A New Decade for Direct: Marketers/Copywriters Embrace Change
January 7, 2010 by Ethan Boldt, editor-in-chief
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We didn't need Time Magazine to tell us that the last decade was a rough one for the United States (and for the rest of the world as a result). Never before has such a toxic blend of incompetence, arrogance and corruption been on constant display, whether in the Oval Office, the halls of Congress, military headquarters, corporate boardrooms or national banks offices.
Thus, we find ourselves in a pickle, and despite the fervent wishes for 2010 to be "The Year of the Recovery," it's unlikely to occur.
However, there is a silver lining for direct marketers, and it's a significant one: our industry. Direct marketing is now becoming the chosen advertising method for many companies, including such major ones like Pepsi, which recently opted out of the Super Bowl ad market for the first time in more than 20 years and instead is going with a CRM program.
Emerging digital technologies, integrated data management, multichannel campaigning and social media, when combined with traditional direct, makes for a formidable marketing force that renders general advertising less relevant and less effective for the customer.
Recently, I spoke with some leading direct marketers and copywriters about 2010 and their predictions for this industry. Despite shrunken budgets and job loss, most remain sanguine as well as open-minded.
1. Help Wanted … Online
"The exciting news for anyone with a direct marketing perspective is that our talents and knowledge are desperately needed online," remarks Gary Hennerberg, president of the direct marketing agency The Hennerberg Group. "There seems to be a lot of ineffective online work being done, and the demand for talent to produce better results is already being felt."
Ruth Sheldon, copywriter and president of Ruth K. Sheldon & Associates, agrees. She understands that online marketing provides an inexpensive, quick and easy alternative to direct mail—yet she also sees many marketers misusing this new communications device, including some of whom have foolishly shoved direct mail off the stage. For direct to succeed, all must be integrated. "While direct mail will never again be the solo performer as it once was, it can effectively share the stage with email, the web, social and mobile marketing platforms," asserts Sheldon.
2. Still Comes Down to Using the Right Words … Engaging Readers … and Getting Response
For many direct mail copywriters, the transition to writing emails has already taken place—and the results have been positive.
Pat Friesen, copywriter and owner of Pat Friesen & Co., tells about one of her first email jobs. "When Paul Becker (who was at Hasbro at the time) first came to me to write the copy for his new email initiate for Hasbro brands, it wasn't because I was an experienced email copywriter. At the time, I wasn't. Instead, Paul told me he wanted a seasoned direct response writer who knew how to write copy that engaged readers and motivated them to take action. And as it turns out, I got to work with email guru Jeanne Jennings and the creative team at Grafica (N.Y. agency) from whom I learned much of what I know and still use in writing email copy," says Friesen, who also believes that writing for email has positively affected the copy she writes for traditional mail.
And while the medium of direct mail is different than for email or mobile, the dual purpose remains the same: engage with words and generate a measurable response. For Nancy Harhut, former SVP/managing director of relationship marketing at Hill Holliday and executive creative director of Harhut for Hire, she finds the recent emphasis on digital and social media not too arduous a switch from mail. "It's still about finding the right words to connect and motivate, regardless of channel. And with a journalism background, ‘saying it' in 140 characters is actually doable!"
3. Keep Direct Mail as the Multichannel Engine
Of course, for direct mail to remain relevant in the future, the multichannel future must be embraced. And that doesn't necessarily mean that direct mail becomes a minor player for the multichannel campaign. Quite the opposite, for email and social media and mobile may fade over time rather than mail, for example.
"I personally think that email, social and mobile media are here to stay. Of course, they, too, will change as technology changes," predicts Friesen. "What's uncertain is whether or not there might be some catastrophic occurrence that would dramatically change people's comfort level in using them. For example, if there was a huge security breach or some other security/privacy meltdown that made people leery of electronic/digital/social media, that would change the game overnight. Who knows?"
Indeed, just another reason to keep all channels lubricated and operational.
Thus, we find ourselves in a pickle, and despite the fervent wishes for 2010 to be "The Year of the Recovery," it's unlikely to occur.
However, there is a silver lining for direct marketers, and it's a significant one: our industry. Direct marketing is now becoming the chosen advertising method for many companies, including such major ones like Pepsi, which recently opted out of the Super Bowl ad market for the first time in more than 20 years and instead is going with a CRM program.
Emerging digital technologies, integrated data management, multichannel campaigning and social media, when combined with traditional direct, makes for a formidable marketing force that renders general advertising less relevant and less effective for the customer.
Recently, I spoke with some leading direct marketers and copywriters about 2010 and their predictions for this industry. Despite shrunken budgets and job loss, most remain sanguine as well as open-minded.
1. Help Wanted … Online
"The exciting news for anyone with a direct marketing perspective is that our talents and knowledge are desperately needed online," remarks Gary Hennerberg, president of the direct marketing agency The Hennerberg Group. "There seems to be a lot of ineffective online work being done, and the demand for talent to produce better results is already being felt."
Ruth Sheldon, copywriter and president of Ruth K. Sheldon & Associates, agrees. She understands that online marketing provides an inexpensive, quick and easy alternative to direct mail—yet she also sees many marketers misusing this new communications device, including some of whom have foolishly shoved direct mail off the stage. For direct to succeed, all must be integrated. "While direct mail will never again be the solo performer as it once was, it can effectively share the stage with email, the web, social and mobile marketing platforms," asserts Sheldon.
2. Still Comes Down to Using the Right Words … Engaging Readers … and Getting Response
For many direct mail copywriters, the transition to writing emails has already taken place—and the results have been positive.
Pat Friesen, copywriter and owner of Pat Friesen & Co., tells about one of her first email jobs. "When Paul Becker (who was at Hasbro at the time) first came to me to write the copy for his new email initiate for Hasbro brands, it wasn't because I was an experienced email copywriter. At the time, I wasn't. Instead, Paul told me he wanted a seasoned direct response writer who knew how to write copy that engaged readers and motivated them to take action. And as it turns out, I got to work with email guru Jeanne Jennings and the creative team at Grafica (N.Y. agency) from whom I learned much of what I know and still use in writing email copy," says Friesen, who also believes that writing for email has positively affected the copy she writes for traditional mail.
And while the medium of direct mail is different than for email or mobile, the dual purpose remains the same: engage with words and generate a measurable response. For Nancy Harhut, former SVP/managing director of relationship marketing at Hill Holliday and executive creative director of Harhut for Hire, she finds the recent emphasis on digital and social media not too arduous a switch from mail. "It's still about finding the right words to connect and motivate, regardless of channel. And with a journalism background, ‘saying it' in 140 characters is actually doable!"
3. Keep Direct Mail as the Multichannel Engine
Of course, for direct mail to remain relevant in the future, the multichannel future must be embraced. And that doesn't necessarily mean that direct mail becomes a minor player for the multichannel campaign. Quite the opposite, for email and social media and mobile may fade over time rather than mail, for example.
"I personally think that email, social and mobile media are here to stay. Of course, they, too, will change as technology changes," predicts Friesen. "What's uncertain is whether or not there might be some catastrophic occurrence that would dramatically change people's comfort level in using them. For example, if there was a huge security breach or some other security/privacy meltdown that made people leery of electronic/digital/social media, that would change the game overnight. Who knows?"
Indeed, just another reason to keep all channels lubricated and operational.
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