Another year, gone already? When direct marketers look back on 2004, what will spring to mind?
Well, profits, yes, and hopefully only a few losses. But there was more to the industry than that contained between its balance sheets. What follows is a review of the most significant events of the last four quarters… that could fit into a metered rhyming scheme.
January-March 2004
Who’da thought Can Spam would yield
A level e-mail playing field?
Now marketers are spared afflictions
From 50 state-based jurisdictions.
The House and Senate made their bids
To stave off marketing to kids.
No more tykes with Amex Golds
Or time-share opps for two-year-olds!
Time-Life paid a hefty fee
To Pennsylvania’s A.G.
It seems the publisher had missed
The Keystone State’s D-N-C list.
April-June 2004
Spiegel did its fortunes flog
By spinning off its catalog.
And further trimmed its market power
Selling Newport News and Eddie Bauer.
An A.O.L. member was elated
When he won a confiscated
Porsche. This proves there is no glamour
In being an illicit spammer.
Gateway went and said “To heck
With retail sales. We’ll go direct!
We’ll close up every last location,
And cyberspace will bring salvation.”
July-September 2004
The DMA was called to name
Two members to its Hall of Fame.
Dave Florence sailed smoothly through
The other guy was ... Franklin who?
From the Federal Trade Commission
Thompson gave up his position.
With something similar in mind
Muris wasn't far behind.
And after years of grueling travel
Wientzen settled down his gavel.
His leaving turned out to give rise
To a roamin’ Greco Enterprise.
October-December 2004
John Kerry’s campaign costs were met
By donors from the Internet.
He had the cash, plus time-in-trench
But lost the race ‘cause he looked French.
The pundits thought that sales were doomed
Yet Christmas cyber-shopping boomed.
Is retail dead? No, it's quite fine:
It's merely migrated online.
Mailers may be in a fix
When rates go up in 2K-6.
But DMers knows they can’t condemn
The R.O.I. of S.E.M.
To respond to the characterizations in this column, please contact e-mail: rlevey@primediabusiness.com
