It was tough trading in 2007

We have seen retailers responding in different ways. Some of the more prominent reactions include Woolworths's 20% discount on certain lines - a significant move by a cash retailer, especially one with such brand positioning.

The usual motor vehicle deals of a three-month 'payment holiday' have been advertised at an extended seven-month holiday. These and many other reactive marketing activities demonstrate the pressures and need for marketers to find innovative ways to rejuvenate and maintain sales volumes.

However, in our view at PRIMEDIA@HOME, the true marketing champions have been those who focused most carefully on, and strategically reviewed and amended, their marketing plans. We have seen several canny marketers move from mass media advertising to direct, precision based, marketing.

The benefits of precision-based direct marketing, targeting the right customer in the right place, at the right time, as cheaply as possible, have become crucial to their survival.

As financial pressures increase on consumers in 2008, we are likely to see more retailers and other organisations swing to direct marketing to avail their businesses of tightly focused, precision targeting.