I've been accused of having marketing foresight. Here's proof...


On September 19th, the entry on my George Carlin daily calendar pad will read: "The worst thing about e-mail is that you can't interrupt the other person. You have to read the whole thing, and then e-mail them back, pointing out their mistakes and faulty assumptions. It's frustrating and it's time-consuming. God bless phone calls...."
Obviously, George is taking a consumer's point of view here. When you receive a telemarketing call, you can make it a living hell for the telemarketer. With emails, you really conduct monologues that are linked, rather than true dialogues. You don't have a dialogue upon receipt of direct mail, upon hearing a radio ad, or seeing a TV spot.
Now let's look at the marketer's side.
There are two major forces working in successful direct marketing: disruption and dialogue. The telephone is still the most disruptive medium and lends itself, as George advises, to the most dialogue. Direct mail works best when it is a disruption in the pile of bills and other ads. If you establish a tacit dialogue with recipients .... get them nodding their heads, "Yes, that's me" within the first minutes, you win.
Network TV advertising doesn't disrupt much any more, simply because it's too easy to tune out. Except when (and if) George Carlin does spots playing the Hippy, Dippy Weatherman.
What do you think about disruption and direct response? (Please don't call.)


Enter your email address to continue reading

But George, There's Another Side to This

Don't worry...it's free!

Already a member? Sign in now.

Sign in with your preferred account, below.

Did you like this article?
Know someone who would enjoy it too? Share with your friends, free of charge, no sign up required! Simply share this link, and they will get instant access…
  • Copy Link

  • Email

  • Twitter

  • Facebook

  • Pinterest

  • Linkedin


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lee Marc Stein is a direct marketing consultant and copywriter with over 40 years experience. He has developed and executed direct marketing programs for a wide variety of marketers in the publishing, insurance and financial services, nonprofit, technology, and business-to-business arenas. Current clients include Effectiveness Solutions Research, Entertainment Publications, Long Island Children’s Museum, National Grants Conferences, Rickard List Marketing, Travelers Insurance, and a number of direct response agencies.

As a direct response agency executive, Lee worked with companies like Chase, Colonial Penn Auto Insurance, Dial Corporation, Hertz, Mead Johnson, The Money Store, and U.S. Airways. He also held marketing management positions at Standard & Poor’s, BusinessWeek, and McGraw-Hill Information Systems Company.

Lee taught at NYU and Hofstra, and has spoken at 100+ industry conferences. He was a Founder of the Long Island Direct Marketing Association, and is currently on the Board of Directors of the Direct Marketing Association of Long Island.