News

Member Engagement Program Launch

25 January 2012

For 2012, we made a pledge in our “ADMA’s New Year’s Resolution” blog to make your ADMA membership count this year, and over the next few months we’ll be working on delivering that promise to you.

Apart from the discounts on events, training and education, ADMA will provide the industry with more free networking opportunities and ways to keep up with industry trends; both now and in the future through our new Member Engagement Program (MEP). Phase 1 of the program is ready to go with the trial phase set to take off shortly. The program encourages organisations to get their employees to register and learn from the educational options of the program, which is a free benefit under your current membership package. The program will be rolled out to all members in stages throughout the year.

New FREE features for members in the 2012!

10 Lunch n Learns

These will provide a perfect opportunity for you and your team to educate and update your learnings over a 45 minute lunch period on topics ranging from “Mastering your Presentation Skills” to “Maximising your B2B performance”.

Status: Trail Phase Launched
Contact us to see eligibility

20 Webinars

Over the course of 2012 we will be providing you with webinar presentations from leading industry professionals and thought-leaders from Australia and around the world.

Status: First Webinar, Non-For Profit Sector.
Contact us to register interest

Councils – Redefined
Councils are changing in 2012 and getting more focused on special interest areas. Councils will be more active with developing polls, research and to be a voice for the industry via thought-leaders on the Executive Committee.

Status: Coming soon.
Contact us to register and get involved in a special interest area

Blog
The ADMA daily blog will provide you with thought-provoking content, interviews and debateable views from some of the industry’s most influential forerunners.

Status: Launched
Visit www.admablog.com for the latest insights from ADMA and industry leaders or subscribe to the daily issue on the blog homepage or email us at blog@adma.com.au

Happy Australia Day – Unleashing the Creative and Technological Genius of Australia

25 January 2012

Tomorrow, as we celebrate Australia day, we should take note of the achievements our industry has had and why we should be particularly proud to be Australian marketers today.  
Australia has long had a reputation for producing outstanding creative direct marketing, and despite our relatively small market, we continue to win more than our fair share of global marketing Awards including Echo, Caples and Cannes.

Whilst we can boast to have some of the world’s greatest creative genius on hand, it’s also emerged that Australians are leading the way in technology adoption too. We have been named one of the most marketing technologically advanced countries in the world. Three areas of particular strength in the industry from a consumer reach perspective are:

1. Social Media:  According to Nielsen’s Social Media Report (released Q3 2011), Australians use social media more than any other developed country – at least for the ten national markets researched in. The social media usage in Australia covers social networks and blogs, both of which from these statistics should be forming part of any online marketing strategy.   
   
2. Online Advertising: According to ZenithOptimedia Online Advertising Report 2011, Australia is one of the largest spenders in online advertising in the Asia Pacific Region with only China and Japan having higher spends per annum. Online advertising spend in Australia hit $1.87bn last year, accounting for 15% of all main media spend. It is expected to soar past $3bn in four years, making online the leading ad funded medium in the country.
3. Mobile Marketing: According to research conducted by independent mobile ad network InMobi and comScore Australia - A Global Consumer Perspective on Mobile Advertising - Australia is a world leader when it comes to mobile advertising.

The same report also confirms Australians are the most comfortable with mobile advertising of any country in the world. 75% of Australians comment they are either “very comfortable” or “somewhat comfortable” with mobile advertising. Of the 14 countries studied across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the US; Australians were the most comfortable consumers in the world and a full +10 points higher than the US (65%).

We also have one of the world highest uptakes of smartphones. Australia's iPhone ad impression share is 42% – a figure significantly higher than in Europe (30%) or the US (19%).
The world is taking notice; we should be proud that Australia is a unique and advanced market and we need to rise to the challenge to ensure our work reflects this. Marketers need to push forward in the mobile and online space and embrace our tech savvy consumers who are ready and waiting.

The very best that Australia has to offer within the industry will be showcased at ADMA Forum this year on the 22 – 24 August.  Find out more and register your interest.

Jodie Sangster

Welcome to 2012

11 January 2012

After enjoying the holiday season we are now back ready to hit the ground running in 2012.

