“All marketing will become direct marketing”, says report

There will be a shift towards direct marketing in the coming years as new sources of data and insight make marketers more accountable than ever, according to a report.

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Martin Hayward, author and former director of strategy and futures at Dunnhumby UK, says that “new and plentiful data and insight” has transformed the timescale and analysis of marketing communications “to the extent that in reality, all marketing is becoming direct marketing.”

He continues: “Direct marketing has always been seen as the rather unglamorous tactical cousin of the real business of marketing, but the reality today is that all marketers will now need to embrace the targeting, measurement and rapid response skills pioneered in this discipline.”

Hayward adds that the shift could lead to marketing budgets shrinking as efficiency improves and waste is reduced. The white paper was commissioned by Royal Mail.

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