THE DIRECT MARKETING INDUSTRY’S economic picture is improving, according to a flash poll of DIRECT readers. But whether this is because the starting point is very low remains to be seen.
Nearly six in 10 readers said their April DM revenue was at or above what they had forecast, while 29% indicated it was below their target. The remainder did not hazard an answer.
Further, 61% reported that their April 2002 revenue was either the same or above what they realized in April 2001. Thirty-two percent said it was below last year’s figure.
DIRECT’s first economic tracking study coincided with the two-year anniversary of the Internet bubble burst. Readers were asked to compare their current revenue and margin positions against April 2001 levels, a time when marketers had had a full year to revise their budgets, and to plan for a resulting loss of sales, if any.
Admittedly, it has been a tough year: Phrases akin to
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