Professor Calkins establishes the premise that a lot of effort goes into their development, but most marketing plans contribute little to the growth of the organization.

Writing such a simplified list brings with it the risks of generalization. Principles, guidelines and "rules" require caveats. There are exceptions to these precepts.

He talks about how unconventional marketing may not necessarily equate to more effective marketing. He says the real problem is that Social Marketing and Word Of Mouth campaigns get a pass on rigorous testing and financial evaluation.

Few things annoy me more than totally inaccurate beliefs or statements made about the direct marketing discipline. They limit the scope and value of the professionals who have dedicated their careers to the field.

This thought provoking headline was borrowed from Cynthia Maniglia who responded to my last post. Her blog "Copy Grove" contains some interesting posts with multiple examples of what it takes to create winning direct mail.

This blog addresses a positioning problem for direct marketers. It continues to weaken the concept of integrated marketing and limits the potential for advertisers in all industries everywhere.

One would think this was obvious in today's complex marketing world. But this type of narrow thinking continues unabated. So we must continue to revisit the basics from time to time.

Silos within the corporate universe represent the CMOs' greatest challenge according to David Aaker's new book "Spanning Silos, The New CMO imperative.”

As budgets tighten in tough economic climates, marketing is often the first place the CEO and CFO look to cut expenses.