Focuses on the growth and future direction of direct marketing from the point of view of “user” companies. Describes the most significant findings from a recent empirical study of consumer reactions to being directly targeted. Highlights important consumer concerns with regard to privacy and...

Customer loyalty schemes have blossomed in the era of customer retention, and have been willingly embraced by both retailers and consumers alike. Today’s loyalty schemes are modelled on the AAdvantage Programme; a frequent flier programme initiated by American Airlines in 1981, and lessons from...

This paper argues for the consideration by managers of postmodern phenomena and how they might impact on the field of direct marketing communications. It begins by outlining the conditions of postmodernism and then discusses the decline of individualism and the emergence of neo‐tribes (Cova,...

Although very much in vogue in both academic discourse and practitioner rhetoric, presents a case for a need to be concerned over the use of the “R” (relational) word in marketing. But even this needs to be implemented with caution and sensitivity as evidence on how consumers react to the...

This paper proposes that to be systematic in gaining customers, retailers could benefit from recognising the marketing implications of a set of pre‐ and post‐purchase stages of customer behaviour. A parallel theme is that retailers possess several weapons in their armoury for persuasion...

When Theodore Levitt discussed how firms respond to the question “what business are we in?”, he highlighted the myopic perceptions of some because they viewed their business as “running a railroad” or “making films” — rather than being “in the transport or entertainment market”.

Direct marketing has developed rapidly over the last 15 years owing to technological change and developments in markets and marketing. In 1086 William the Conqueror created the Domesday Book as a record of what each individual owned. The concept developed by George Orwell in his 1984 novel was...

A differentiation between environmental scanning and other elements of marketing information systems is provided. The main environments (market, social, economic, technological, legal, etc) are overviewed with examples of the dynamic nature of marketing's environment being provided. The...