Communisis.com news

Holding in Company

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 12:00:00

Communisis sees growth in security

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 12:00:00

Print giant, Communisis is further developing its profile in the APACS accredited security print market. Communisis is the UK’s market leader of cheque production and also commands the number one spot within the business forms market.

Communisis strengthens senior management team

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 12:00:00

Communisis, the print and business process outsourcer, has strengthened its management team with the appointment of Alistair Blaxill from Hewlett Packard.

Preliminary results for the year ended 31st Dec 2006

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 12:00:00

While our Transactional Print Services business has performed well in 2006, these results characterise the continuing competitive pressures in our broader markets.

Board change notification

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 12:00:00

The Board of Communisis plc announces the intention of Mike Smith to retire as
Chairman and from the Board once a replacement has been found.

Communisis continues to recruit key industry players

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 12:00:00

Communisis is continuing to recruit key industry players to support the development of its Bath manufacturing plant, announcing this week the appointment of Julian Smith as Special Products Manager.

Communisis awarded £20m Print Management contract by DEFRA

Fri, 13 Apr 2007 12:00:00

Communisis is pleased to announce that it has agreed a service contract with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs ("DEFRA") worth approximately £20 million.

Barclays contract realigned to focus on value added services

Wed, 02 May 2007 12:00:00

Communisis plc (“Communisis” or “the Company”), a leading UK print and print management business, is pleased to announce today that it has successfully completed a major realignment of its contract with Barclays plc.

Official Opening of Centre of Excellence, Liverpool

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 12:00:00

Communisis officially open their new Centre of Excellence on the Estuary Commerce Park, Speke, Liverpool today. The new 100,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility for the production of transactional documents, including statements and bills, has been purpose built using the latest technology and is the largest of its kind anywere in Europe.

Trading Update

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 12:00:00

Communisis today provides an update on trading for the six month period ended 30 June 2007.

Discussions with Communisis Pension Plan Members

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 12:00:00

The Board of Communisis plc confirms that it has entered into consultations with the beneficiaries of the Communisis Pension Plan.

Communisis secures multi-site FSC / PEFC Certification

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 12:00:00

Communisis has secured multi-site certification to the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes) standards. The certificate covers all UK operations of the group and Communisis teams working on site with clients.

Announcement - Appointment to the Board of Communisis plc

Thu, 01 May 2008 12:00:00

Communisis plc is pleased to announce the appointment of Alistair Blaxill, the Company’s Managing Director, Major Accounts, to its Board of Directors as an Executive Director. Alistair joins the Board with immediate effect.

Proposed sale of Bath Businesses for £12.80m

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:00:00

The Board of Communisis plc (“Communisis” or “the Company”) (RIC: CMS.L), the leading provider of print and marketing communication services, announces that it has conditionally agreed to sell its operations in Bath (“the Bath Businesses”) to the Bath management team (“the Purchaser”). The total consideration of £12.80 million will be payable in cash with the first instalment of £8.20 million being payable upon completion and the remainder payable in further instalments to 1 July 2012.

Trading Update

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:00:00

Communisis plc (LSE: CMS), the leading provider of marketing communication services, is pleased to provide the following update on trading for the six months to 30 June 2008. Both trading and progress with the Company’s strategy have continued well during the period and management expects to report operating profit after restructuring costs for the period in line with market expectations.

Trading Update

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:00:00

Notice of sale of Bath business and EGM Circular

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:00:00

Important share announcement, information for the proposed disposal of the Bath Business Forms and Economailer businesses plus notice of Extraordinary General Meeting

Year end trading update

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:00:00

The Board of Communisis (the “Board”), the leading provider of print and marketing communication services, reports that the Company continues to trade in line with expectations for the year to 31 December 2008.

Communisis goes ‘upstream’ by acquiring customer data business, Ai

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:00:00

The Board of Communisis plc (the “Board”) (RIC: CMS.L), the leading provider of print and marketing communication services, announces that it has acquired the share capital of Absolute Intuistic, a value-added data services company, for a total consideration of up to £12.6 million in cash.

