• by John Gaffney , April 17, 2003

In the past ten days the direct marketing business has seen two substantial deals. The biggest one was when the WPP Group consolidated OgilvyOne and MindShare. On a smaller scale, Cossette Post, acquired fellow New York company Tarsitano Creative, a direct marketing agency specialized in developing strategic marketing solutions for its clients.

Peter Post, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cossette Post, said the direct marketing element is critical as the economy continues to find a footing this year. Direct mail and direct marketing are accountable and easily measurable, he said. So the acquisition will help Cossette post strengthen its offering in that area.

"Whenever business gets tough like it is now, more and more clients want to know exactly what they're getting when they spend their money," Post said. "We see that our clients want something they know can directly spike sales."

Cossette Post is owned by Canadian agency Cossette Communications. Its current client roster includes the IRS, the U.S. Coast Guard, Citibank and women's retailer Cache. Cossette already owns Blitz Direct Data &Promotion, a direct marketing unit. Tarsitano will give Cossette New York a stronger creative profile. It is a 17-year-old direct marketing agency with ten employees. Its gross income is over $2 million. The company specializes in developing solutions for clients mostly involved in the credit card, publishing, financial services and entertainment industries. Among its clients are MasterCard International, Columbia House, Quicken Loans and Gateway Learning.

Post is not concerned about trying to compete with the direct marketing force created by WPP. "We don't try to compete," he said. "We're here to serve our clients. We apply convergent media techniques here. When a client works with us they have access to all services within one shop."