We’ve all had unsolicited mail through our letter boxes for a variety of merchandise from more or less reputable companies.
Now Telecom is joining the fray with direct marketing of cellphones.
Mobile Innovations, a listed Australian provider of mobile telephony services, will bring its direct marketing model to New Zealand under an arrangement with Telecom New Zealand.
The direct marketing arrangement gives Mobile Innovations a percentage of users' airtime revenue, while "giving New Zealand consumers a wider choice to purchase mobile phone packages direct via catalogues and direct mail”, says Mobile Innovations CEO Jonathan Marchbank.
Mobile Innovations is a sister company of Innovations and Homecare, the former a provider of a wide variety of mail order products, and the latter specialising in goods for the home.
The latter two have accumulated a database of more than two million households in Australia and New Zealand, to which Mobile Innovations will have access.
The new company will operate out of an Innovations New Zealand office with established delivery systems. This will minimise set-up costs.
Marchbank is newly-appointed as CEO, to spearhead the company's expansion into New Zealand "and potentially other markets”, he says.
The company’s core business in Australia is as an agent for Vodafone "but we are keen to diversify our revenue base and to look at other markets”, Marchbank says.
"The Telecom arrangement is our first step in expanding overseas, and represents our first association with another carrier outside Australia."