In a special edition of Loose Cannon sent out last Thursday, I asked readers to write in and – regardless of their personal preference – justify why a given presidential candidate would best suit the direct marketing industry (http://directmag.com/loosecannon/loose-cannon-red-blue).
As part of my request, I asked respondents to respect a few rules of engagement, including “Please limit the discourse solely to the candidate’s impact on direct marketing. There are many, many issues that can cause fire to shoot out of partisans’ eyes. Leave these hot topics for ‘Crossfire’ or ‘The Daily Show.’ This is – at least nominally – a forum for direct marketing debate.” And for the most part respondents were pretty good about respecting that.
Any statistician worth his salt would say the double handful of initial responses I received is almost incalculably unreliable. And yet I’d be more surprised if, whenever all the Election Day votes are ultimately counted, the results didn’t mirror the responses below. Right down to those who are apparently disgusted with the whole process.
So how did the results shake out? One respondent felt that both Bush and Kerry would be equally onerous, from a direct marketing point of view.
“I have mixed feelings about the candidates and their relevance to the DM industry,” wrote Richard N. Tooker, vice president and solutions architect at KnowledgeBase Marketing Inc.
“On the one hand, Kerry shows a remarkable proclivity to test multiple approaches to a problem before he settles on one that works for him. On the other, Bush’s track record fits well with an industry in which a 98% failure rate is usually considered acceptable.”
Others were more partisan – and a lot less tongue-in-cheek. “It is my strong belief that our industry will always thrive better when we are left alone,” opined Darwin Sparkman, direct response marketing specialist at Door Direct.
Sparkman continued, “Being left alone means having an administration that believes we know better how to run our businesses than the professional politicos inside the Beltway. Obviously, Mr. Bush believes that less government involvement in how all businesses operate is a good thing.
“A few notable events here would be the do-not-call ruling and that little thing known as “Generally Accepted Accounting Practices.
“A majority of US citizens demanded and were granted freedom from telemarketers which, while I’m disappointed in the outcome, had to be acted upon.
“Our friends at WorldCom, Enron, Global Crossing and others involved in back room book-cooking had to be dealt with or additional damage to US stockholders would continue to occur.
“These examples demonstrate how shifts in marketing channels can be dictated by national events. The DNC ruling has proven to be nothing short of wonderful for my alternate delivery, list brokerage and direct mail units. The accounting scandals generated (and are still generating) untold amounts of direct mail supporting untold numbers of class actions.
“Bottom line: any administration should listen to the constituents (both private citizens and businesses), keep everything on a level playing field and let the majority rule. Bush’s administration has and will continue to support these ideas. Since no one to date knows where Kerry stands on any issue, his nomination would have our industry looking over our shoulders for years.
“I prefer to look ahead.”
But Mike Oberman, president and CEO of Omeda Communications, Inc. was equally adamant about the Democrat. “It is clear to me that – without question — John Kerry is by far the best candidate for the direct marketing industry,” he wrote.
“I say this not because of any specific programs he might espouse such as reduced postage, tax incentives, or Internet access fees (which, by the way, I think is an excellent idea). Rather I believe that the crucial issue for the long term future of direct marketing is a matter of simple trust.
“Under the current Bush administration Attorney General [John] Ashcroft has literally destroyed the Bill of Rights using the guise of the Patriot Act to fight terrorism. If the general public loses confidence in the government using their data properly, within the framework of the law and the constitution, how will they ever have trust in the profit oriented direct marketing industry to use their data responsibly and legitimately?
“I honestly believe that, at some level, this is a matter of such serious importance as to actually threaten the entire long term future of personal-data-driven direct marketing. On the other hand, I believe that Kerry’s personal proclivities as well as those whom he is likely to place in positions of power are very much more conducive to building and maintaining the public’s trust in the legitimate and responsible use of data by government and private industry.”
