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Precision Marketing - International Column (January 2006)

Ukraine Captures Direct Marketing on CD

During the last five years the use of videos and CDs in Direct Marketing has become popular in the Ukraine, especially in the business-to-business sector. The main reason for growth in this sector is that CDs and videos can store a great deal of information about a company and its products and services, which makes them very useful tools. As such they are a great way to present a company to customers and prospects. As a rule, this kind of mailing tends to use a combination of direct marketing and public relations activities.

Recently Ekmy, a furniture company, sent out 4,000 mailings to its target group. The purpose of the mailing was to give clients and prospects information about specific products such as sofas-beds. In the CD with the help of digital technologies, Ekmy could show the whole product range as well as highlight pertinent aspects of the range. Ekmy decided to use the CD as a direct marketing medium in order to strengthen their reputation as a reliable manufacturer and partner and show customers and prospects that they are a brand that can be trusted.
The objectives for the campaign were to strengthen their reputation and the benefits of a CD were that the addressee could evidently see all advantages of the offered product, which enabled them to show their professionalism and serious attitude to the prospects.
This was the first time that a company in the Ukraine has sent out such a large mailing (4,000) on CD. Generally, companies in the Ukraine tend to mail from 500 up to 1000 copies. Now we've talked about the mailing I think we should ideally say what it did for the company, did it achieve the objectives to acquaint the addressees with the company, its services and to attract the new clients. They are sent by organizations such as training centres, souvenirs manufacturers and advertising agencies.

However, while this type of DM activity is growing, the lack of CD and video film production facilities in the Ukraine means that cost of carrying out this activity is high. As a result, to make it cost effective, finely tuned targeting is paramount, with sophisticated segmentation required based on the objectives and goals of the campaign.

In addition, some large FMCG manufacturers also use CD/video as part of their campaign mailing, but it usually in the business-to-business sector, with the purpose of introducing their business to the distributors and trade representatives. FMCG manufacturers are also now looking for an opportunity to use CD/video mailings in the business-to-consumer sector, but are being put off by the fact that their mailings tend to go out to thousands of customers and prospects, which would make it a very costly exercise. Besides, there is no guarantee that everyone who receives a CD will have the opportunity to see it, because not everyone in the Ukraine has a computer or CD player.

Based on the knowledge that we have on the use of CDs in direct marketing, I think we can assume that CD mailings will continue to rise and be used only in the business-to-business sector. At least for now!

Comment by Nathalie Chorna, Marketing Manager of DistriMedia in Kiev, Ukraine - a member of the InterDirect Network of independent direct marketing agencies, which has TMW as its UK member.
Contact: marketing@distrimedia.kiev.ua

If you require further information, please contact Lorna Webley, Kim Van Haeften, Susan Perolls at
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