AIM Proximity gains senior US marketing experience

AIM Proximity gains senior US marketing experience, appointing Richard Fraser to new strategic planning role

AUCKLAND – 23 August 2004 – AIM Proximity, New Zealand's leading direct and interactive marketing agency, today announced the appointment of Richard Fraser to the position of Planning Director, where he will be responsible for planning marketing and communication campaigns from the Wellington office. New Zealander Richard Fraser has nine years of extensive experience and proven commercial success in the highly competitive US direct marketing industry.

According to Darryn Melrose, Managing Director, AIM Proximity – Wellington, acquiring a marketing expert with such international experience is a significant gain for the company.

“The AIM Proximity office in Wellington already contains an impressive collection of highly skilled marketing professionals. Richard’s expertise, however, developed in the cut and thrust world of US direct marketing, represent an important enhancement of the company’s ability to deliver successful direct and interactive marketing solutions to clients.”

Richard Fraser is a graduate from the University of Otago, with a Masters Degree in Commerce. Apart from planning and managing interactive and direct consumer and business-to-business marketing projects, his specialities include customer relationship management, channel integration strategy, and e-marketing. Mr Fraser’s key achievements in the US include successfully developing and marketing several branded credit card programs for leading direct marketing organisation, Affinity Group; constructing and unifying a multi-tiered database containing details of over seven and a half million households; and managing direct marketing campaigns of nine million pieces annually.

“My passion for planning, managing and executing exciting interactive and direct marketing initiatives fits well with AIM Proximity’s commitment to innovation and market leadership,” says Richard Fraser. “I am looking forward to helping the company continue its award-winning track record and develop its remarkable client base.”

About AIM Proximity

Established in 1988, AIM Proximity is New Zealand’s largest direct and interactive marketing agency, with more than 100 personnel working from offices in Auckland and Wellington. Combining proven direct marketing leadership with award winning database and new interactive media, AIM Proximity offers a complete range of solutions to bring brands closer to customers.

AIM Proximity has won numerous awards in the last decade, including consistent success at the New Zealand Direct Marketing Awards. In March this year, AIM Proximity was named the 2004 AdMedia Agency of the Year. In addition, the company has had continued success overseas, winning four medals at the prestigious John Caples International Awards in New York this year, gaining recognition at the US-based International Echo Awards and the Marketing Direct Awards in Britain, and being ranked second best DM agency in the world in the recent Won Report.

AIM Proximity joined the worldwide Proximity group of companies in 2000. Proximity is a new generation Customer Relationship Management (CRM) network which marries direct marketing with database, CRM and interactive media to create and nurture brand relationships. Created for the new media environment, Proximity eclipses traditional direct marketing by fusing together all of these principles.

More information on AIM Proximity and the Proximity network is available at http://www.aimproximity.co.nz

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