Time to stand up and be counted
My name is Hugh, I'm a direct marketer and I'm proud. No more denial, no more apologies, no more pretentious 'I'm in advertising'. No, I'm in direct marketing and I'm proudly shouting it from the rooftops, morning to night. At Costa baristas, at Sanderson Hotel bar staff. And this weekend I'm going to tell my mum and hug my dad while he wipes the tear away. Hugh Bishop, chairman of Meteorite explains more.
My 'Damascus moment' - the Precision Marketing Awards. Bright lights, visitations. Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking, but you're wrong. This was real. I looked at the work, how creativity supported strategic thought, at the seamless integration of on and offline media. And I looked at the results. How we direct marketers get more of the right people to respond more often, at what seem to be ever-decreasing costs.
A lump appeared in my throat, a tear in my eye, I was emotional.
Direct marketing's time is here and now. But this is not new. Many 'gurus' have written about it. The coming together of media, the greater understanding of customers, the new routes to access and response that cross social and national boundaries. But it appears to me that these same people then fall back into debates about preference/ direct marketing equals junk mail, blah blah. Important, yes. Helpful, no.
Move the debate on. Let's talk about how direct mail in conjunction with other media really works, how digital delivered with understanding drives sales. Let's talk about the skilled professionals working in this industry. And how direct marketing builds brands. Most of all, let's look at the factor holding us back. And that is us - we are not proud enough. I've been in advertising and I've seen how its people seek fame. We don't.
So stand up with me now and let's shout/ "I'm a direct marketer and I'm proud". Then tell your mum…
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