Transaction Announcement

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:00:00

Communisis shortlisted for major environmental award

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:00:00

Communisis has been shortlisted for the Achievement in Sustainability Award in the very prestigious PLC Awards, sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Financial Times. Communisis has been listed as one of four companies in the category in Wednesday’s issue of the Financial Times and will be featuring again on Saturday, with the announcement of the final winner of the award on the 12th of March.

Shortlisting is a fantastic achievement – especially for a company in this sector. It’s a tribute to every one at Communisis who have been saving energy, thinking of ways to increase paper yields, making sure they recycle, challenging customers to communicate in greener ways, and helping suppliers to achieve the right standards of accreditation. Communisis’ Greenprint also made a big impression on the judges.

Communisis CEO Steve Vaughan gave a special mention to Andrea Short- Communisis’ Environmental Support Manager, for all her hard work and particular dedication to the cause, and those working with her to improve environmental standards dramatically.

Preliminary Results Year ending 31 December 2008

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:00:00

Commenting on the results, Steve Vaughan, Chief Executive, said:

"I am pleased to report that Communisis has once again made considerable progress in the past year. Our plan to focus on cross-selling to our customers and develop a portfolio of higher value services has served us well. At a time when many businesses in our sector are suffering serious difficulties, we have grown our profits and our balance sheet is significantly strengthened. It is largely because of the robust action taken since the start of 2007 to turn around the performance of the Group that we are in a better position to weather the effects of the current economic climate.

"We expect 2009 to be a difficult year for all businesses, but we will not let up on our investment in services, nor our focus on higher value propositions. Our balance sheet strength allows us to do this. This is the best response possible to the environment we all face at present."

DCSF embrace new technology for publication production, management and delivery

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:00:00

Outsourced fulfilment provider, Prolog, and communications solutions business, Communisis, are to support the Department for Children, Schools and Families in its drive to utilise technology and enhanced channels of communication to deliver key messages to a wide and varied audience.

Over a six-year contract starting in May 2009, Prolog and Communisis will be providing an integrated managed service for all DCSF publication production, management and delivery.

The new contract, which has digital asset management and online print procurement among its many technology-led features, cuts up to 20 per cent a year from DCSF production costs. This is achieved whilst giving the Department and its stakeholders significantly greater visibility and control over their publication production and delivery cycles.

Prolog Managing Director Robert Audley commented: "This significant business gain opens a new chapter in terms of the breadth of service that Prolog can offer.

"Communisis is one of Europe’s leading multi-channel communications providers, and our partnership brings together innovation in end-to-end publications production with advanced delivery and supply chain solutions. Together, we will be helping DCSF to provide exemplary customer service and to meet its government sustainability targets."

Communisis Executive Director, Alistair Blaxill, added: "DCSF will stand to benefit hugely from the synergies that Prolog and Communisis can offer as a partnership. We are delighted to provide our business process expertise and production efficiencies to this contract. Our ability to deliver communication solutions beyond print has been recognised as a key differentiator."

Existing print suppliers to DCSF are being encouraged to seek accreditation under the Communisis sourcing model so they might continue to produce some of this work.

The award of a significantly expanded contract opens a new chapter in the 11-year relationship between DSCF and Prolog, which began with the provision of traditional multi-channel contact centre services, fulfilment, mailings and data management.

More recently, Prolog has supported DCSF in the adoption of more complex specialised services, including full real time integration with the DCSF catalogue system, online shops for publications users and e-broadcast services to schools.

Prolog’s partnership with Communisis represents the next stage in a process that exemplifies the value of private sector initiative in supporting Beacon status among major government departments, and demonstrates how new ways of sourcing and managing communications can improve customer service, deliver departmental objectives and reduce costs.

Author: Marketing

Update as at Friday 1 May 2009 - Swine Flu Pandemic

Fri, 01 May 2009 12:00:00

In response to heightened levels of concern Communisis Plc has reviewed and updated its existing Business Continuity Plan to incorporate procedures which will allow an appropriate level of response action to be taken to mitigate the potential risk and spread of Swine Flu.

