A friend sent me these predictions…
Direct Marketing • Personalized direct mail will grow significantly over the next two decades. It will be the basis for relationship and targeted marketing. • Internet dot-coms will apply directed marketing appoaches to develop branding and push consumers to their Websites. • Mass mailings will continue. Until everyone has access to the same electronic data, there is no other way to reach a large audience. Direct mail is “democratic.” • Direct mail marketing will continue to exist as a “push” medium and will supplement the company’s Website. Personalization will be commonplace. • Business-to-business direct mail will move almost entirely to the Web, linking corporate entities via EDI and e-commerce. • By 2010 e-mail and physical mail locations will be linked, which will then usher in direct e-mail. • E-mail will be accessible on computers, PDAs, digital appliances, via kiosks, and other public systems. By 2020, text-to-voice converters will allow access to e-mail from cell phones. • The Postal Service will offer consumers the ability to receive their direct mail as print or as electronic files. Printing operations will be linked to Postal Service locations. • The Postal database will be the national repository of street and e-mail addresses so that crossmedia mailings can be made. • The concept of junk mail and spam will continue and marketers will be challenged to avoid both through targeting approaches. • Dynamic digital printing will be the most prevalent form of production because of its ability to handle variable data printing. • Although direct e-mail will be a competitor, targeted print will grow through 2020 because of its ability to reach all audiences.
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