1. The direct marketing process – how direct marketing works

http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/marketing/direct-marketing

http://databubble.info/about-us-list-broker/the-5-step-data-bubble-process/

2. Types of direct marketing media

http://www.experian.com/small-business/direct-mail-marketing.jsp

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barbara-morris/back-to-the-basics-why-di_b_3659032.html

 http://www.directresponseacademy.com/radio.html

 http://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/costs-testing-measuring-response

3. The development of database marketing and measuring results

http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/marketing/direct-marketing/your-mailing-list/marketing-with-your-database

http://www.royalmail.com/marketing-services-regular/deliver-your-campaign/measure-and-evaluate/how-to-measure-direct-mail-campaigns

4. Privacy issues and data use

http://www.dmnews.com/data-privacy-not-a-priority-for-marketers/article/268165/

http://www.cmo.com/articles/2013/9/4/privacy_CWTK.html

Case 12 - Direct Marketing and Technology

The first three articles have been provided open access. Some links require journal subscription access which may be available through your university.

Bowen, D.J., Battuello, K.M. and Raats, M. (2005), Marketing genetic tests: empowerment or snake oil? Health Education Behavior, Vol. 32, No. 5, pp. 676–685. http://heb.sagepub.com/content/32/5/676

This article is concerned with the regulation and control of the promotion of genetic tests in the USA. Genetic information is complex and not easily understood by the general public and so there is concern for the emotional, psychological and social impact of such tests (currently there are more than 500 such tests that deal with genetic differences) on the general public who are being encouraged to engage with them, often through direct promotional techniques.

Cheung, M. (2008), ‘Click here’: the impact of new media on the encoding of persuasive messages in direct marketing, Discourse Studies, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 161–189. http://dis.sagepub.com/content/10/2/161

Dealing with the encoding of persuasive messages in sales emails as direct marketing channels, the article is concerned about the use of relatively new, lower cost means of reaching potentially global audiences. In particular the content of sales letters is addressed using an analysis of discourse structures in a sample from a large database.

Lewis, M J., Yulis, S.G., Delnevo, C. and Hrywna, M. (2004), Tobacco industry direct marketing after the Master Settlement Agreement, Health Promotion Practice, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 75S–83S http://hpp.sagepub.com/content/5/3_suppl/75S

This article looks at the direct marketing activities post-MSA, i.e. after the agreement in the USA to change the way tobacco products are marketed. This includes direct mail, coupons, sweepstakes, loyalty programs, sponsorships and industry magazine activity. The empirical study is set in New Jersey, USA with adult smokers’ looks at practices that operate currently outside of restrictions and the article seeks to redress this issue and to help limit or eliminate such practices in tobacco marketing.

Thackeray, R., Neiger, B.L., Hanson, C.L. and McKenzie, J.F. (2008), Enhancing promotional strategies within social marketing programs: use of Web 2.0 social media, Health Promotion Practice, Vol. 9, No. 4, pp. 338–343.

http://hpp.sagepub.com/content/9/4/338

This article is about how Web 2.0 applications can directly engage consumers in the creative process through content sharing and collaborative writing. It is concerned with social networking and bookmarking and syndication. It is essentially about how viral marketing is developing to allow health promotion practitioners more direct access to consumers and by the same token the decreased dependency on traditional channels of communication.  

Wong, W.W. and Gupta, S.C. (2011), Plastic surgery marketing in a generation of ‘Tweeting’, Aesthetic Surgery Journal, Vol. 31, No. 8, pp. 972–976.

http://aes.sagepub.com/content/31/8/972

This article looks at social media and web-based technologies that are joining or replacing conventional means to promotion in the context of plastic surgery in a number of cities in the USA. The article highlights the idea of preserving professionalism regardless of what methods of communication are adopted and is therefore concerned with ethics and web-based activities while expecting direct marketing campaigns to continue to develop as plastic surgeons continue to utilise networks to enhance their practices.