Please find listed below the actions which have been taken to date:

Governance team meetings have been held
Processes have been identified and put in place in line with guidelines from public health authorities
Local BCM Managers, HR and other appropriate personnel have been brought into the management process
Initial action has been taken to monitor local site situations and provide updates where appropriate

No action is required at present other than monitoring the health of our workforce and keeping our customers informed with regular updates.

If the situation changes or we receive updated information from authoritative sources we will escalate our preventative action accordingly.

There are no known instances of suspected or confirmed swine flu at any of our sites at the present time. Further information can be obtained by contacting local site BCM Champions, John Downie or Susan Ashton.

Communisis to provide innovative print services in support of T-Mobile UK’s customer marketing campaigns

Wed, 13 May 2009 12:00:00

Communisis plc (LSE: CMS.L), the print and business process outsourcer, is pleased to announce that it is has won a contract with T-Mobile, one of the world’s largest mobile operators with more than 125 million customers worldwide and the service provider of choice for 16.7 million customers in the UK. The contract will see Communisis provide T-Mobile UK’s marketing division with a suite of efficient print sourcing and value-added consulting services, further validating Communisis’ strategy of improving the effectiveness of its clients’ customer communications activity.

The contract was awarded to Communisis following a competitive tender process. Under the terms of the contract, Communisis will manage the sourcing, procurement and distribution of print for all of T-Mobile UK’s customer marketing activity, as well as offering tailored technology-led consulting services to help T-Mobile further reduce the cost and increase the effectiveness of its UK marketing programmes.

The agreement will run for five years starting in July. Communisis expects the contract to make a limited contribution to revenue in the current financial year, with revenue scaling as the contract progresses.

Announcing the contract award, Communisis Chief Executive Officer, Steve Vaughan, commented:

“This was a hotly contested piece of business and I am extremely pleased to announce our success in winning it. Our solution will provide T-Mobile with a new and innovative way of managing its marketing needs, right the way from sourcing and procurement to distribution to customer.

“This type of work sits right in the sweet spot of Communisis’ ‘beyond print management’ model and is a strategically important contract for us that further validates our value-added offering. The service we provide will not simply reduce the cost of T-Mobile’s UK print procurement process, but also help T-Mobile be more effective and derive greater value from the way they speak to their UK customer base.”

Interim Management Statement

Wed, 20 May 2009 12:00:00

The Board of Communisis (“The Board”), the leading provider of print and marketing communication services, today publishes its Interim Management Statement.

The Board continues to develop and deliver its strategy of higher-value marketing services, which has produced good performance over the past two years. In overview, whilst our strategy is developing strong customer relationships in many parts of the business, challenging market conditions have continued to reduce volumes in less value-added segments. Current divisional performance can be summarised as follows:

Demand remains strong for our Technology and Services offerings, which are aimed at helping our clients improve their overall customer communication process. Absolute Intuistic, the value-added data services company we acquired in December 2008, is integrating well and is already beginning to win business from existing Communisis customers. Overall, this segment is trading in line with expectations.
In our Transactional Print segment, forward revenue visibility remains good. However, volume erosion in the promotional cheque mailshot marketplace has been greater than expected, following FSA guidance on their usage.
As expected, customer demand for Direct Mail continues to soften from the levels seen in early 2008, particularly amongst Financial Services customers, and visibility of demand in this segment remains poor.
Volumes of more commodity print procured by our Print Sourcing segment are lower, but with only a small profit impact.

Cost reduction efforts continue throughout the business and these have helped to offset the effects of reduced volumes.

The Company has continued to develop new revenue streams, particularly in more valueadded services and with customers outside Financial Services. New business obtained in the period has continued to reflect our marketing services strategy. These include a six year contract to provide the Department for Children, Schools and Families with an integrated managed service, and a five year deal to manage print procurement and provide data analysis services for T-Mobile. These contract wins help to broaden the customer base and to develop long-term relationships to support good growth in the coming years.

