Thursday, June 16, 2005

A direct question

Some people consider direct marketing -- with its "call now" TV spots and credit card offer letters -- to be the granny underwear in the lingerie drawer of marketing. Practical, sometimes necessary but hardly something to show off. Is that changing? Y&R's Irvine office just hired a former direct copy writer to be their Executive Creative Director. The agency's managing partner says this is a sign "that the shop takes integration seriously. 'When clients tell us their deepest, darkest fears, we won't just say, "Let's make an ad and build a Web site,"' he said." No sir. Now they'll make an ad and build a Web site then get their intern to do a direct mail piece. Oh! I kid!

This may be a hopeful step. Because in a world where clients want more measurable results, there may one day be almost no separation between traditional direct and traditional branding. And all advertising will be sexier because of it.

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