Direct Marketing and Features

Meaning of Direct Marketing:

Direct marketing is the process by which a firm approaches its customers on one to one basis and markets its products directly to them . In conventional marketing , a firm approaches the customers on a mass basis and sells to them indirectly.

It communicates one-on-one with existing festival or event-goers via mail , the telephone or the internet. It relies on organisers developing a list of people who previously attended the event and obtaining knowledge about their demographic profile and preferences. Incentives for consumers to provide information may include entry in a competition and the receipt of next year's event programme. Organisers can purchase lists of potential event consumers form direct marketing agencies.

Definition:

According to Direct Marketing Association of USA,"Direct marketing is an interactive system of marketing which uses one or more advertising media to affect a measurable response and transaction at any location".

Features of Direct Marketing:

Successful direct marketing is based in four types of characteristics /feature. These are targeting,interaction, control and continuity, or TICC for short,as shown in figure. The figure can be looked at either as four triangles or alternatively as one triangle inside another. These features are discussed below.

1. Targeting:
It refers to the selection of the recipients of the marketer's message, whatever media they may use, be it broadcast media, print advertising, direct mail , or telemarketing of sales calls. They may be targeting our established customers, identified prospects or a much larger audience of suspects.

2. interaction:
It has been placed in the centre. It includes the stimuli marketers produce in the hope of eliciting a response from the people in the target market. Their response is also included in the interaction triangle . In all cases marketers will attempt to attribute a response to the correct stimulus.

3.Control:
It is the management of marketing system .It includes setting objectives, planning at the strategic and operational level, budgeting and assessment of results. The process is cyclical,future planning being informed by past results . The completeness of the data within the interaction triangle will be crucial to the exercise of control.

4.Continuity.
It is about retaining customers, cross-selling other produts and upgrading them. Marketers'painstaking care in recording interaction enables them to coomunicate with customers ,recognising their interest and showing appreciation of their past customs.