Action to reduce pension scheme liabilities by about 75%, as outlined in the Preliminary Results, has begun. The take-up rate of early retirement offers has exceeded management expectations, leading to optimism that the objectives can be reached as planned.

NHS Pensions sign Prolog and Communisis for ‘Choice’ campaign

Tue, 26 May 2009 12:00:00

NHS Pensions has signed outsourced services specialist, Prolog, and Leeds-based communications solutions business, Communisis, to provide multi-channel communications support for ‘Pensions Choice’, which gives more than 1.3 million NHS employees the opportunity to transfer their pension benefits from the 1995 Section to the 2008 Section which has a later normal retirement age of 65.

Beginning in May 2009, Prolog will support the delivery of ‘Choice’ through literature fulfilment, e-broadcasting and multi-channel customer service to members, including in-depth telephone help and advice. Communisis, an industry leader in data scanning and digital document production, will undertake high-volume direct mail of pensions information to scheme members.

Coming hard on the heels of a six-year contract for integrated Publication Production, Management and Delivery awarded by the Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF) in April 2009, this is the second substantial government business win this year for the Prolog and Communisis partnership.

Prolog Sales Director Ian Dignum commented: “The NHS has the largest centrally administered public service pensions scheme in Europe. By choosing Prolog and Communisis to support Pensions Choice, it will benefit from a single, centrally managed solution to a complex, sensitive and sustained communications and distribution operation.

“The contract delivers a clear statement of Prolog’s ability to deliver total business solutions; and is a further example of how synergy between two expert communications providers, both leaders in their respective fields, can bring highly tangible advantages for key government departments and, in this case, their employees. ”

Communisis Managing Director, Alistair Blaxill, said: “Through our partnership with Prolog, NHS Pensions can combine the businesses strength and expertise of data driven transactional communications, document production and multi-channel delivery. This contract win demonstrates our commitment to support the public service sector with a range of services that can help improve their communication processes and delivery.”

Pensions Choice will get under way in England and Wales at the end of May when scheme members receive initial notification with their pay slip and is expected to take three years to complete.

Consumer White paper

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:00:00

The Board of Communisis plc (LSE: CMS.L), the print and business process outsourcer,
notes the UK Government’s proposal to ban the issue of unsolicited credit card cheque
mailers, as contained in the ‘Consumer White Paper’ released earlier today by the
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Communisis has exposure to this area
through its Transactional Print business.

Trading Update

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:00:00

The Board of Communisis (“The Board”), the leading provider of print and marketing communication services, provides the following update on trading for the half year ended 30 June 2009.

In its Interim Management Statement of 20 May 2009, the Board noted that challenging market conditions had continued to reduce volumes in its less value-added segments. As the year has gone on, so these factors have continued to impact the business in all of its business areas.

Communisis selected by William Hill

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:00:00

Author: Andy Blundell

Communisis to provide innovative print services in support of William Hill’s customer marketing campaigns

Paper still valued for documentation

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:00:00

Three quarters (74 per cent) of consumers continue to receive hard copy statements from their financial services and utility suppliers, new research from Communisis reveals today.

The consumer omnibus survey, through fastMAP, revealed that almost half of people (49 per cent) continue to want paper statements to keep a handle on their finances and file for their records..

Communisis further strengthens Print Management division

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:00:00

Communisis has announced two staffing changes in Print Management as part of the ongoing evolution of its business. Paul Bennett will take on additional responsibilities in his role as Group Director for Business Development and Simon Tate has returned to Communisis as a Consultant.

Bennett’s promotion will see him take full responsibility for print management services, including sales, with the aim of further improving the effectiveness of this important component of Communisis’ offering. He will now be responsible for sales from the Newcastle and Rickmansworth offices.

Communisis partnering with The Marketing Society

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:00:00

Communisis is proud to announce a new partnership with The Marketing Society, and we will be sponsoring the 50th Anniversary Gala Dinner on 16 November.

