Chief Marketer Staff

• Companies Said to Approve Simplified Tax Plan

  Despite opposition from the Direct Marketing Association, a coalition of companies has approved a plan to streamline state tax laws and enter into a pact to collect online sales taxes.

• A Visit From St. Ridiculous

  ’Twas the night before Christmas, and all of my mail Couldn’t be less convincing to create a sale. And ridiculous e-mails, repulsive to see, Still aren’t as repulsive as spots on TV. The worst of the lot are commercials by Dell, Whose product is good but whose TV spots smell.

• DIRECT Listline

  CMP

• FTC and States Launch Anti-Spam Sweep

  The Federal Trade Commission and several other law enforcement agencies have cracked down on spammers in an effort to fight online fraud.

• Environmental Group Blasts Catalogers Over Paper Use

  Most U.S. catalogers, including those that cater to an outdoor audience, are not using recycled paper, according to a new report. And there hasn

• DoubleClick Appoints Two Sales Execs

  DoubleClick Inc. has named John Healy, former senior vice president of sales at Abacus, as senior vice president of global sales. In addition, the online

• Tiffany Reports 11% Rise in DM Sales

  Direct marketing sales continued their upward curve at Tiffany & Co. during the third quarter. They rose by 11% to $37 million, and combined Internet/catalog sales went up by 19% compared with the same period last year.

• PRIVACY DISCUSSED AT PMA LAW CONFERENCE

  Marketers continue to watch consumer privacy legislation and Federal Trade Commission enforcement. The Consumer Privacy Protection Act of 2002, if passed,

• New Products and Services

  PersonalEffect software: Blends creative with database informaiton to produce full-color print on the Xerox DocuColor 6060 Digital Color Press–XMPie

• Sales Up at Sportsman’s Guide

  The Sportsman’s Guide Inc. reported sales of $36.9 million for the third quarter, compared with $36.5 million one year ago. Net earnings for the quarter,