Introduction: Myths of Direct Marketing History

DM history being sketchy at best, it’s no surprise that some of our most treasured myths are inaccurate.

Research shows, for example, that Homer Buckley did not invent the term “direct mail” in 1915, as some articles have stated.

In 1893, well before Buckley’s entry onto the scene, Printers’ Ink magazine published an article by T.B. Russell, titled “With English Advertisers.” And there it was:

“Speaking of direct mail business, I said it was a hard school to be brought up in, and it is,” Russell wrote.

Then there’s the old saw that telephone directory lists originated in the 1940’s. Not true—people were compiling them in 1903. (See The Birth of Telemarketing).

Finally, there’s the tale that Sears, Roebuck and Montgomery Ward mailed only big general catalogs.

Don’t believe it. In 1922, Sears sent specialty books like “Modern Plumbing”—it offered full bathroom outfits and heaters to go with them.

Why should anyone care about these things in the digital age?

One reason is that the principles of direct marketing haven’t changed. Our forebears sent mail—and measured the results—
with far fewer tools at their disposal than we have today. And they succeeded.

Another is that direct marketing is part of American history. A hidden part.

It’s easy to find old magazine advertising—just go to your library. But try to find direct mail pieces from, say, 1880. Few exist.

Indeed, that lack of visibility may be why the medium attracted rogues of every sort. It was safer.

Direct marketing has been neglected by business historians—there’s nothing comparable to Frank Presbrey’s 1929 classic, “The History and Development of Advertising.” We hope to redress that.

Yeah, we know—nobody with a living to make has time to focus on the past. At some point in their careers, though, many direct marketers wonder just what it is they have been a part of.

And so we welcome you to HistoryWalk, our direct marketing history page.

We’ll have bios of the great unsung DMers from every age. We’ll describe campaigns. We’ll reproduce the copy. And later this fall, there’ll be several chapters from my work-in-progress, a history of direct mail called “Dear Friend.”

Please send me your comments and your own historical recollections.