Getting personal – Marketing Magazine 14th October 2009

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:00:00

Get even more personal.

We know how personalisation improves a campaign’s results, but data-driven individualisation goes one step further, boosting customer experience and ROI.

Reducing the risk- Marketing Magazine 27th May 2009

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:00:00

It’s all about ratios. If you’re a bank it might be the critical struggle with capital ratios; in other corporates it might be liquidity, debtor or asset ratios. But for the marketer it’s judging whether the pound that you’ve just spent could have been better used elsewhere, or spent reaching someone else.

The future of customer communications- Data Strategy

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:00:00

Retention is not just a marketing strategy, it is an entire business focus. Not only do you retain valuable customers, cross-selling and up-selling at lower cost than acquiring new customers, you also leverage existing infrastructure, from customer data through to CRM systems.

Communisis Management Changes

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:00:00

Following the announcement of a new Chief Executive 27 August 2009, Communisis today confirms that the appointment of Andy Blundell became effective on 31 October 2009.

Notification of major interest in shares

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:00:00

Purchase of shares

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:00:00

Interim Management Statement

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:00:00

The Board of Communisis (“The Board”), the leading provider of print and marketing communication services, today publishes its Interim Management Statement for the third quarter ended 30 September 2009.

Overall, trading during the third quarter was broadly in line with management expectations. However, the market pressures we referred to in our interim results statement have continued in the second half and visibility of future orders remains difficult.

Progress in cross selling services to clients from different parts of the business has been encouraging during the third quarter. This provides further validation of our strategic move to the provision of higher value marketing services which enable our customers to be more profitable with their own customer communications.

The divisional performance during the third quarter can be summarised as follows:

Demand for our Technology and Services offering continues to be strong and increased activity levels are being sustained in this business.
The Transactional Print division continues to perform in line with our expectations. As we said in August, we are not yet seeing the return of rebranding and other project work and the overall market for promotional cheque mailshots continues to decline.
The Direct Mail business remains our biggest challenge. The recovery in volume that we saw towards the end of the first half continued in Q3, but with no significant improvement yet in the volume of higher value personalised mailings and continued margin pressure. The uncertainties at Royal Mail have not helped our clients’ campaign planning.
Print Sourcing is in line with expectations and the implementation of accounts won in H1 2009 and Q3 2009 is proceeding well. The division continues to provide a good source of new business for other divisions within the Group.

We have completed the renewal of our third committed bank loan facility, with KBC Bank N.V. The renewed facility, which is on normal commercial terms, has been increased to £10m and will fall due for repayment in February 2012. Forecast debt at the end of the second half is expected to be broadly comparable to the end of the first half at £25m. Our overall committed debt facilities now total £50m.

Notification of Major Interest in Shares

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:00:00

Whilst a number of brands are already producing magalogs the levels of targeting and sophistication vary across the board. Some issue one standard magalog to an entire customer base and others use a little more science to produce purpose-made editions based on the traditional direct marketing principles of targeting messages towards specific customer segments.

Obvious segmentation aside, the combination of advances in digital print technologies and enhanced data insight means that brands and publishers are now in a position to achieve even greater personalisation in customer communications. In fact, many businesses are already aware of the benefits of customer understanding and one to one marketing, but have yet to realise the potential of combining the two.

There is nothing to stop businesses producing a library of pre-made pages, ready for inclusion in bespoke publications designed on the basis of each individual customer’s purchase or browser history. However fundamental to this approach is a sound knowledge of potential ROI

For example, if I’m a 25 year old bachelor shopping for kitchenware at John Lewis, then any communication with me should reflect this. As a customer I’m unlikely to be interested in the same products that would interest an older John Lewis shopper and certain products will be totally irrelevant. To take this idea further, rather than just producing a set number of magalogs for certain customer segments – one for the over 65s, one for the under 25s and so on – ambitious brands should look to tailor specific versions to the individual. And the idea of an individual isn’t just about age. It’s about lifestage, wealth, household composition, wants, needs and the whole panoply of variables that identify individuals.

