Aylesbury, UK: Comic Relief is introducing geographic information systems (GIS) technology to boost its marketing activity for Sport Relief 2010 and other upcoming fundraising events by signing a contract with ESRI (UK), the GIS market leader.
Comic Relief is upgrading its existing software marketing system which relied heavily on manual input to a more sophisticated platform that will use geographic analysis to maximise the fundraising potential of its 2010 Sports Relief campaign. ESRI's ArcView and ArcGIS Explorer desktop software will enable Comic Relief to easily map and make targeted marketing decisions on the location of potential participants likely to attend the Sports Relief events.
The Sports Relief events comprise various mile runs across the UK. With spatial representation of potential fundraising hotspots, Comic Relief can more efficiently target specific advertising and local grass roots marketing campaigns to encourage support. The ESRI software closely integrates with Microsoft's Bing Maps which enables detailed planning of upcoming event locations such as the nearest train stations, parks, police stations etc.
James Taylor, database analyst, Comic Relief said: 'ESRI's ArcGIS software allows us to make more informed decisions in our marketing activity and makes it a lot easier to process information because of its geographic visual representation. We can now circulate highly targeted geographic information across our organisation that supports our marketing strategy. The overlay of hybrid aerial street maps with Bing Maps adds an extra layer of critical information when planning the location of new events.'
Richard Waite, Managing Director, ESRI (UK) said: 'We are committed to supporting the UK's charitable sector and organisations like Comic Relief. We are delighted that Comic Relief is benefiting from the ESRI ArcGIS software platform and its ability to offer a geographical perspective on its planning. The technology's advantages are not only available to the commercial sector but also those organisations that are tackling some of the world's biggest issues and helping the most vulnerable.'
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About ESRI (UK)
ESRI (UK) (http://www.esriuk.com) is part of the global ESRI network. With the single, largest pool of GIS expertise in the UK, the company is the technical authority on GIS. ESRI (UK) provides solutions, technology and services including off the shelf applications built on the ArcGIS software suite and an extensive range of consulting and training services.
ESRI (UK)'s offerings meet a range of business needs in different markets including Business, Local & Central Government, Defence, Public Safety, Utilities and Telecommunications, as well as catering for system integrators and application developers through the ESRI Developer Network.
ESRI (UK)'s customers include both public sector clients such as Leeds City Council, Metropolitan Police, DCLG, The Environment Agency and businesses including Thames Water, RSA Group and The AA.
ESRI (UK) helps businesses become more profitable and public service more efficient through the better use of geographic information. The ability to understand customers' needs and harness the power of GIS for the long-term benefit of organisations is what we call Visionary Thinking.