DC Thomson

DC Thomson was founded in 1905 and is Europe's largest family owned media business. It employs around 2000 people in offices in Dundee, Glasgow and London where it is the largest major national publisher remaining in Fleet Street. D.C. Thomson produces more than 200 million magazines, newspapers and comics each year, with famous titles including the Sunday Post, People's Friend, Weekly News, Beano, Dandy and many more.

Objectives

Press Ahead was invited by DC Thomson to undertake a review of the business processes relating to subscription marketing and management with a view to introducing improved working practices and driving volumes and profitability.

Approach

A detailed review was carried out working with staff in a highly inclusive way. This encompassed people, skills, processes, marketing and systems and extended beyond the immediate area and into other functions that also sold products and services direct to the public. Alongside this was incorporated a fact find that sought to identify best practice in the sector as a result of meeting and benchmarking with other publishers and CRM-related providers in the industry.

Results

The project remains ongoing but a clear business plan has been established that will see the establishment of a single 'direct to consumer' sales department that will operate on the basis of being a stand-alone profit centre. The ambition is to reinforce its position of being a major player in magazine subscription and mail order of published matter and other products and services sought by its database of loyal customers. If you like, creating a 'mini Amazon'.

A new staff structure has been created that will ensure that, together with the investment in a new customer relationship management system, upgraded call centre telephony technology and a re-designed e-commerce website, the ambition will be realised.

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