By collating, ordering and understanding a wide range of consumer data brands are able to paint a clear picture of what each customer is likely to be interested in. This added to purchase history even browsing behaviour online allows the retailer to harness this insight to generate intelligence driven communications. Magalogs are an increasingly popular way of doing this. Research from the Association of Publishing Agencies shows that people read customer magazines for an average of 25 minutes, proving this medium has the potential to engage consumers more deeply than any other marketing tool.

Customers clearly value these publications, and more brands are waking up to the value and benefits that magalogs can offer. By harnessing the data that customers provide with every single brand interaction and channelling this insight through existing digital print technologies, businesses will be able to showcase relevant products through this highly targeted and highly engaging platform.

Charles Ping
Communisis

Read the full article at U Talk Marketing here

Holding in Company

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:00:00

Putting customers before channels – Database Marketing

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:00:00

The number of communication channels to reach the consumer has proliferated in recent years and has opened up a world of opportunities for marketers – but is too much emphasis being thrown onto a channel-driven approach to data marketing, when a customer-driven approach is really what’s required, asks Anthony Begley?

Jon Cano-Lopez, Managing Director, Ai Data Intelligence, features in Database Marketing’s ‘Putting customers before channels’ article and discusses the need for a focus on a single customer view. "If you have all the data you need, you get it all in one place and you really, genuinely understand your customers and prospects, then the channel is irrelevant. The customer is all that matters."

View the full article here.

The ‘Putting customers before channels’ article is from Database Marketing
www.dmarket.co.uk

Holding in Company

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:00:00

Communisis shortlisted in the Marketing Week Engage Awards for ‘Data-driven Marketing’ campaign

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:00:00

Communisis is delighted to announce that it has been shortlisted in the Marketing Week Engage Awards 2010.

Ai Data Intelligence, a Communisis company, has been shortlisted in the ‘Data-driven Marketing’ category for its work with Direct Line. Ai’s campaign objective was to profile existing Direct Line Motor customers to enable the production of a highly targeted communications strategy, enhancing the relevance of each individual customer interaction. The winner will be announced on Tuesday 18^th May at the Grosvenor House Hotel.

Lodging of documents with the financial services authority; Mailing of annual report and accounts to shareholders; Directors responsibility statements; Annual general meeting; Key dates relating to the final dividend

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:00:00

PDMR Shareholding

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:00:00

Should marketers be free to use customer data? Charles Ping gives his thoughts on the Data Debate held by The Marketing Society.

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:00:00

The Marketing Society debate last night on the motion that “Marketers should be free to use any data they wish” gave a surprising win for those against the motion.

I would have ordinarily supposed that responsible marketers - and a Marketing Society event will surely only attract that particular breed – would prefer to use more data not less.

The rationale that only an ignorant or stupid marketer would use any data that led to detriment in the bond of trust between a brand and the consumer seemed to lack enough steam to overpower the fear that life really isn’t like that.

A spirited contribution from journalist Michael Cross identified his fear that we were sleepwalking into a privacy “closedown”. The flip reaction to excessive privacy fears is data stasis – and that could really hinder society. Julian Elliott, whilst nominally speaking against the motion, supported some of Michael Cross’s beliefs when it came to the cost and availability of some key property data sets controlled by the government

One of the key problems with any privacy debate is that the voices of the activists against the wider use of data usually presuppose that marketing is a dark art that seeks to manipulate consumers for its own gains. This naïve argument forgets the basic tenet of business in a free society. A business satisfies a consumer need. If it does it well the result is enduring profit and “sustainable competitive advantage”. If it does it badly – through poor initial market research, weak product development or inadequate delivery then the company will lose money and ultimately disappear.

The UK has strong and well managed legislation and an engaged regulator in the Information Commissioner. Indeed Chris Graham, the Information Commissioner himself, was on the panel last night and emphasised the carrot and stick approach to regulation. At last the government have seen fit to equip our data regulator with a stick big enough to cause real pain if required. Sensible marketers should cheer on April 6th when this comes into force because the good guys can continue to grow whilst the bad guys can be £500,000 poorer if they aren’t careful.

