Traditional Direct Marketers Are Obsolete

Written By Ted Grigg

 When reading trade publications, the news and attending marketing functions, the message is clear. Traditional direct marketers are obsolete.

The speeches and related reading materials coming out today have essentially relegated traditional direct marketers to irrelevance. Their skills are neither understood nor respected.

Just what do these outspoken writers, speakers and trade publication journalists say makes up the "traditional

 direct marketer."

  1. Has long term experience with direct mail, DRTV, telemarketing and other mature channels.

    1. Understands testing, database marketing, analytics, customer profiling, CRM.

    2. Proven management skills running database, telemarketing and direct response creative teams for both in house and external resources.

    3. Possesses little experience with hands on Internet marketing and email campaigns that have grown at an unprecedented pace in the last few years.

    4. Does not operate at the micro level when looking at online or social marketing programs.

This reminds me of the direct marketing movement of the 70's when people with direct mail production knowledge were more appreciated than direct marketing strategists who viewed all media (channels) as testing opportunities. There was little to no distinction between tactical and strategic skills.

In fact, direct response testing know how and response analysis carries little weight with today's hiring managers in the marketing arena. They often do not have direct marketing backgrounds. So such managers sometimes have little understanding of traditional direct marketing skill sets.

First of all, do I have it wrong here? 

Do you agree with this assessment? Are hiring managers missing the boat on this one? Or do they have it right? 

Ted Grigg

Ted Grigg is a direct response strategist who helps growth-focused companies reduce risk by identifying weak assumptions before they become costly mistakes.

Over the course of his career, Ted has evaluated several hundred million dollars in direct response testing across direct mail, digital, print, television, telephone, and other channels. His work combines direct response strategy, acquisition economics, customer analysis, creative evaluation, offer development, and disciplined testing.

Ted has worked on both the client and agency sides of the business. That experience gives him a practical understanding of the pressures facing executives, marketing teams, agencies, and service providers—and of the problems that arise when activity, media volume, or creative preference replaces a clear economic objective.

His consulting work helps organizations examine such questions as:

  • Are acquisition goals economically realistic?

  • Is the allowable Cost Per Sale supported by customer value?

  • Are targeting, offers, creative, media, and response paths working together?

  • Are tests structured to produce reliable business decisions?

  • Are unproven assumptions being treated as facts?

  • Is the organization measuring sales outcomes rather than convenient proxies?

Ted’s experience includes the development of direct mail and multichannel acquisition programs for insurance, healthcare, financial services, technology, nonprofit, manufacturing, retail, transportation, communications, government, and business-to-business organizations.

For a national direct-to-consumer insurance company, he developed a direct mail format that defeated established controls and helped expand the productive use of compiled prospect lists from less than 10 percent to more than 30 percent of total direct mail circulation within one year. He also planned Medicare lead-generation programs for more than 60 regional and national HMO and PPO organizations, with some programs exceeding sales projections by as much as 60 percent.

Ted founded Wyse Direct, a direct marketing division of Wyse Advertising in Cleveland, where he developed acquisition programs and helped launch a new technology product for Seiko Instruments by generating a predictable flow of qualified sales leads for its national sales organization. As vice president of new business development for the Grizzard Agency, he helped broaden the agency’s strategic capabilities and pursue new commercial and fundraising opportunities.

He is the author of The HMO/PPO Marketing Plan—A Step-by-Step Guide, published by Executive Enterprises, and has written numerous articles and conducted webinars on direct response strategy, testing, creative development, and marketing economics.

Ted earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Abilene Christian University and completed two years of graduate study at Texas Tech University. He is the founder of DMCG, LLC.

http://www.dmcgresults.com
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