During Monday’s class, we had a long discussion about the different types of direct marketing and their benefit to both consumers and sellers. For those of you who need a refresher, direct marketing is connecting directly with carefully targeted individual consumers to both obtain an immediate response and cultivate lasting customer relationships. There is an abundance of different forms of direct marketing such as online marketing, direct-mail marketing, kiosk marketing and telemarketing. However, the specific form a company relies on, depends greatly on its marketing mix and overall business strategy. For example, a company such as lululemon would not merely rely on online marketing to sell its products, as many customers desire the personable and interactive experience of going into a lululemon store and trying on the clothes to ensure they are the appropriate size and fit. However, there are many companies who rely only on one or two forms of direct marketing and have accomplished enormous business success. In class when we were reviewing info commercials as a form of direct marketing, I immediately thought of the acne product Proactive. Proactive is a company that uses direct marketing as a simple way to sell its product. The company has not once sold its products in stores but instead uses kiosk marketing, online marketing and info commercials, which has evidently, led its product to be the number one acne fighting solution. By using celebrity endorsements, such as the notorious Justin Bieber, and real life success stories of its users, the company can directly relate to its consumers, therefore attracting them to the business. Direct marketing can be a very simple and effective way in selling a product, however, referring back to the overall theme of marketing, it must create value for the customer and be seen as a product that will benefit them. Proactive is a perfect example of a company who found much success in marketing its product by a simple yet influential marketing tool called direct marketing. That my friends, is what I call good marketing. 🙂
