Reader’s Digest UK is taking on DM suppliers and agencies with the launch of a new company, Direct Marketing Partners, to provide an end-to-end DM solution for brands to promote their products.
The company, which publishes one of the UK’s biggest selling magazines and is a retailer of books, music CDs, and DVDs, has already signed BBC Worldwide brand 2 entertain and ITV Studios. It is providing a turnkey solution to major brands who want to reach the public through both digital and traditional DM channels.
Managing campaigns through conception, creation and delivery, the new operation also organises delivery of items and manages payments and billing – a one stop shop for major companies without the cost of building the infrastructure themselves.
Headed up by Reader’s Digest chief executive David Titmuss (pictured), the company will recruit a new managing director of the partnership operation and has opened up all the resources of the whole company to service major companies – under the partner business’ brand, not Reader’s Digest’s.
Direct Marketing Partners is owned by VIVAT, the same parent company as Reader’s Digest UK, and is led by the same executive board; Titmuss, Doug Nethery, director of legal and company secretary at Reader’s Digest UK, Carrie Hutchison, finance director at Reader’s Digest UK and Sean Cooper, ex chief operating officer of Gatwick Airport and member of venture capitalists Better Capital LLP.
The company has created and delivered a direct mail campaign for 2entertain Ltd, the largest UK-owned publisher of DVD content. The direct mail pack, delivered to 1.5 million people, promotes 240 DVDs and includes a letter, catalogues and order forms. It has also already produced a direct mail campaign for ITV Studios to promote its brand as one of Europe’s leading commercial TV companies.
Brands that partner with Direct Marketing Partners will have access to a variety of databases for their direct mail campaigns, including Reader’s Digest’s existing lists. The company will also build bespoke and targeted databases.
Titmuss said: “With over 80 years of direct marketing experience selling our books, music CDs, DVDs, this new enterprise will allow some of the UK’s biggest brands with currently little experience of direct marketing to take advantage our expertise.
“The iconic magazine is just a part of a much larger business; Reader’s Digest UK is already widely recognised as one of the UK’s leading marketers of magazines, books, music, video, financial services and healthcare products. The launch of Direct Marketing Partners is therefore a natural business development and I am very excited at the opportunities it presents.”
