etailology

DM News discusses the merging of direct and brand marketing in a new report. Since etailers often use direct marketing strategies (mail and direct email, as well as catalogs, telesales/service, etc.) as the primary way to reach their customers, it follows that those interactions are the primary mechanisms through which brand is built, so this DM revelation is an important one.

Or it is just old news? It’s nice to see the DM community recognize the nascent opportunity in all these customer interactions — though, in my opinion, they are relatively late to the party. Ultimately, this leads me to a few reactions:

1. Well… duh! Brand should be merged with virtually every aspect of the business — it should be imbued across the corporate culture, the operational strategy, and the marketing communications.

I once had a customer who, while I was doing some background research on their brand to inform a relatively tactical project, informed me that “we’re not doing brand on this one.”

So… while my “well, duh” reaction is an honest one, it’s probably as unrealistic as it is pejorative; the truth is that most organizations do fail to integrate brand throughout, so it’s reasonable to assume they’ve not embedded it into tactical marketing strategies such as direct marketing efforts.

1. My second reaction is “I smell opportunity.” I’m a believer that experiences are what drive brand beliefs, and brand beliefs drive customer loyalty. As such, the opportunity to form a partnership with direct marketers is an exciting one.

Imagine: brand marketing that is focused on customer acquisition and conversion and drives real value in the business in a measurable way. (The obvious reply to this point is that “doesn’t it already?” … but my observations of typical brand strategists and branding agencies has shown that, sadly, it usually does not.)

The challenge, of course, is that brand marketers and direct marketers speak very different languages. Bridging the gap between these disciplines will take real investment from both kinds of marketers — learning the skills, talents, and approaches of the other — and it will take a bit of gumption as well.

An Opportunity for Etailers

Etailers and multichannel sellers have the most to gain from making this dream of DM/Brand integration a reality. Delivering a reliable and consistent brand experience across all channels and customer touchpoints is one thing — doing it in a way which makes the cash register ring is something better.

Etailers and consumer retail brands should lead the way — forcing their agencies and partners to better integrate brand into their DM strategy, and forcing them to make brand campaigns more conversion and measurement focused.

What’s next?

Now… I’m waiting for someone (perhaps it’s me?) to write an article with the same message but the opposite bent: that brand marketers should embrace tactical models such as direct as a primary method through which the brand can be experienced. Then we’d be getting somewhere.