One of the general conclusions, both from the floor and in the bar afterwards, was that marketers should perhaps have the ability to use more data but with an Evelyn Waugh-ish coda of “up to a point”. Alex Marks from Ebay made the very good point that marketers who lose sight of the “value trade” that customers instinctively see in the use of data will tread quickly into very deep and very warm waters.

If you’re going to use data on customers or prospects well then you must be certain that it won’t spook them, It’s presented in a way that offers them a clear and genuine benefit and that it is “proportionate” in the consumers eyes. But that’s how marketers always work, isn’t it?

Lodging of Documents with the Financial Services Authority

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:00:00

Annual Information Update

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 12:00:00

Research: Paper still valued for documentation

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 12:00:00

Research from Communisis reveals that three quarters of consumers continue to receive hard copy statements from their financial services and utility suppliers.

The consumer omnibus survey, through fastMAP, revealed that almost half of people (49 per cent) continue to want paper statements to keep a handle on their finances and file for their records.

Interestingly, one in seven people (15 per cent) cited the case for paper statements because they either do not trust or do not use online banking. Men showed a higher propensity for online documentation than woman (13 per cent of men not trusting or banking online versus 16 per cent of women), but in general paper statements were found to be more popular with men than women (53 per cent, men, 47 per cent, women).

The majority of respondents (54 per cent) were found to receive between one and three paper statements every month. Yet over a quarter (27 per cent) was found to be sent between four and six statements through the post. 8 per cent receive over seven hard copy statements, up to 15 per month and only 11 per cent do not receive any, preferring to deal with their paper work online. Only 9 per cent of consumers said the reason they continue to receive statements through the post was because they had not been given the option for digital delivery by their supplier, suggesting that consumers are receiving paper statements through choice due to perceived convenience.

Blocklisting Six Monthly Return

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 12:00:00

Change of Adviser

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:00:00

Holding in Company

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:00:00

AGM results

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:00:00

AGM results and documents lodged with the FSA

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:00:00

Interim Management Statement 2010

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:00:00

Communisis plc (LSE: CMS), the expert in customer communication, today publishes its Interim Management Statement for the three months ended 31 March 2010.

Trading in the first quarter has met our expectations, and we continue to progress a number of new business opportunities.

T-Mobile signs up to use Communisis’ intelligent eProcurement system

Mon, 10 May 2010 12:00:00

T-Mobile has become the latest organisation to implement Communisis’ IQ+ supply management solution, a system incorporating a range of bespoke technologies that dramatically increases the efficiency of the procurement of print, Point of Sale material, store-specific marketing collateral and packaging.

IQ+ monitors real-time information on the individual requirements of each store and uses the data to intelligently produce and distribute only the materials needed, eliminating overproduction and waste.

Communisis has developed IQ+ as an evolution of its previous IQ product to enable brands and retailers to easily address the key issues that result in poor in-store POS activation and display compliance that can result in wastage in excess of 30 per cent.

This single, intuitive and intelligent solution enables brands and retailers to:

• Optimise supply chain arrangements

• Automate time consuming activities

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) regulations now require deposit takers, such as banks, building societies and credit unions, to build a single customer view (SCV) which provides an aggregated record of the holdings of each individual.

This report looks at what is required to build a single customer view and what a company can gain from putting the SCV in place.

This report also looks at:

- the challenges when building an SCV

- the high costs forecast, and whether these costs can be mitigated by working with an outsourced provider

- the additional benefits for the marketing function, including higher data quality and improved product cross-sell and up-sell

Communisis signs five year communications deal with Wolseley UK

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 12:00:00

Marketing services provider Communisis has signed a five year contract with Wolseley UK, part of Wolseley plc, the world’s largest distributor of plumbing, heating and building products.

