Direc Newsline

Deutsche Post Will Buy Global Mail DEUTSCHE POST A.G., Bonn, Germany, is entering the private market for international mail by acquiring Global Mail Ltd., Sterling, VA, a private mailer with 1997 sales of $42.7 million. Global Mail will be run by the same management team that founded the company in 1987. Terms were not disclosed. With this deal, Deutsche Post, the second-largest postal service worldwide, is entering the biggest market in the world for international mail. The companies said the purchase would provide customers in the United States, Europe and other markets with significantly enhanced service and a broader product range. Deutsche Post, which had annual sales of $16 billion in 1997, said its move into the private market will not affect long-standing arrangements between it and the U.S. Postal Service.

Reader’s Digest Sells Assets, Buys Catalog THE READER’S DIGEST Association Inc., Pleasantville, NY, said it will make several moves to try to turn around its disappointing financial performance. It will sell its art collection, buy a catalog and magazine and lower its quarterly dividends. The company will reduce individual mailings by up to 25%, cutting out prospects with lower probabilities for success. Marketing efforts targeting younger prospects will be increased since Reader’s Digest believes this group will contribute to future profitability. Direct response TV and radio will be brought into the marketing mix. The Digest will be buying The Good Catalog Co.-which owns nine health and fitness, home furnishings, gardening and other titles-and American Woodworker from Rodale Press.

UPS Upgrades Brazil Service UNITED PARCEL SERVICE of America, Atlanta, said that through an agreement with Challenge Air Cargo, it is providing improved service for shipments to and from Brazil. UPS and Challenge will guarantee round-trip dedicated express delivery service to and from the Mercosur region by way of Brazil and the rest of the world, five days a week. UPS’ customers will now have the benefit of daily scheduled service, which previously was handled by commercial aircraft. This is expected to reduce transit time to Brazil from major cities in the United States, Europe and Asia, the company said. For inbound service to Brazil, UPS packages are guaranteed space for all shipments, and will arrive several hours earlier than commercial flights. As a result, for example, a customer in Brazil may receive packages by as much as one day sooner. Shipments outbound from Brazil will have later cut-off times for pickups, into the early evening hours.

Acxiom, May & Speh Complete Merger ACXIOM CORP., Conway, AR, and May & Speh Inc., Downers Grove, IL, have completed their merger. As a result, May & Speh will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Acxiom. Stockholders of May & Speh will receive .8 of a share of Acxiom common stock for each share of May & Speh common stock held. An organizational alignment plan has been developed and approved and will be phased in over the next several months. The new alignment, which will be effective and in place by April 1, 1999, will represent five Acxiom divisions: international (headquartered in London) and outsourcing (Chicago), as well as financial, data products, and services (Conway).

DoubleClick Opens Agency in Germany DOUBLECLICK INC., a New York online advertising agency, has started up DoubleClick Deutschland, an Internet advertising agency, in Germany. DoubleClick Deutschland will sell advertising on behalf of a network of German Web sites. The company said its DART (Dynamic Advertising Reporting and Targeting) technology will enable German advertisers to target their ads to Web users visiting DoubleClick Network member sites and allow them to receive real-time reporting on the performance of their campaigns.

DMA Now Offering Student Membership THE DIRECT MARKETING ASSOCIATION has begun offering membership to full-time students in undergraduate bachelor’s or master’s degree programs. The program will be run by the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation. Membership will allow students interested in direct marketing to benefit from the DMA’s resources for professional development. The membership, which will be conducted as a test for one year, will cost $25 annually.

Rob Jackson Goes to DiaLogos Inc. DIAGLOGOS INC. has established a new office in Chicago and hired Robert R. Jackson to head it. Jackson had been executive vice president and general manager of Customer Management Services. In addition to being involved with direct marketing education in general and a charter member of the Chicago Association of Direct Marketing Education, Jackson is the co-author of “Strategic Database Marketing” with Paul West of Northwestern University and also writes Direct Data, a column that appears in DIRECT.

Lands’ End to Sell Willis & Geiger LANDS’ END INC., Dodgeville, WI, is looking to sell its Willis & Geiger catalog, which offers clothes and accessories for the “outdoor adventurer.” The book’s sales in the most recent fiscal year were $12.3 million. “We’ve had Willis & Geiger as one of our specialty businesses for about four years now and hate to see this relationship come to an end,” said president/CEO Michael J. Smith. “While we love the product and the catalog creative, the business has not lived up to our growth expectations, and we believe our resources will be used more effectively by focusing on our core business.”