DM offers commerciality…

Your news analysis poses more questions than it answers. If the research is to be believed, client-agency relationships appear to be pulling in opposite directions.

On the one hand, marketing directors still see their role as focused primarily around building the brand and buying agencies for their creativity. On the other, they don’t believe that agencies contribute enough at the commercial level. This is strange, because many agencies – especially in direct marketing – believe that return on investment is key. This makes it even more surprising that DM agencies are not considered key partners in the way that advertising and PR agencies are.

Surely DM agencies are best placed to provide measurable and accountable campaigns, based on the valuable insights that customer data provide. Used properly, DM can have a significant impact on clients’ bottom line and share value.

DM agencies are also well-placed to deliver “media-neutral” solutions. Perhaps the problem is that advertising is seen as sexier than DM and a quicker fix than developing a customer-centric relationship marketing strategy. Yet, if we want to be more commercially focused, we’re going to have to change the emphasis.

Richard Marshall

Business development director

Tullo Marshall Warren

London SW3