Back in 2002, Precision Marketing posed the question: “Can ambient media produce an accountable response as part of a direct marketing strategy?” I think the answer then was probably no, even though online was well established and the popular phrase of “this really is the year when mobile marketing will take off” was regularly expounded.
But things are different now. Face to face, experiential and putting ads on carelessly discarded chewing gum (trust me, the next big thing in guerrilla marketing!) can be fused into a response channel using social media and mobile technology. QR codes make Oxfam cloth labels transform a smart idea into a response mechanism where the quality of the engagement and relationship building essentially outweighs what back in 2002 was the view that the cost per contact would be too prohibitive.
Direct marketing has always been about dialogue and accessibility but at the right cost. New technology has meant that a huge array of touch points and media opportunities make perfect sense.
