For many years, traditional advertising and direct marketing were differentiated by the analogy that the former leads the horse to water, while the latter makes it drink. Advertising raises awareness, but direct marketing impacts response.
But in recent times, the differences between the two have become blurred, with former Ogilvy & Mather CEO Shelly Lazarus even stating that: “Today, all marketing is direct marketing.”
A bold statement, but one that aptly recognised the power of our most utilised messaging medium: the internet.
With constant advances in technology, marketers become savvier every day and return on investment is placed under increased scrutiny. Today an effective campaign needs to lead the horse to water and make it drink in one fell swoop. To do that, it must involve direct marketing and, to make this activity effective, this needs to be underpinned by strong testing, analysis and data intelligence.
Testing and analysis
Testing and analysis add value to all campaigns by providing insight into the effectiveness of direct marketing techniques that drive response, such as powerful calls to action, optimised layouts and targeted messages.
Research methodology is now available to test every facet of communication, including the design, copy and fundamental creative proposition. This includes pre-testing of communications in controlled environments and extends to media not traditionally classified as direct marketing, such as press advertising or digital content.
The same communication can then be tested and optimised in-market, with social media advertising providing a straightforward way to achieve this in real-time. Consequently, these tests and direct marketing techniques are now even more important to the success of marketing activity than the channel itself.
Data intelligence
Martin Hayward, former Dunnhumby director of strategy, said in 2011:
Direct marketing has always been seen as the rather unglamorous tactical cousin of the real business of marketing – but the reality today is that all marketers need to embrace the targeting, measurement and rapid response skills pioneered in this discipline.
This shift was inevitably brought about by the increasing connectedness of the always-on consumer, with whom brands must attempt to keep up with.
Modern brand and consumer relationships are now built on greater insight, heightened personalisation and ever-more direct sophisticated marketing. This is achieved through the intelligent collection and analysis of data that has become available as consumers spend more time connected via multiple devices.
Partly due to this data revolution, the reality is that direct marketing is now integrated into all other disciplines. The benefits of it in terms of accurate targeting and effective personalisation have become paramount to campaign success. Today, all marketing really is direct marketing.
Cherith Graham is an account executive at BURN
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