DIRECT MARKETING

Direct Marketing

Direct Marketing

Introduction

Direct marketing is an interactive system using one or more media to obtain a measurable response from the target audience. The most conventional form of direct marketing is the mailing or electronic version called emailing by which marketers send their messages to consumers in an area, usually drawn from a database. A variety of what would be the mailing mails hot consisting of the introduction of brochures and other advertising elements directly into the mailboxes of the customers. The second most mainstream method of direct marketing is telemarketing to call phone numbers that have been previously selected or at random. It is also possible to send direct marketing through the Internet - e-mailings - which, when developed in a malicious, it is commonly known as spam. Finally, a fourth method would be to send bulk faxes, although it is less common (Edward, 2000).

Organization That Does Direct Marketing

The organization that is selected to discuss the implementation of the direct marketing is Wal-Mart. From many years, Wal-Mart was indulged in conventional marketing practices. The news of acquiring a direct marketing company with the name of Kosmix cleared the intention of Wal-Mart to indulge in the activity of direct marketing. Wal-Mart decided to change the mode of marketing in order to give a boost to the sluggish sales growth. There are other bug firms who have used direct marketing such as Microsoft and P & G but to know that an organization of the size of Wal-Mart declaring a direct marketing company as their lead advertising company was surprising to many people and marketers (Agins, 2007).

Describing and Assessing Direct Marketing Sales Effectiveness

Moving from conventional marketing to direct marketing was a big change for Wal-Mart. In order to transform the marketing structure, Wal-Mart hired senior marketing executives from top companies such as Pepsi and Target. Wal-Mart is looking simultaneously to target "low-price loyalists and high-income customers," as reported in the WSJ. It wants to appeal to higher income customers without losing the customers who shop at Wal-Mart because of the low prices. By utilizing a targeted direct marketing approach, Wal-Mart will be able to reach these two diverse audiences with customized messages for each group. This approach worked quite positively for Wal-Mart. Direct marketing gave a boost to the slow sales of the organization (Zimmerman, 2006).

A Different Approach

A little different approach that I would prefer to adopt is of “Direct Mail Marketing” ...