Direct Marketing

The term "direct marketing" was coined in the 1970s by Lester Wunderman who honed direct mail marketing techniques with brands such as Amex and Columbia Record Company. Direct marketing is a practice within marketing that utilizes planned recording, analysis and tracking of individual customers' responses and dealings for the purpose of fostering protracted mutually profitable customer rapport.

Direct mail advertising is a form of marketing in which messages are sent directly to consumers using "addressable" media such as mail and email rather than via third party media like a public billboard. Target mailing lists are used in business to business direct mail marketing and business to consumer direct mail marketing so that the service or commodity marketed is appealing to the recipient. Direct mail begs a response and it is this direct mail lead (reply mail, phone call, fax back) that allows the marketer to continue on with the direct mail campaign, whether through a follow-up call or future direct mail letters.

Employing a direct mail company or direct mail services such as a direct mail printer is very attractive to marketers because the direct mail response can be closely measured.