COMPANIES TO OFFER INDIVIDUAL CATALOGUES
By Adnews Staff
Moore Corporation Ltd. and Tele-Direct (Publications) Inc. will launch a joint marketing pilot project in Ontario later this year offering consumers tailor-made catalogues. Although details are still being worked out, Michael Barrett, Moore's public affairs director, told Adnews the project will be based on a service that has been successful in the Netherlands. The Netherlands service, a partnership between Moore and KPN Multimedia, works by allowing consumers interested in buying certain items to call a number and give details about the specifications and price range they're seeking. That information is then transferred to Moore, which uses its databases to come up with a list of products that meet a consumer's expectations. A four-color catalogue featuring those products is then put together and mailed out to the consumer within 48 hours. For the pilot project, Moore will be approaching a select group of advertisers to participate. Product and service categories that will be used in the pilot include automobiles, consumer electronics, home appliances, travel and financial services. Advertisers pay only for each occasion their product is featured in a catalogue. In the Netherlands, consumers are charged only $1.50 for their initial phone call. The partners still haven't decided exactly where the pilot will run. They will be advertising the service to consumers, but haven't decided whether they will hire an agency or handle advertising in-house, Barrett said. In the Netherlands the service is promoted through direct mail and billboards. Barrett said the Netherlands service has been extremely successful, with 45% of the service's users making a related purchase within 60 days. Toronto-based Moore is a supplier of business communications products. The Tele-Direct group of companies market and publish directories and is owned by BCE Inc. of Montreal.