In a marketplace increasingly defined by customer categories with high expectations for service, quality, and responsiveness, companies are discovering that traditional mass marketing approaches are giving way to more targeted approaches that communicate directly with their customers. But to many consumers, direct marketing has a bad reputation, associated with intrusive door-to-door salesmen, dinnertime phone solicitations, junk mail, and, most recently, e-mail spam. In Direct Marketing in Action, a team of experts in the field dispels common myths and misconceptions about direct marketing and showcases the most current practices, principles, and techniques. The authors cover the full range of issues that must be considered in developing an effective direct marketing strategy, including competitive analysis, information and data management, media and channel selection, building brand loyalty, and measuring the results of campaigns. Bridging the gap between research and practice, clearly defining terms and concepts, and featuring numerous examples, Direct Marketing in Action will serve as an essential handbook for marketers and a comprehensive overview for students, teachers, and researchers.
From the dentist who sends check-up reminders to his patients to the hotel chain that customizes room amenities based on their guests’ profiles, direct marketing is infused with the idea that the best allocation of our marketing dollar is one that focuses on and communicates with our particular micro market—and reinforces the distinctive benefits that we provide to those customers. In Direct Marketing in Action the authors cover the full range of issues that must be considered in developing an effective direct marketing strategy, including competitive analysis, information and data management, media and channel selection, building brand loyalty, and measuring the results of campaigns. Bridging the gap between research and practice, clearly defining terms and concepts, featuring numerous examples, and presented in a format that can be read cover-to-cover or in modular fashion, Direct Marketing in Action will serve as an essential handbook for marketers and a comprehensive overview for students, teachers, and researchers.
Andrew R. Thomas, PhD, is assistant professor of international business and associate director of The Taylor Institute for Direct Marketing at University of Akron. A New York Times bestselling writer, he is author, coauthor, or editor of 15 books including, Direct Marketing in Actionn: Cutting-Edge Strategies for Finding the Best Customers, Supply Chain Security: International Practices and Innovations for Moving Goods Safely, Change or Die!: How to Transform Your Organization from the Inside Out, Managing by Accountability: What Every Leader Needs to Know about Responsibility, Integrity—and Results, Global Manifest Destiny: Growing Your Business in a Borderless Economy, and Aviation Insecurity: The New Challenges of Air Travel.
Dale M. Lewison is Founding Director of The Taylor Institute for Direct Marketing and Professor of Marketing at the University of Akron. He is the author of Retailing (currently in its 6th edition), Essentials for Retailing, and Marketing Management.
William J. Hauser is Associate Director of the Taylor Institute for Direct Marketing and Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of Akron, where he teaches courses in creative marketing, marketing analytics, and marketing research. He has also taught at West Virginia University and Washington University in St. Louis, and is Adjunct Associate Professor of Sociology at The University of Akron. Over the past twenty years, he has served as the Manager of Market Research and Business Development for Rubberbmaid Incorporated and its Little Tikes subsidiary, and, most recently, as Senior Vice President and Director of Research & Planning for KeyCorp in Cleveland, Ohio.
Linda M. Foley is Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of Akron. Her primary research area is strategy, with a specific focus on learning, innovation, and marketing capabilities. She has also conducted academic research and business consulting in selling and sales management, sports marketing, and political marketing, and has consulted to a variety of businesses, including both Fortune 500 companies and non-profits. Additionally, she served as Assistant Marketing Director for Warner Bros. Records in Nashville and in a variety of managerial capacities in the finance and restaurant industries.
Reviews
"This work attempts to set the record straight regarding common misconceptions, while highlighting current practices. Contributors advise that many issues must be considered when developing an effective direct marketing strategy, e.g., competitive analysis, information management, media and channel selection, brand loyalty creation, and results measurement. It is important to know one's competitors and be ready to fight at all times. They discuss the necessity of having a well-developed database, which affords greater insight into one's customers and allows for the development of more creative marketing strategies. Direct channels permit easier access to customers, regardless of organizational size. Using fulfillment programs and providing exceptional service enhance customer retention. Finally, the volume addresses the issue of measurement, which furnishes a wealth of valuable information useful in pinpointing performance expectations for new direct marketing programs. A useful resource for students, faculty, and professionals seeking a solid handbook. Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through professional collections."—Choice, June 1, 2007
"Direct marketing is a customer-driven approach that employs focused, targeted communication. Written by a team of specialists from the business and academic worlds, this text dispels a number of common myths about direct marketing and describes twelve steps for developing a successful strategy. Ethical and professional issues are also addressed."—Reference & Research Book News, February 1, 2007
