Transcon exec sees upside potential in online direct marketing

Last November, Transcontinental acquired four, small technology firms and consolidated them into a communications marketing division. The new head of that division, Christian Trudeau, said in an interview published in La Presse that the company is prepared to act quickly on other acquisitions in database and e-mail marketing "if it finds rare pearls in the market".

The communications marketing division is the only one of Transcon's divisions -- the other being media (including consumer and b2b magazines) and printing -- to be generating significant new revenue sources.

He said while other media and particularly traditional direct mail were hit hard by the recession, there was great potential in direct marketing online: "If one looks at the market data, this is a field of tremendous growth. More and more companies will use e-mail to reach their customers."

However he said that doesn't mean the focus on electronic mail will cannibalize more traditional businesses, such as the Publisac distribution, which is important to the company's flyer printing business. "We are here to bring more business to other divisions."
[Photo: Robert Skinner, La Presse]