Direct marketing is a form of advertising in which companies provide physical marketing materials to consumers to communicate information about a product or service.
Direct marketing removes the “middle man” from the promotion process, as a company provides a message directly to a potential customer.
Direct marketing does not involve advertisements placed on the internet, on television or over the radio. Types of direct marketing materials include catalogs, mailers and fliers
Direct-marketing messages generally include a call to action, encouraging the recipient to respond via a toll-free phone number or a reply card or by clicking on a link in an email promotion.
Example
Amway
Amway is one of the global leaders in direct marketing. The company sells its products using direct distributors called Amway Business Owners (ABO). Amway is a 100 % direct marketing company. That means the consumers will not get any Amway products from shops. The products can be bought through ABO’s.
Burger King
Much like grocery stores, fast food chains often send coupons and other material to nearby addresses in hopes that the community will begin to use their products and services more often. In addition to a website and mobile app that both offer special coupons and company information, Burger King still opts to send coupons in the mail. Customers often opt into the mailing list by filling out surveys or prize ballots at the local shops and then are mailed coupons in order to entice them to return.
