Direct & Interactive Marketing Communications (MC, unit 2)

an interactive system of marketing which uses one or more advertising media to effect a measurable response at any location

Rapidly evolving: change in lifestyles, inc. competition, customer power, media fragmentation, inc. media costs, changes in market information (EPOS), new technologies

Objectives

• inc. direct sales
• disseminating information
• generating sales leads
• generating trial leads

3 techniques:

1) Direct mail
- most used & most subject to abuse
- BIG business generator
- automated lists available for purchase; Wyvern
- if purchasing list, check:

• accuracy
• relevance in relation to target market
• frequency of updates
• level of detail in list

2) Direct response advertising
- in standard broadcast & print media
- demands response via website, tel. or coupon
- targeting less specific, relies of assessment of average reader/viewer profile
- used increasingly as orgs try to optimise their advertising expenditure

3) Telemarketing
- least effective (few economies of scale and smaller reach than other direct methods)
- personal approach but consumers may find intrusive
- should be planned, highly targeted and controlled
- also used for customer service initiatives, technical support, info. gathering, credit control

Database marketing

the application of digital information about customers & their buying behaviour to improve marketing performance (Chaffey et al '00)

- means to maintain customer relationship marketing
(see Marketing Research for details)