The predictions for marketing in 2012 have a familiar ring to them - social data will drive the personalisation of marketing campaigns, mobile will become more targeted and geo-location data will be used across channels (see ADMA Blog). One thing is for sure, it will be another year of innovation and transformation for direct marketing as we continue to develop and evolve at break-neck speed.

As marketers, we are always required to stay ahead of the curve to ensure we are using the most effective, innovative marketing techniques to resonate with our audience and engage our customers.  
I see ADMA playing a central role in assisting you with this never-ending task. Whether you want access to the latest regulatory news, liaise with peers on critical marketing issues or learn more from the Masters of marketing – we have something for you.

For 2012, ADMA has planned a variety of new member benefits to ensure you always have the most current information at your fingertips.

• New free member webinar series: This will commence on 25th January with a new webinar on the hottest direct marketing issues being brought to you every two weeks. More information will follow on www.adma.com.au shortly.
• Free member resource centre – ADMA Dialogue: Due to new content partnerships established by ADMA we will bring you more information, statistics, research, white papers and case studies from around the globe – your daily digest on direct marketing - www.admadialogue.com
• Daily insights - ADMA Blog will continue to provide daily insights from leading marketers – from Australia and overseas – subscribe for free at www.admablog.com
• New, improved ADMA education and certificate courses: ADMA Education courses, launching in January 2012, have been completely revised, updated and revamped to bring you the latest in direct and digital marketing – www.adma.com.au/education  
• Improved ADMA Councils: ADMA Councils are expanded and being refocused providing more access to your marketing peers and increased value for Council members. For more information contact councils@adma.com.au
• New free ADMA Lunch n Learn Series: Starting in February 2012, the new Lunch n Learn series will provide access to a free monthly interactive session with industry experts.

We are looking forward to your involvement and to working alongside all of you in the coming year to make sure that 2012 is your most successful year yet.

As always, we welcome your ideas and feedback so please feel free to contact me at any time.

Jodie Sangster

2012 B2B Marketing Outlook Research

11 January 2012

Join ADMA and industry leaders Green Hat to take part in the  2012 B2B Marketing Outlook research – the most comprehensive Australian research for local B2B marketers.
 
By participating, you will get an insight into the trends, directions and hot topics affecting our local marketplace. Specifically, you will receive:

• A pre-release copy of the research report (PDF and hard-copy)
• An invitation to the ADMA research launch event in later February/March 2012 (first 20 respondents will receive free entry into the ADMA half-day B2B Marketing Seminar)
• An exclusive invitation to a B2B panel webinar discussing the findings and insights for optimising B2B marketing in 2012

 

The questionnaire will take about 10-15 minutes to complete. The key topics addressed in the 2012 report are:

• Objectives and challenges in B2B marketing in Australia
• Benchmarks for a B2B lead and conversion rates to sales-acceptance and order
• Digital marketing vs traditional marketing trends
• Marketing automation, lead nurturing trends
• Social media and content marketing trends
• Marketing budget distribution – past spend and future plans

Responses will remain completely confidential and will only be reported in an aggregated format. They will be not be reported individually, nor will your details be provided to any third party. You can read about our privacy policy here.
 
The survey is open until 5pm Monday 30 January 2012. We plan to release the report late February.

 

Year in review – and looking forward to 2012

15 December 2011

Over the past six months I have made a commitment to build more Member benefits and services for all ADMA Members. As part of this initiative I will be touching base with all Members on a regular basis with an update and wanted to close off our final newsletter for the year with my year in review.

2011 has a pivotal year for direct marketing with many brands making the transition from mainstream advertising to one-to-one communication. The value of data and the necessity to understand your customer has clearly been recognised as key requirements for marketing success.

For ADMA it has been a year of growth, wins and change as we adapt to the changing marketing environment and the needs of our Members. Highlights for 2011 include:

• Launch of ADMA Dialogue, a central resource centre for ADMA members to ensure you can remain ahead of the curve in this ever-changing world of marketing;
• Start of the ADMA blog providing a daily feed of ideas, thoughts and opinions of the Australian marketing community.
• Expansion of ADMA Education to include new short courses – Social Media Marketing Strategy, SEO for Marketers and Testing for Success.

Protecting the interests of Members has continued to be a key focus for the Association in 2011 as the Government shifted its focus to online marketing channels.

