Blog

When asked if we call ourselves Direct Marketers, the answer is always “Yes”. Sure, that used to be a badge that nerd marketers who did nothing but direct mail called themselves, but today Direct Marketers have taken on a new badge. The industry is shifting, both as advertising and marketing evolve, but also as we are faced with the challenges of the recession and subsequently tighter budgets. As a result, there are three very good reasons why we are proud to call ourselves Direct Marketers:

• Accountability – Just as numbers drive creativity, they also drive business. In today’s world, brands want to know how much bang they are getting for their buck. As direct marketers, measurability and, thus, accountability are at the core of what we do, so it’s no surprise that the industry as a whole is turning in the direct direction.

• Democratization – Marketers don’t own the relationship between customers and brands any more; people do. They tell us when, where and how they want to be communicated with. Again, direct marketers have the hand-up because they’ve been mastering the art of one-on-one communication since the beginning.

• Proliferation – Let’s talk about that direct mail thing for a second. Sure, that is where our roots are and something we still do, but now we can play in nearly every channel both online and off. In fact, the majority of the work we do these days is digital in nature. Boring? I think not!

Just to recap, we know people and are getting their vote in the new marketing democracy. To top it off, we put our money where our mouths are. So should we be proud to call ourselves Direct Marketers? Of course! It is the marketing of the future after all.