Well, then. What about direct? Given the way that consumer empowerment and digital technologies are changing the world of marketing, how will direct evolve so that it plays as vital a role in the future of marketing as it does right now?
In the broadest sense, direct marketing will continue to play a pivotal role in any truly integrated marketing campaign, says Larry Kimmel, chairman and CEO of G2 Direct & Digital, formerly Grey Direct. “Direct marketing is not direct mail, DRTV, e-mail, or DR print,” says Kimmel. “Rather, direct marketing is a method that seeks to implement the most efficient and effective marketing communications initiatives.
“The world of marketing will forever change, but direct marketing with its ROI maximization mentality will always play a leadership role,” says Kimmel. “We are the ones that can lead to a path to discover the most effective strategies once again.”
That’s certainly been the case with the Internet, where interactive marketers have looked to the world of direct for guidance, says Michelle Bottomley, co- managing director of OgilvyOne, which specializes in interactive marketing. “We are seeing an aggressive move into Web 2.0 by direct marketers to integrate direct marketing techniques into digital channels,” she says. For example, “As video proliferates online, we’re using more direct response TV on Web sites, as well as within banner ads that have a ‘click to talk with agent’ option.”
Beyond that, direct mail has also found a role in helping drive Internet traffic in a highly targeted and relevant way. After all, it’s not every company that can afford the keywords to place their Web site at the top of the search results. Sometimes it’s easier and more affordable to drive the customers to your Web site through direct mail.
“When people get a postcard directing them to your Web site, they’re not going online to search for people who sell cars,” says Keith Goodman, vice president of corporate solutions for Modern Postcard, a direct mail advertising company. “They’re going to your Web site to respond to a specific offer with a purpose to buy. The visit is supported and created by direct mail.”
Smart marketers have long known that pairing the push of direct mail and the pull of the Web yields better results than relying on one or the other. A large national study of catalogs and Web sites found that customers who received a catalog were twice as likely to make an online purchase, and that they generally spent 16 percent more than other shoppers.
Where direct rules
Customer acquisition is another area where direct is demonstrating relevance. While e-mail queries are less expensive, they’re also less likely to be noticed, says Goodman. “When you get an e-mail message from somebody you don’t know, what do you do with it? If it makes it past the spam filter, you delete it. So why would you expect anyone else to act differently?” he asks.
In fact, a recent study confirms that some consumers are far more irritated to find offers in their e-mail inbox than their mailbox. The University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication asked a small group of students to rank mail and e-mail on how intrusive they were. On a scale of one to seven, where one is most intrusive and seven is least intrusive, they ranked e-mail a 1.93 and mail a 4.24.
In focus groups related to the research, consumers said it was easier to sort through their mail and find the messages most useful to them. They also felt they were more likely to receive useful tools, such as sales promotions, through the mail.
In addition, the tactile nature of direct mail makes it ideal for marketers who want to wow an audience by providing something special and unexpected.