• ADMA played a leading role in the development of the Australian Best Practice Guidelines for Online Behavioural Advertising, launched in March 2011.
• Continued extensive lobbying on the Privacy Act reforms to ensure the direct marketing community are not adversely affected by proposed changes to the Privacy Act.
• Launched the Group Buying Code of Practice to introduce standards to the Group Buying industry.

Next year promises to be even bigger as we plan new programs and significant new member benefits including:

• New Direct Marketing Compliance Hub including all you need to make sure your marketing campaigns stay within the rules and guidelines.
• Completely revised ADMA Certificate courses to be launched in February and available online from March 2012.
• New members recognition programs to ensure all staff members make the most of free benefits.
• New research, polls and thought-leadership series delivered through video, podcasts and white papers.
• New free webinar series and monthly ‘lunch and learn’ sessions.
• Plus much more! I look forward to working with you all in 2012.

 In the meantime have a Happy Christmas and wonderful New Year!

Jodie Sangster

ADMA Membership: Exciting Member Benefits & Services

15 December 2011

Over the past year, ADMA has embarked on an exciting journey to deliver invaluable, leading- edge Member benefits and services. As part of your Membership, your company now has access to a vast range of tools and information;

• ADMA Dialogue, our Information and Resource Centre providing the latest in best practice, video streams, industry news, interviews, Webinars and the latest industry Regulatory Advice
• ONLINE Who’s Who Directory – a real time online reference guide to ADMA’s 550 plus Member companies
• FREE Member industry briefings, webinars and networking events Australia wide
• IMPROVED Membership discounts of up to 35% on ADMA Events, Seminars and Education programs
• FREE JOB’s BOARD, where you can post and review the latest Marketing positions Australia wide
• FREE range of industry compliance tools and DM Compliance webinars including GUIDELINES AND ADVICE on DM Compliance
• ADMA weekly e-News, monthly “What’s On at ADMA” Calendar, quarterly marketplace reviews and the latest industry updates as they happen!

We will look forward to delivering even more Member benefits and services in 2012 and would welcome your feedback on what you would like to see from ADMA!

Not an ADMA Member? Email membership@adma.com.au to find out more.

Australian Direct Marketing Association announces the appointment of new board Members

07 December 2011

Jodie Sangster, CEO Australian Direct Marketing Association announces the appointment of new board Members

7 December 2011 – Jodie Sangster, CEO of the Australian Direct Marketing Association (ADMA) has announced changes to the ADMA Board of Directors including the appointment of a new ADMA Chair.

Karen Ganschow, General Manager, Customer Relationship Marketing and Digital for Westpac Retail and Business Bank has been appointed as ADMA’s new Chair after serving as Vice Chair for the past three years. Karen has had a long association with ADMA having been award the Direct Marketer of the Year in 2007. Tony Davis, CEO of Quantium has served as Chairman of the ADMA Board of Directors for the past three years has completed his tenure in this role but will remain on the ADMA Board.

Jodie Sangster said, “Tony Davis has been instrumental in the further development and growth of ADMA. Tony’s commitment to the growth of digital and direct marketing has resonated in the advancement of the Association during his tenure. Karen Ganschow will be stepping into the role of Chair who I am sure will continue to emulate ADMA’s key messages and contribution to the marketing industry.”

In assuming the role of Chair, Karen Ganschow said, "I am very excited to be taking on the role of Chair. ADMA plays a key role in championing all the marketing channels and helping marketers understand what is constantly emerging as the new best practice."

Jodie Sangster has also announced the appointment of three new ADMA Board Members. Simon Hickey, Head of Qantas Frequent Flyer, Mel Silva, Industry leader in Financial Services and Auto and Andy Pontin, CEO of Clemenger BBDO.

Jodie Sangster said, “Going into 2012, ADMA has a strong representation of leading marketing brands around our board table. I am confident that ADMA will continue to grow and sustain thought leadership and relevance to the wider marketing community both locally and abroad with such great support.”

Jodie Sangster makes special mention to Doug Nicol, Nick Mercer and Phil Offer for their dedicated and commitment to the ADMA Board. All three have now stepped down following the completion of their Directorships.

About the Australian Direct Marketing Association

ADMA’s mission has been to create an environment for the advancement of responsible, effective and enlightened marketing.

