SMART BLAST

“Nothing succeeds like results. When you get them, you’re a hero. When you don’t, you’re a bum.” So said Lester Wunderman, chairman of Wunderman Cato Johnson, in his book Being Direct: Advertising Must Pay. In this case, Wunderman was breaking new ground in direct marketing in 1950s Chicago. Sales for a hearing aid company were in a major slump against national brands. Within one week he created a radio program and a unique print offer for the market. And the phones started buzzing with orders.

So what exactly should you notice in this example? The success from Wunderman’s campaign made him a hero after he paired mass media advertising and direct marketing. The two methods together became the ticket that his client needed to make their marketing efforts actually work. They broke through the clutter – and the same idea applies in today’s media universe.

Brand advertising alone can take weeks, even months, to create the buzz and awareness that gets you noticed and impacts your bottom line. Direct marketing, on the other hand, can be effective the moment it lands in the hands of your consumer. The two may be opposite disciplines, but they often have similar objectives in mind. And more and more companies are catching on – as you read in the Jan. 8 smart Blast, direct marketing dollars outspent brand advertising in 2007.

Top-of-mind in advertising may not get you the bottom line effect you are asking for if you use it alone. Direct marketing is an effort that is scaleable and gets results that you can measure in a relatively short period of time. You don’t have to wait to see the results. Achieve balance, and look out – all of a sudden, your marketing department is the hero.