As a past direct response agency executive and present direct marketing consultant, I have worked with CMOs in multiple industries. I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly

Once a few lists are found that work, the insurance companies mail only to these names with the mailing going to the same names over and over again. They wear out these names and experience diminishing returns.

Richard Rosen, Founder/CEO of FastCall411 made a startling revelation in his article in the December 11, 2007 issue of DM News that confirms what we all experience with the deplorable state of customer service in many US companies.

There’s a lot of talk about what makes a rented response list work. But few have written about the subject. So if you use lists or test them, perhaps you could add to some of the success steps I missed in this blog.

n an article published by iMedia Connection on March 23, 2007 and entitled “The 2007 Direct Marketing Forecast,” Denise Zimmerman wrote the following.

Disruption is fundamental to all communications, not just selling. Every time we ask a question or talk to someone, we are disrupting his thought process or something he is doing.

I believe that most of us in the direct marketing field concede that online is here, it’s growing fast, and we need to inculcate our deep knowledge of what makes people respond into this emerging medium.

Direct mail does not support branding as far as most branders would like for good reason according to James Rosenfield in his excellent article entitled “BRAND AND BRANDING, REVISITED YET ONE MORE TIME AGAIN.”

According to TNS Media Intelligence, Internet marketing spending should grow by 13.4% in 2008. But strikingly, the research also confirms that the total marketing dollars spent on the Internet represents only 7.2% of the total amount spent on all U.S. advertising. The total US advertising budget is expected to hit $153.7 billion.