We proudly represent, inform and bring together over five hundred of Australia’s leading businesses whose marketing activities put them at the forefront of the information economy. Our diverse and dynamic membership all benefit from the regulatory guidance, market protection, industry information, professional development pathways, networking and business growth opportunities that only belonging to ADMA can provide.

 

Final events for 2011

01 December 2011

It’s getting close to silly season and we have plenty happening at ADMA for those that want to get involved with the festivities and for those that want to make sure they are well prepared to hit the ground running in 2012.

• The Multi-Channel Acquisition Seminar taking place in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne next week features a stellar line up of leader market brands sharing strategies on acquiring new customers and keeping them engaged. This half-day event promises to provide you with all the insights and information you need to ensure customer acquisition success in 2012.
• ADMA will be hosting an end of year FREE Councils Christmas Drinks in Sydney which will include the inaugural “Agency vs. Agency Pitch Off”. Here three of Australia’s leading agencies will have 24 hours to create and pitch an innovative marketing campaign for the SMILE Foundation….and let the judges decide who will get to put their ideas into action. This event is open to all ADMA Members and I look forward to seeing you there.
• For a great afternoon, join ADMA in Queensland on December 8 for the 2011 Christmas Lunch! Don Meij, CEO and Managing Director of Domino’s Pizza will share with you his outlook on how mobile marketing is rapidly reshaping our industry.
• Later in the week on Friday 9 December we have the infamous ADMA NSW Branch Christmas Party. This year we’ll be making the most of the good weather with an outdoor Christmas BBQ. Book a table and bring your clients and teams along to a relaxed afternoon of fun and networking with your fellow marketers.

It is important to me that all members have the opportunity to get involved with ADMA activities and maximise the value of membership. To keep you informed of all the events, programs, networking and free Member opportunities available to you as part of your ADMA membership, we will be introducing the ADMA Events Calender. This will provide you with a monthly snapshot of what is happening with ADMA nationwide and will be sent to you at the beginning of each month from January 2012. It part of my commitment to keeping all Members up to date with what is happening and ensuring you can take full advantage of the benefits of ADMA membership. I would also encourage you to go online to view the full list of case studies from our ADMA 2011 winners – congratulations again to all agencies and clients who entered this year – the work was outstanding! Visit http://admaawards.com.au

Enjoy!

Jodie Sangster

Who’s Who Member Directory now online

17 November 2011

An exclusive listing for ADMA members, Who’s Who is a complete directory of all ADMA Member organisations Australia wide.

Find more than 600 Members who are at the forefront of the direct marketing industry in Australia. Search the directory for a full range of marketing suppliers (including printers, mail houses, call centres, digital marketing specialists) and an array of marketing organisations operating in the consumer and business communities.

Update your company’s listing! You can update your company’s listing online at ADMA Dialogue. You must be the designated primary contact to access and update your organisations details. To find out who the primary contact is in your organisation, email us at membership@adma.com.au.

ADMA announces Young Direct Marketer of the Year finalists

10 November 2011

Every year ADMA recognises the best young talent in the multi-channel marketing industry through the Young Direct Marketer of the Year Award. This year ADMA received the largest number of nominations on record from a very talented group of marketers from both the client and agency sides of business.

The five finalists have now been announced and the winner will be awarded the Young Direct Marketer of the Year at the ADMA Awards Gala on November 24 at the Hilton Hotel. Congratulations to our all-female finalists for 2011:

• Rose Johns, WSPA Krystle Evans, Bank West
• Valentina Grandi, SquarePeg
• Lahnee White, Westpac
•  Rebecca Bezzina, Mark
• Vicki Best, Woolworths

This year ADMA will be giving the winner the trip of a lifetime to Las Vegas with a ticket to the DMA conference and exhibition, a VIP pass to the International ECHO Awards and a tailored program to meet with the biggest names in multi-channel marketing from around the globe.

ADMA Awards. The Awards night of the Year is now on sale. Secure your tickets now.

Finding the right marketing talent

10 November 2011

Finding great marketing talent has always been difficult and never more than in today’s marketplace.