Jan L. Davis, president and CEO of ShopperTrak, felt that given the GOP’s likelihood of retaining control of Congress, a Kerry victory would produce the best result for direct marketers: gridlock.
“Regarding our beleaguered industry, I think the best argument for electing Kerry is to ensure a divided federal government,” she wrote.
“If we have one party controlling the White House and another controlling the Congress, it is far less likely that bad bills regarding direct marketing -- or anything else -- will become law.”
Alan Zimmerman, who is part of The Organization, a small political direct mail and ballot access consultancy, saw a direct downside to a continued Republican presence in the White House.
“President Bush’s effects on the economy will have a drastic effect on direct marketing,” he wrote. “Besides having a net loss of jobs -- unemployed people buy less -- most of the jobs he has created give less income then the jobs they replace -- people with less money buy less.”
And Jared Olson, of Vente Inc., is a former Bush supporter who will be voting for Kerry. He included a list of geopolitical and military reasons, and added “You may think I have not answers the question of who would better serve the direct marketing industry, but in fact, I have…the direct marketing industry will be but an afterthought if we are embroiled in further wars across this globe.”
Mark Amtower, of Amtower & Company, called for a pox on both their houses. “Once again I am sorry the political parties are unable to come up with TBATB -- the best and the brightest, or even the SWTIBTLT (so what, this is better than last time),” he wrote.
“I do not believe either party is capable, at the point, in putting up anyone who can do the job for the following reasons: 1) Bright people confuse the party regulars by employing multi-syllabic words in compound sentences, and pointing to places on maps that are further away than Wal-Mart 2) Really bright people don’t want this job 3) Really bright politicians are rare 4) Roman Hruska set the bar low, and it has stayed there (Hruska was the senator from Indiana who, when told he was mediocre, quickly stated, ‘mediocre people need representation, too’) 5) Most politicians (red or blue) are tealeaf (poll) reading, chicken-bone throwing short horns with insufficient body parts for gender recognition.”
As for the current two candidates’ proclivity for DM, Amtower felt that “it is not likely either of these guys has picked up a catalog or placed an order over an 800 number.”
So who, then, does Amtower like for president this year? “That’s easy -- Al Gore! Oops, wrong election. In the 1993 Report of the National Performance Review, Al wrote ‘Federal managers can buy 90% of what they need, over the phone, from mail order discounters.’ I love that guy, and his Internet thing.”
Amtower wasn’t alone in venturing beyond the top two candidates. “It’s clear that Ralph Nader is the candidate who would be the best choice for president for DMers,” wrote Donna Donovan, who is herself president -- of Really Good Copy Co.
She continued, “He is the only candidate who has a long pro-consumer track record. He’s for smaller -- not larger and more intrusive -- government. He applauds free enterprise -- as long as it’s decent and honest. And he recognizes that people without jobs can’t buy things.
“As we saw in 1992 and thereafter, when a third-party candidate (Ross Perot) receives a substantial percentage of the votes (20%), even if he doesn’t win, it sends a strong message to the political establishment (Republicans and Democrats -- two groups of the same self-protective order) that the people are paying attention and they don’t like what they’ve seen. It’s time to shake that tree again. And again. And again. What’s good for DM is good for the country.”
Nader got a similar “endorsement,” although for a much more cynical reason, from Arnie Bernstein, marketing communications specialist for Moraine Valley Community College and occasional Direct magazine contributor.
“Ralph Nader would be the best choice,” Bernstein wrote. “Should he emerge victorious, it would prove once and for all that you can sell anything to anybody via direct marketing!”
I invite readers to respond to continue this debate, but recommend that they first look at the original solicitation – again, at http://directmag.com/loosecannon/loose-cannon-red-blue . Rule 2 still remains in effect -- tie opinions back to DM, please. Remember that what’s best for DM does not necessarily have to reflect a given voter’s preference.
Twenty-four hours to go. May the best candidate win – provided he’s the one I vote for.
To respond to this column, please contact e-mail:rlevey@primediabusiness.com
