Direct Marketing, Love it or Hate it?

We've all done it; picking up the weekly 'junk mail' browsing through it and recycling it after. (You ARE recycling it right?) There are studies claiming direct marketing (the junk mail in your mailbox, email inbox, the tear-away posters downtown, telemarketing, phone calls...etc.) is one of the most effective ways of advertising & there are others who think consumers are starting to become aware of the annoyance.

Basically direct marketing is simple:
an offer, the terms of the offer, the message, the action your needed to take in order to receive the offer (and an appealing theme that makes you resonate with the message such as humour or empathy.)

This semester we got to work with a real client to produce a campaign for her retail stores. We had a briefing meeting with her to find out her goals and the whole class was divided into teams and various objectives. The point of hte project was to start building a database of customers for our client. (That's why you get those targeted newslettersd and emails from the stores you subscribed to - you gave them permission!)

Our group wanted to promote our client's love and support for Cancer month (April) and her the Canadian Cancer Society. ALong with increasing customers to her store of course. We created posters, postcards, emails and a donation jar. In a way you could say our campaign succeeded in earning donations and word-of-mouth buzz for her store. But none of the donators wanted to give out their information and none of them wanted their coupon for completing the offer.

You can take a look at our Prezi presentation here:
Or go to my Portfolio at fb.com/Creative.Dunning

After all the hard work our group put in there were around 6 responses to our offer. I think if we wqere to ever redo this campaign I would have it so 'when customers filled out the ballot money would be donated for them.' I'm still very proud of all the work we did and I will certainly never under-appreciate 'Junk mail' again. I will give it the consideration it deserves (before realizing the offer still doesnt pertain to me and recycling it.)

Do you think with results like these that Direct Marketing is worth it for smaller businesses? I suppose it depends on the budget and experienced help you hire...???