“It is a candidates market at the moment” commented Linda Jones, Principal at Recruit Direct. “We have seen a significant gap amongst middle management roles and finding people with the right level of experience is difficult – this was a main driver for starting Suit School with ADMA in an effort to up-skill marketing and advertising graduates”.

This issue is exacerbated in direct marketing roles, which require technical proficiency skills which are rarely taught as part of a standard Marketing Degree and usually need to be acquired ‘on-the-job’ or through additional training. For this reason, many prospective employers are turning to overseas markets, shipping in talent from the UK, Europe, the US and Asia to fill vacant positions.

Steve Bianchini, Principal Consultant with Mondo Direct believes that more and more companies are shifting marketing resources online with a resultant excess demand for expert digital marketing professionals.

“Despite traditionally trained marketing executives re-training on the job and playing catch-up to the available digital technology, the gap between demand and supply does not appear to be narrowing. Social media is now omnipresent and is the new tradition in interactive marketing engagement. Despite the acceleration in the quantity of digital marketing channels, there is some hope when the Gen Z’s enter the workforce in three to five year’s time. In the meantime, finding great and available digital marketing professionals remains a challenge”.

ADMA is supportive of growing and enhancing industry talent – the ADMA Careers Centre and Jobs Board has grown significantly since its launch in September and the ADMA Mentor Program which gives tomorrows marketing talent access to and guidance from Australia’s leading marketers will call for nominations for 2012 later this month.

Acquiring more customers – We’re here to help!

10 November 2011

Customer acquisition continues to be a key focus of many businesses, which is why marketers spend a large percentage of their marketing budgets developing acquisition and lead generation campaigns. However, the question of how to acquire new customers efficiently, cost effectively, with the right channel mix whilst maximising return on investment continues to be a daily challenge for marketers.

ADMA receives numerous enquiries and requests from members for resources, case studies or materials that provide direction and insight on acquisition and lead generation techniques. As a result we have a ‘Multi-Channel Acquisition Council’ - a peer-to-peer networking group that all members can join free-of-charge to keep ahead of the latest-and-greatest in customer acquisition marketing trends and practice. We also have specialist sections of the ADMA Dialogue and the ADMA Blog dedicated to this subject area.

But for those of you that want a short, sharp injection of knowledge and expertise on how to acquire new customers we have developed a half-day seminar focused on acquisition, lead generation and increasing conversations to improve bottom line.

The ADMA Multi-Channel Acquisition Seminar will take place on 5 December in Brisbane, 7 December in Sydney, 8 December in Melbourne and will provide access to key industry professionals in customer acquisition marketing including:

• Helen McMurdo – Director of Subscriptions Fairfax – Sydney Morning Herald and The Sun Herald
• Lee Morgan – Head of Media & Channels – Marketing, InsuranceLine
• James Stewart – Marketing Manager – Home Loan Acquisition, Aussie
• Allyson Hohman – Marketing Manager – Digital SEEK

If you are interested in acquisition marketing then get involved today! Join the Council, check out ADMA Dialogue, contribute to the ADMA blog or join us at the Multi-Channel Acquisition Seminar. There’s something for everyone!

Jodie Sangster
Email: jodie.sangster@adma.com.au

Recognising young talent. Last Chance to win a trip to Vegas

26 October 2011

Every year ADMA recognises the best young talent in the multi-channel marketing industry through the Young Direct Marketer of the Year Award. This year we are upping the stakes by giving our winner the trip of a lifetime to Las Vegas with a ticket to the DMA conference and exhibition, a VIP pass to the International ECHO Awards and a tailored program to meet with the biggest names in multi-channel marketing from around the globe.

So what does it take to be a Young Direct Marketer of the Year? Well – if you are 30 years old or younger you can enter...providing you can demonstrate outstanding talent in the field of multi-channel marketing. You can be working as a client-side marketer, for an agency or on the supply side, in data house, at a production company or in any environment where direct marketing is applied. What really counts is your flair for marketing and your innovative, enthusiastic approach – you need to have the talent that make you worthy of being an ambassador for Australian multi-channel marketing and for ADMA.

You can nominate yourself or a colleague – but you need to be quick as entries close this Friday! Get your entry in by 5pm this Friday (28th October) to be in with a chance of winning this year’s Young Direct Marketer of the Year Award. The winner will be announced at the ADMA Awards Gala on 24th November in Sydney.

