Website update Thursday June 18th 2009. Please refer to the Industry News Page, for a current snap shot on industry news and trends.

On June 17th, the Institute of Sales Promotion announced a massive step forward in its discussions with EBay (in association with Valassis). Over the years, EBay has allowed the sale of money off coupons and samples, which may have been fraudulently obtained by the sellers.

EBay has now agreed to impose limits on the number of coupons that can be sold in this manner and whilst this will not totally remove the problem, it is a massive step forward, that the ISP and Valassis are to be complimented on.

Some f.m.c.g. clients have historically been concerned about such practices and it is encouraging news that action has been taken to help control the extent of the problem.

In these difficult times, marketers are understandably looking to make their marketing budgets stretch even further than usual - and at the same time, generate increased ROI.

Committing marketing spend as late as possible in the planning cycle is a by product of the current financial situation and we are increasingly finding ourselves taking deadlines right to the wire.

As door drop planning and buying specialists, we are perfectly placed to provide that type of service and look to provide clients with first stage responses within 48 hours as an absolute maximum.

Inevitably, we are finding advertisers are still very cautious about committing budget, but we have created a stable of cost saving door drop options, which can be applied in isolation or any appropriate combination, dependent upon the nature of the client's enquiry.

Generating maximum return from a reduced marketing spend assumes an even greater level of importance in these worrying economic times and we believe ZiP and SMART will help achieve those objectives.

Both systems continue to develop across the country and are rapidly taking on a truly national appearance.

Test data can clearly demonstrate the power of both opportunities and the primary proposition of door dropping fewer items but reaching a greater number of target market households, has captured the imagination of a growing number of clients.

The systems are not necessarily designed to replace all traditional postal sector door drop plans, but it is designed to minimise wastage, maximise ROI and optimise your door drop carbon footprint.

If you have not yet had time to contact us about these exciting new developments, please call or email at any time. We are happy to come to your offices to complete a one hour ZiP presentation, or submit some speculative ideas on how ZiP could potentially improve your door drop performance.

Whatever you are looking for, we can create a ZiP test package to meet your requirements.

Why not consider including a ZiP test within your next door drop test matrix and compare the results?

Irrespective of whether you are an existing user of door drops within your marketing mix, or a potential new user, The Letterbox Consultancy provides a one stop shop service to clients. By planning all activity through a range of targeting services and then buying the most appropriate combination of door drop services to fulfil each media plan, we provide a full project management service from start to finish.

We are not a distribution company per se and therefore all of our door drop proposals are genuinely created with the client's best interests uppermost in our minds. Our independence and impartiality assures clients we are not bound by any internal disciplines and are free of "political correctness".

First stage plans are all submitted on a speculative basis.

Charges are levied in relation to the combination of door drop services accessed and are in line with competitive industry rates.

We do not charge consultancy fees in addition to door drop charges.

Client media plans may include the use of Royal Mail door-to-door, free newspapers and/or team based systems, in isolation or any appropriate combination. Client briefs are evaluated on a bespoke basis.

Over the 13 years we have been in existence, we have developed a reputation for common sense thinking, top quality account handling and being nice to deal with! That is why so many clients come back to us time and time again, even when they change companies.

If you are a local or regional government authority, police force, PCT, college or university, we have independent research into door drops, which is particularly relavent to you. Visit the specialist services page for more details.