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Name Bill Cockburn

Occupation Various, including president of the Institute of Direct

Marketing

Age 58 - but looking younger

Do you have a degree? No

Marital status Married for 31 years

No of children Two daughters

Do you have any pets? No

No of working hours per week Far too many but it's fun.

Do you have any hobbies? Playing golf badly and driving my sports car

round the Hants countryside. Although not a hobby, I was in the

Territorial Army for over 25 years reaching the rank of colonel. I am

now an Honorary Colonel Commandant of The Royal Logistic Corps.

What is your favourite film? African Queen

What is your favourite television programme? The news

What newspapers do you read? Whichever is available

What car do you drive? Daimler and my fun MG RV8 sports job

What kind of house do you live in? A quiet 1920's detached

Do you smoke? Ugh!

How many units of alcohol do you consume a week? I spill more than I

should drink

What's your favourite drink? Malt whisky

How many holidays do you take a year? Life is a holiday

Where did you go on your last holiday? Edinburgh (my favourite

place)

What was the last product you ordered by phone? Ski insurance

What was the last thing you ordered over the internet? A holiday for my

daughter - it worked and she enjoyed it.

How long do you spend sending/replying to emails every day? Varies, but

around 90 minutes a day and increasing

Do you open all your direct mail? Of course, but I don't read all of

it

How many loyalty cards do you carry in your wallet? None

Describe your typical working day

Reading the newspaper,checking the email, opening the post, ringing

colleagues depending on which of my companies I'm involved with. I

either work from home or travel to London. In short, lots of reading,

communicating, lunches and dinners. Each day is different and usually

fun.

What's the worst part of your job? Travelling to work if the roads are

congested, especially if I'm driving. Also having to read too much

bumph.

If you could choose to work for any other company, what would it be?

I have had the very good fortune to be the CEO of The Post Office, the

CEO of WH Smith and the Group MD of BT as well as being non-executive

director of companies such as LEX Service, Centrica, Kymata and

Whitbread. I am also a trustee of The Princess Royal Trust for Carers

and a council member of the Industrial Society and chairman of the

London branch of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry.

My preference is to be involved with a portfolio of organisations on a

part-time basis.

Which person do you most admire in direct marketing and why? I admire a

number of people in the industry, too many to name individually although

a special mention must go to Derek Holder of the IDM and most of all to

the Royal Mail postmen and women who make direct mail possible.

If someone at a dinner party asks what you do for a living, what do you

say? Lots of things but nothing full time.

If you could send a piece of direct mail to anyone in history, who would

it be and what would you send? I'd send a direct mail piece to Moses

promoting the medium either in written or electronic format in

preference to lugging about great heavy lumps of stone. Just think how

much easier it would have been to communicate the Ten Commandments to

the market place, although it's debatable whether the take up would have

been any more effective.

What one thing would you improve about the direct marketing

industry?

Getting address lists in good shape.There's nothing more irritating to

people than getting an inappropriate piece of mail, incorrectly

addressed.

How did you get into marketing? In my view it's a part of any job, not

just the marketing director's turf. For me it all started in The Post

Office.

How did you react when you became president of the IDM? I am delighted

to have been appointed president of the IDM. There has only been one

other and that was Lord Dearing, a magnificent man who was chairman of

The Post Office in 1981 and who had me appointed to the board at age 38.

His are very impressive footsteps to follow.

What's the single most important piece of advice you would give someone

running a direct marketing campaign? Really think about the impact your

message will make in the first seven seconds. If you don't make an

impact in that time the chances are that the mail piece will be binned

or the e-message will be zapped.That is the creative moment of truth.