To enter visit www.admaawards.com.au/categories/awards-for-excellence/

I’m looking forward to receiving your entries and hopefully meeting you or your colleague on stage at the ADMA Awards when we present the Young Direct Marketer of the Year Award!

Jodie Sangster
Email: jodie.sangster@adma.com.au

Cloud Computing: We’re here to help you get it right

20 October 2011

This week, we are pleased to launch the new ADMA Cloud Computing Checklist that assists Australian marketers navigate their way through the cloud computing maze.

Over the past few months, cloud computing has received much media attention particularly with Apple launching iCloud earlier this year. For marketers, cloud computing is presented as a solution to the ‘big data’ problem by facilitating the efficient management and use of large databases. This is an issue that will face us all in the near future with data proliferation at a record-high and showing no signs of slowing down. In the IBM Global CMO Study 2011, launched last week, ‘the explosion of data’ was identified as being one of the four key challenges that CMOs worldwide are confronting, with 90% of today’s world data having been created in the last two years alone.

This is where cloud computing comes in as it can offer more scalable, secure, flexible and cost effective environments than can be created using the resources of a single enterprise. This has already been recognised in Australia, which has been a huge adopter of cloud computing. A study conducted by Frost & Sullivan in May 2011 shows Australia continues to lead the adoption of cloud computing in Asia Pacific with 43% of enterprises now using the cloud in some form. The reasons for making the transition differ, but a study by UK-based Cloud Industry Forum shows that the key priority for most businesses was data backup (42% of those surveyed), closely followed by email management (39%), data storage (39%), collaboration tools (26%) and IT operations management (25%).

Although there are clear advantages to cloud computing, the biggest inhibitor to adoption is concern around data security and privacy risks. For this reason, ADMA has developed the Cloud Computing Checklist – an easy to use guide to ensuring you can reap the benefits of cloud computing whilst ensuring you do it right.

The ADMA Cloud Computing Checklist will be added to the regulatory and compliance tools that we make available to ADMA members through ADMA Dialogue. Be sure to check it out.

Jodie Sangster
Email: jodie.sangster@adma.com.au

Twitter founder Biz Stone talks about “meaningful marketing”

13 October 2011

It has been a big week on the direct marketing calendar. The DMA2011 conference kicked off in Boston bringing together eight thousand of the world’s best marketers. This was followed by the International ECHO Awards recognising the best direct marketing campaigns from around the world – including three winning campaigns from Australia.

The event started with a tremendous keynote address from DMA CEO, Larry Kimmel providing his insight into the future of direct marketing. This was followed by a rare keynote from Twitter Founder, Biz Stone talking about his early days creating Twitter and his future vision of "meaningful marketing”.

Speaking from his home in Silicon Valley, Biz gave a rare insight into the early days of Twitter, a phenomenon he says was never intended as a marketing tool but that was very quickly commandeered by the marketing community as a tool to start having real-time conversations with customers on real issues. Twitter, he says, has become a global phenomenon that has played a role in some of the most significant world-changing events of recent times. Now his vision is for Twitter to be used for ‘meaningful marketing’ – a new and futuristic form of marketing that has a benevolent or altruistic purpose at its core, but that ultimately benefits both the organisation and recipient. Certainly a good thought for the future.

Tuesday night saw the 2011 International Echo Awards. The best in show Diamond Echo Award was presented to BBDO New York for the AT&T “Last Text” campaign. Wunderman and BMF were the only Australian Agencies to win at the Awards - a huge accolade to the two globally recognised agencies. Wunderman won Silver for the Microsoft “Share House” campaign and BMF scored a Silver for the Weightwatchers “Approved by Life” campaign and a Bronze for the BMF “Wow Sit Down Thing”.

The full Echo Winners Book can be viewed here.

Ernan Roman, President & CEO of Ernan Roman Direct was inducted into the DMA Hall of Fame for his continuous and ongoing contribution to the direct marketing industry.

ADMA will be including case studies, interviews and conference sessions from DMA2011 in ADMA Dialogue so that you can be part of this global event even if you weren’t able to attend this year!

Jodie Sangster
Email: jodie.sangster@adma.com.au