Other forms of communication are likely to be used in conjunction with direct marketing programmes even if these are only general corporate advertising programmes. Many firms use direct marketing predominantly, but not to the exclusion of other communication methods. Direct marketing is often used as part of integrated customer relationship management (CRM) programmes, which we discuss in the next chapter. CRM programmes are by their nature long term and strategic in nature.
2.2 Definition of direct marketing.
Direct marketing is broadly defined as any direct communication to a consumer or business recipient that is designed to generate a response in the form of a direct order, a request for further information (lead generation), or a visit to a store or other place of business for the purchase of a specific product or service (traffic generation). The emphasis is on direct marketing communication. A leading trade magazine, Direct Marketing, goes further and defines direct marketing as a process that is:.
An interactive system of marketing that uses one or more advertising media to effect a measurable response and/or transaction at any location, with this activity stored on a database.
Dibb and Simkin (2001) define direct marketing as:.
a decision by a company's marketers to select a marketing channel that avoids dependence on marketing channel intermediaries, and to focus marketing communications activity on promotional mix ingredients that contact directly targeted customers.
Pickton and Broderick (2001) describe the essence of direct marketing with emphasis on its use of customer information: .
Direct Marketing is a marketing system based on individual customer records held on a database. These records are the basis for marketing analysis, planning, implementation of programmes, and control of this activity.
Fill (2002) defines direct marketing:.
Direct marketing is a strategy used to create a personal and intermediary free dialogue with customers.