Communisis will provide Wolseley UK with a full end-to-end communications solution, incorporating scanning, indexing, document composition, personalised transactional and payroll documentation and postage.

Wolseley UK will obtain improved cost efficiencies and communication effectiveness through the deployment of market leading HP Exstream technology for composition. This will enable a future migration to a ‘white paper’ solution which will deliver the ability to incorporate highly personalised messaging through a multi-channel output.

The five year deal underpins the successful long-term relationship between Communisis and Wolseley UK, for whom Communisis already provides a full print management solution that includes base stock, envelopes and payslips and delivers a next day service to more than 1,500 locations, with more than 300 stock lines, via a bespoke on-line system.

Susannah Smith, Indirect Procurement Manager - Business Services at Wolseley UK commented:

“After researching the marketplace, we chose Communisis because of its proven ability to deliver the best solution to improve and streamline communication processes. We wanted to engage with a transactional communications specialist who could make available to us current and future market leading technologies, to ensure added value through the term of our relationship. Communisis’ intelligence-driven communications provides a platform for future innovation and efficiencies aligned to our communication strategy.”

Andy Blundell, Chief Executive at Communisis added:

“Wolseley is the market leader in its field and a huge player in the industry. We are delighted to announce the further development of our long-term relationship, which will not only deliver significant efficiency savings but also enable Wolseley UK to take full advantage of market leading technologies enabling the continued evolution of the way the business interacts with its customers over the next five years.”

Ends

For more information please contact:

Eulogy! at communisis@eulogy.co.uk or call 0207 927 9999

Notes to editors

About Communisis
Communisis is a marketing services provider, specialising in helping customers make their communications processes more profitable. Working in partnership with its blue chip clients, Communisis helps to reduce costs and improve the effectiveness of the whole business process of customer communications.
Through its proven experience and scale, it allows clients to transform their customer communications processes by enhancing and deploying customer data; providing technology to automate and streamline workflows; and have world-class production capabilities that can output via print and electronic channels.

Trading update and change in segmental reporting

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:00:00

Marketing Services Provider Communisis plc, (LSE: CMS), is releasing an update on trading for the half year ended 30 June 2010 in advance of its interim results announcement on 26 August 2010 and also announces a change in segmental reporting to reflect better the company’s strategy and demand drivers.

Trading

The Board advises that trading has met its expectations for the first half of the current financial year. The Group’s balance sheet remains strong with net debt better than management expectations and at similar levels to those reported at 31 December 2009. Plans to re-purpose our Leeds Direct Mail business have progressed to schedule. The new Hewlett Packard high-speed colour digital platform has now produced several live projects for customers. The plan to remove legacy printing equipment has been completed within budget, unlocking cost savings on an on-going basis.

Change in segmental reporting

Communisis’ strategy is to help clients improve the effectiveness and profitability of their customer and prospect communications and to optimise their marketing investments. This is done by providing a range of integrated marketing services. The acquisition and subsequent integration of Absolute Intuistic in 2009, coupled with the earlier disposal of the business forms operation, supports this strategy. The Group’s activities are therefore now predominantly focused in two main areas which are:

Intelligence Driven Communications (IDC) and
Specialist Production and Sourcing (SPS)

Read full statement here:

Author: Andy Blundell

Communisis and Marketing Week's intelligence-driven marketing roundtable event

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:00:00

Gathering intelligence is the secret to success.

Marketing Week’s roundtable, run in association with Communisis, gains insight into how brands can benefit from clever data marketing.

Communisis’s Alistair Blaxill and Charles Ping take part in the intelligence-driven marketing roundtable discussion with attendees including:

- Marketing Week Editor, Mark Choueke

- Head of brand and communications, First Direct, Natalie Cowen

- Marketing director, Phones4U, Russell Braterman

- Data and analysis director, BSkyB, Simon Kaffel

- Global brand director, Barclaycard, Gary Twelvetree

Download the article to read some of the UK’s most acclaimed marketers thoughts on data marketing, single customer view’s and multi-channel marketing.