Direct Marketing
Direct marketing is a sub-discipline and type of
marketing. There are two main definitional
characteristics which differentiate it from other
types of marketing or advertising. The first is that
it attempts to send its messages directly to
consumers, without the use of intervening media.
This involves unsolicited commercial communication
with consumers or businesses. The second
characteristic is that it is focused on driving
purchases that can be attributed to a specific
"call-to-action." This aspect of direct marketing
involves an emphasis on trackable, measurable
results (known as "response" in the industry)
regardless of medium.
The most common form of direct marketing is
direct mail, commonly called junk mail, where the
marketers use a reduced volume postal rate to send
paper mail to all postal customers in an area or all
customers on a list. The second most common form of
direct marketing is telemarketing, where marketers
call selected (or random) telephone numbers. Email
Marketing, including spam may have passed
telemarketing in frequency at this point, and it is
a third type of direct marketing. A fourth type of
direct marketing, broadcast faxing, is now less
common than the other forms. This is partly due to
laws in the United States and elsewhere which make
it unlawful. A related form of marketing is
infomercials. They are typically called "direct
response" marketing rather than direct marketing
because they try to achieve a direct response via TV
presentations. Viewers respond via telephone or
internet, credit card in hand.
 Direct marketers also use media such as door
hangers, package inserts, magazines, newspapers,
radio, television, email, internet banner ads,
pay-per-click ads, billboards, transit ads, etc. And
according to Ad Age, "In 2005, U.S. agencies
generated more revenue from marketing services than
from traditional advertising and media."
If the ad in the medium asks the prospect to take
a specific action--call a free phone number, visit a
website, return a response card, place an order,
visit a PURL, complete a survey, etc.--then the
effort is considered to be direct marketing. Direct
response or direct-response advertising are both
synonymous terms for direct marketing.
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