Quick – do you know what stage of alert is America on, according to Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge’s ballyhooed multi-hued scale?
If not, good. Because I’ve been feeling a slow return to normal recently – at least, on these shores. That is, I don’t feel that the threat of terrorism is the distraction it had been – and if this jaded New Yorker can feel this way, perhaps direct marketers will as well.
A case in point: Yesterday’s mail brought an offer for a new credit card, a demand from my current credit card for payment, and a letter requesting a donation to my college. (I would be able to put my donation on my credit card, according to the letter.)
There was also a shared-mail package containing six deals for having my carpets shampooed and one extra special offer for wood floor inlays. In short, a typical day’s mail.
Admittedly a small haul as direct mail goes. But signs are that the economy is starting to recover, albeit with the occasional wobble. Unemployment claims may fluctuate, but housing starts (a personally favored indicator) have gotten a little stronger, and even magazine publishing may be on an upswing, according to Dow Jones.
For this cynical New Yorker the future looks, if not rosy, perhaps tinted with a light blush. As for direct marketers, it means that it’s probably time to dust off the prospecting letters and get the cross- and upsell campaigns out of the mothballs. And yes, that goes for B-to-B campaigns as well.
Unless, of course, you’d prefer to have your sales be a trailing indicator.
Oh, and for the curious – our current alertness stage is "yellow." Any thoughts regarding how this color plays on outer envelopes?
To respond to the opinions in this column, please contact rlevey@primediabusiness.com.
