The Marketing Manager's Yearbook 2008
Introduction
Helen Helmer
Editor
Welcome to the new print edition of The Marketing Manager’s Yearbook. Alongside this book with which I
hope you are all familiar, we are launching the online directory at www.marketingmanagersinfo.co.uk where
you will be able to access the information found within these pages. We hope that you find this product as
valuable to you as the book has been. With both formats at your disposal, we hope that you are able to refer
to the information you need easily and efficiently. I’d like to thank all my colleagues here who have worked
so hard to produce the new book and web product notably my joint editor, John Klahn and the in-house
development team.
The book itself benefits this year from some excellent editorial input. David Thorp’s foreword stimulates plenty
of discussion points in his overview of the marketing industry we face today. We also include a number of
articles representing the specialist areas of the marketing mix which give some inspiring perceptions into the
hows and wheres of marketing activity. My thanks go to all the authors who have supplied us with such a
diverse and interesting range of subjects this year.
There is a common theme amongst the contributions and that is the need for marketing disciplines across
the spectrum to ensure that quality service is provided alongside all digital and technological platforms. It is
not enough to produce online or digital content without an in-depth understanding of what consumers or
users expect from this medium. The most fundamental basis to any business plan remains providing users
with what they want. Marketing is key to this. Through research, analysis, creativity and anticipation, marketers
facilitate the foundations for successful commerce and position the projections for growth. A few years ago,
we saw the growing instance of ‘partnership’ and ‘relationship’ in job titles across marketing departments.
The sharing of information and expertise across marketing channels has made for some innovative, integrated
campaigns as well as some controversial joint ventures over the last year. The emphasis now is on the forging
of significant relationships with consumers and customers, bringing meaning and experience to brands.
There Is opportunity for those responsible for all elements of the marketing mix to flex their muscles and
prove their value In the forthcoming year. Cautionary forecasts heralded the year and look set to continue and
marketers must plan carefully where budgets are best spent. With the possibilities for technical advancement
and development displaying no signs of slowing up, marketers’ aims remain to take the customer experience
forward. At the same time, however, environmental and ethical issues continue to dominate strategic
decision-making and responsible businesses are placing their importance at the heart of business, not as
separate functions within an organisation.
Marketers oversee a broader remit than ever before; as users we not only want to track our orders, but also
monitor the suppliers of our goods and services. Accountability and transparency impact on the role of the
marketer more than ever before and we have seen an increase in the number of Corporate Responsibility
Directors and Managers included in our entries this year. We’ve also added the names of those responsible
for events as we aim to fully reflect all areas that make up this vibrant industry. In the advisers sections, we
have completely restructured the listings and broken down this part of the book into three main disciplines:
Marketing Products & Services, Direct Marketing Products & Services and Events Contractors, Services &
Venues. We have attempted to break down the subsections as precisely as possible in order to make finding
the right contact straightforward and comprehensive. To help you do this, you’ll find an index containing all
sub-categories contained in the adviser subsections on page 936.
We hope that the changes we’ve made to the book make it even more of an asset to your reference needs.
Please don’t forget to add the website to your list of favourites too as a desktop aid to quick and reliable
information. The great advantage of the online service will be that it will be continually updated throughout the
year. We rely on your feedback to know how to take the products forward so thank you very much for replying
to our requests for information throughout our research process. We had an especially positive response to
the emailed proofs of entry we sent out, which make this book the most accurate and up-to-date publication
we have produced. As directory publishers, these are the fundamental principles of our business in order to
provide you with the very best information. Please let us know what else you require from the directory so
that we can continue to help you make your marketing successful.