ROYAL MAIL AND VIALUNA LAUNCH DIALOGUE MAIL

19.05.2008

ROYAL MAIL AND VIALUNA LAUNCH DIALOGUE MAIL TO HELP BUSINESSES DEVELOP DEEPER CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS

The Vialuna Group also has offices in the USA, Germany and Switzerland giving its clients the global reach and expertise needed to run successful dialogue marketing campaigns.

In partnership with dialogue marketing specialists, Vialuna, Royal Mail now offers an integrated solution that will enable brands to have more in-depth and engaging conversations with prospects or existing customers.

Dialogue Mail capitalises on the power of direct mail to drive customers online. Recent Royal Mail research revealed that over half (55 per cent) of consumers prefer to be contacted by a combination of DM and online and that integrating digital advertising with direct mail campaigns can increase customer spend by almost 25 per cent.

The Dialogue Mail journey begins with an intrigue-based mailshot designed to pique recipients' interest and direct them online. Vialuna's technology creates personalised URLs, meaning the campaign is individually tailored to each customer.

The interactive microsites can be designed to allow customers to share their preferences, request specific products or information and fundamentally direct their overall customer journey.

Crucially, all interaction is captured allowing the brand to learn more about individual's behaviour and shape future communications to make them more relevant. Vialuna's Dialog Engine™ tracks campaign responses and delivers lead alerts directly to sales teams in real-time.

Dialogue Mail is the latest concept in a series of innovative direct mail solutions from Royal Mail designed to help businesses win customers, build loyalty and enhance their brand through the post. The CRM-focused proposition complements Personalised Integrated Media and Sensory Mail, both launched last year, to make direct communications more engaging.

Antony Miller, Royal Mail's Head of Media Development said "Royal Mail is determined to continue to be innovative in developing new solutions that help businesses make the most of their direct mail campaigns and forge strong, one-to-one relationships with their customers.

"Customer Relationship Management has long been a fundamental marketing discipline but few campaigns centre around this, instead concentrating on brand building or direct response. Dialogue Mail showcases the power of direct mail as a way to engage with customers to drive response and also build new customer insight that can be used to shape future communications and improve relationships."

Martin Pang, Managing Director of Vialuna UK, said: "We are very excited to be working with Royal Mail as their experience and expertise in the UK direct marketing industry is unparalleled.

"We have been operating in the US for eight years and are quickly expanding across Europe. In all that time, we have achieved double-figure response rates for our clients. The reason is that Dialogue Mail is mutually beneficial marketing. The customer gets the benefit of a personal experience whilst the brand captures customer insight leading to deeper, more relevant and meaningful relationship."