide a low cost effective solution tailored to your needs.

 o Website not up to date? 
 o Taking too long to check through all those unwanted emails?
 o No regular newsletter? 
 Cost should not be an issue, we can typically save you money with our charitable rates. Just quote &#8220;Charity Matters&#8221;
 Tel:01462 896679  email: mark.ely@sg7.biz 
JOIN THE SOCIETY OF EVENT ORGANISERS FREE
 The SEO now offers individual free membership to those organising events, or supplying the market. Members get a 20% discount on all SEO events.
 Visit: www.seoevent.co.uk
FREE NEWSLETTERS

 www.eou.org.uk - Event Organisers Update  - International Event Organisers Update  - Corporate Hospitality and Party Update - Conference Venue Marketplace 

 www.ezinematters.com - Charity Matters - Marketing Matters 
  
 
 The views of the editor are not necessarily those of the publishers. 
Editor: 
 Peter Cotterell Tel: 01767 316255 Fax: 01767 316430 
Published and distributed by:
 eZinematters.com, Firs Studio, Royston Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 6QY Tel: 01462 896679 
 theteam@ezinematters.com
Subscription Options
 To change your preferred format or to unsubscribe then please visit: www.ezinematters.com 
 
 Newsletter distributed by SG7.biz for eZinematters.com
 More details: www.sg7.biz Info@sg7.biz tel: +44 (0)1462 896679 
]]></content>
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