Letters to the Editor

SCARY CREATIVES

Yikes! Next to “The Fear Factor” and Donald Trump’s hair, I don’t think I’ve seen anything in recent months quite as frightening as the Oct. 15 article “Hot Creatives,” in which a group of big-agency creative directors were invited to sit around and talk about the state of the direct marketing business.

I don’t know what made me tremble most. Was it the fact that many of these folks just switched over from general advertising a few years ago? Was it the idea that in this word-driven business, a lot of these EVP/CDs are primarily art directors? (One of them says she learned a lot by trying to write a direct-mail letter recently. I’ll bet you did, kiddo!) Could it have been the moment when one of them mentions Bill Jayme and no one else in the room seems to know who he’s talking about?

No, my favorite scary moment — the only time I actually screamed out loud — is when they talked about their plan to phase out the letter from direct mail packages. Thank God it was only a nightmare and most of the real direct marketing in this country continues to be done in-house by clients who have products to sell and the top freelance copywriters and artists they hire to help.

But what an appropriate choice for your pre-Halloween issue! I was scared out of my mind — for the future of our industry.
— Richard Armstrong
Washington

IT MAY BE AN OLD IDEA, BUT…

Understanding customers is indeed, as Jeff Zabin asserts, an “old-fashioned” concept — and I couldn’t agree more that a proper CRM-style campaign should be about much more than just names and addresses (“The Next Generation,” Sept. 15). But I think the other, more human aspects of this brand of niche marketing often are overlooked, even in the catalog world.

As much as possible, all companies — no matter how large — need to remember to make their customers feel like unique human beings who require customized solutions. It’s an axiom by which I direct my clients every day.
— Mark Bonkiewicz
President
Dynamic Consulting Inc.
Omaha, NE

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