[...]... Trenear-Harvey, Bird and 8 ᔢ Commonsense direct marketing Nobody knew what direct marketing was How people use direct marketing Watson was the largest direct marketing agency in the UK This sounds quite grand until you realise that compared to the big general advertising agencies, our 22-man business was the tiniest of minnows Despite its growth, few people had a clear idea of what direct marketing was (and... Vooren, BBDO Direct, Brussels ‘I picked up your book Saturday night late – I put it down early Sunday! I am very grateful to you.’ John Fraser-Robinson, Author, Secrets of Successful Direct Marketing ‘Commonsense in direct marketing makes sense after reading Drayton Bird’s excellent book.’ Eddie Boas, Organiser, Pan-Pacific Direct Marketing Symposium ‘If you can spare the time to read only one direct mail... decisions for any company But direct marketing is often critical: research by Ogilvy & Mather Direct, New York, in 1986 showed that 20 per cent of businessmen surveyed had bought a The Three Graces of direct marketing ᔢ 21 mainframe computer in the previous year as a result of an initial direct marketing approach THE THREE GRACES OF DIRECT MARKETING What is the purpose of direct marketing? In my view, it... up: terms such as ‘curriculum marketing , ‘dialogue marketing , ‘personal marketing , ‘relationship marketing and – perhaps the most popular alternative – ‘database marketing But the most common term remains direct marketing It is certainly the one I propose to stick to Nevertheless, these terms do reveal important facts about the nature of the business Certainly direct marketing revolves around the... more money on retaining The reaction to direct mail A good time to start 12 ᔢ Commonsense direct marketing Rules are not sacred Your money back if you are not satisfied customers through a direct loyalty programme than on trying to attract new ones? Can direct marketing help you motivate your salesforce? Perhaps you have money to invest and are considering direct marketing as a way of setting up in business... hardly be surprised that few understand what direct marketing is Indeed, whilst preparing this book, I saw that, in a survey of 133 leading American direct marketers, no clear agreement on what the business is emerged When the phrase direct marketing comes up, most people, in my experience, immediately think of the medium of direct mail Others think of direct marketing as a method of selling, like off-the-page... either to enter direct marketing, or to learn how to exploit it better You may be, as I once was, a young copywriter – or an art director Perhaps an account handler in a general agency thinking that direct marketing might offer a better future You may be an experienced marketer with millions to spend who is facing an intractable problem and wondering whether direct marketing will help Would direct mail... take over If you choose direct marketing, you will be entering the most vital segment of the economy for the next 50 years.’ As time passed, the mail order and direct mail businesses crawled out of the gutter and became mysteriously transmuted into direct marketing By the end of the 1970s over half the Fortune Top 100 Companies were either dabbling with direct marketing or were direct marketers, like... whereby you learn more about them and they learn more about you But my simple definition of direct marketing is: ‘any advertising activity which creates and exploits a direct relationship between you and your prospect or customer as an individual’ If you and I can agree that we ought to call direct marketing direct marketing , and you accept my simple definition, then you will immediately appreciate that... quotations included from Goethe, Churchill, Einstein and the like – as well as from the founders of Direct public relations 18 ᔢ Commonsense direct marketing Hewlett-Packard There was not much about products, but quite a lot about business culture Recipients were asked to submit their favourite quotes It was direct marketing, but also public relations; you could even call it a ‘promotion’ It certainly worked: . Secrets of Successful Direct Marketing ‘Commonsense in direct marketing makes sense after reading Drayton Bird’s excellent book.’ Eddie Boas, Organiser, Pan-Pacific Direct Marketing Symposium ‘If. rise of direct marketing 6 A paradox 10 Your timing is good 11 CHAPTER 2 The Three Graces of Direct Marketing 13 Short-term thinking 14 To make and keep a customer 15 What is direct marketing? . Telemarketing Expert ‘I recommend it to all my students.’ Dick Hodgson, The Top US Direct Marketing Teacher ‘Without doubt the best direct marketing book which exists.’ Erik Van Vooren, BBDO Direct,