ADVERTISING
IDMA launches 'Tenders for Members'
05-06-2003
by Andrew McLindon
The Irish Direct Marketing Association (IDMA) has launched an on-line tenders service for its members.
The IDMA said on Thursday that the service will enable it to reach more businesses, while helping companies to simplify and reduce the cost of their direct marketing buying.
The service allows any business seeking direct marketing assistance to lodge the details of its tender for free to the organisation's site. This information will then be assessed by the IDMA and, if approved, posted to the secure tenders section of its Web site. IDMA members can then access these tenders by logging onto the secure section with a unique password.
According to Kieran Killeen, chairperson of the IDMA, the "Tenders for Members" service will benefit members and non-members of the association. "In an increasingly competitive and budget conscious environment, the IDMA is introducing a service that will ensure that companies looking to avail of direct marketing services can do so knowing that they are reaching the very best practitioners in Ireland," he said in a statement.
According to IDMA, First Active was one of the first businesses to use the service. The financial institution's marketing manager, Brendan O'Hara, said that it had helped First Active to reduce the internal resources required to manage the tendering process. O'Hara also described it as "simple and effective."
IDMA claimed it was the first trade organisation in Ireland to offer such a service and said it was the first in a series of strategic initiatives that will be implemented by the body over the next 12 months.
However, a similar service is offered by Irish Web site Easyquote.ie. It is an independent gateway that gives businesses the opportunity to receive multiple quotes from a variety of suppliers in a range of sectors including direct marketing. For instance, its direct marketing section for Dublin appears to contain 89 suppliers to choose from. The site also has listings for suppliers in the business areas it covers in each of the 32 counties of Ireland. Suppliers pay to be listed on Easyquote.ie.
The IDMA is made-up of companies and individuals who engage in direct marketing or who provide a service to the direct marketing industry.
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