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IMS wins race to clinch UK accreditation first

IMS has strengthened its position as market leaders and innovators by being the very first agency in the UK to achieve the DMA Field Marketing Best Practice Accreditation.

The accreditation serves as an approved stamp of quality for practitioners, and benefits clients by allowing them to easily identify and procure the best quality field marketing services the UK has to offer.

The accreditation process included a full day on-site audit for IMS. The DMA audit team looked at 57 different points over 19 areas, including client contracts, understanding the client brief and standards in the field. IMS proved it was 100% compliant with all the required standards.

When the much-vaunted initiative was launched in September, IMS reiterated its pledge to be at the forefront of it, and became part of the first group of companies striving to meet the strict criteria that are required.

Vice chair of the DMA Field Marketing Council, IMS Operations Director Steve Radford, said: "We are delighted to be the first to achieve accreditation."

"Feedback from clients has been very positive. Of the clients surveyed in advance, all said that the scheme will make future purchasing processes and decisions easier.

"By selecting an accredited company they can be sure that they are working with one of the very best field marketing providers."

The accreditation is far removed from IMS' early days, when it was launched by its founder directors from a back bedroom in 2000. It has grown year-on-year ever since and now employs 25 staff in its new headquarters at Doncaster and draws upon a national field sales team totalling 2,000.

IMS carries out a range of point-of-purchase marketing activity, ranging from merchandising to price and stock auditing, to mystery shopping visits.

The company has a growing portfolio of clients on the High Street, working in all sectors from pubs to pizzas, soaps to stationery. Coca-Cola, T-mobile, the Abbey building society and The Guardian newspaper - for whom it delivered an award-winning campaign last year - all feature on an impressive client list of household names. It recently secured its first European contract.
Contact Information
For further information please contact:

IMS
Tel: 0870 701 0866
www.ukims.co.uk

DMA
Tel: 020 7291 3300
www.dma.org.uk