[Re: Loose Cannon: The Most Dangerous Profession, Direct Newsline, Oct. 20, 2003]:
I think there are several factors that contributed to the current backlash against telemarketing. In my opinion, had the telemarketing industry taken steps years ago to regulate itself and to set service standards, I think the backlash could have been prevented.
More often than not when I get a telemarketing call at home and I say I don’t have an interest I am met with a pushy “but you really NEED this item” pitch. I have even been told I was stupid for not taking up them up on the offer. That is if the offer even applied to me — there seems to be a lack of any demographic research on the part of some telemarketers. Personally I have no use for herbal Viagra, life insurance for children (of which I have none) or a time-share in Florida. As for those prerecorded messages, I think those should be done away with altogether. They are just too impersonal.
If only there were service standards set up to treat every call as though it were to a current customer. After all, this is the beginning of a potential customer relationship. Be polite, ask how to pronounce some one’s name before vocally slaughtering it, if some one says they don’t have time now, instead of being pushy ASK if one can call back, be ready to offer to send information in print if it is requested or give a website address.
Had service standards been set up, the DMA could have had an agreement that all members had to sign that would have helped regulate how calls were handled. It would also have given people some sort of recourse should a marketer behave in an offensive manner. We currently ask for permission for email marketing and so do many other companies – why did no one think to do this with phone numbers?
The TV or radio can be turned off, a mail piece left unopened, a page in a magazine turned or a pop up ad closed. People have control over what advertising they choose to pay attention to or to ignore in these mediums. The phone, however, in most cases must be answered when it rings and once picked up there is no avoiding at least the initial pitch. Is it any wonder that some times people feel that is invasive?
I also think that some of the responsibility lies with the companies that hire telemarketers. It is pretty standard practice for telemarketers to allow their clients to listen in on calls. These people are representing your company to the consumer, after all. Why would you not choose to do this? Had more people done this then the ‘bad’ marketers could have been weeded out.
I work in marketing myself and we do use telemarketing for subscription renewals and our fall gift program. We manage it very carefully, though, to make sure we are getting good representation from the company we hire. We had customer complaints about pushiness and rudeness with one marketer a couple of years ago and we no longer use them.
Finally, I think how the employees of this industry are treated should be taken into account. They are given minimal base pay and work generally at a pretty low commission rate. Most positions are part time without benefits. The turnover rate is huge. Had the industry in general treated its employees as an asset and invested in keeping people on for the long haul, I think it would make a difference in how those making the calls treated those who answer.
Joy J. Grandbois-Gallup
Portand, ME

Maven Mailbag

Thanks a million for including Tom Collins’ excellent column “The Makeover Maven” in DIRECT. “Paving the Road to Vagueness” (February) is a wonderful example of how a creative great like Tom can help all of us learn how to take “beautiful” ads and make them more responsive.

The obvious benefit to advertisers is a better return on investment. And the greater benefit to your readers is getting free advice on how to create ads that will work.

Congrats to the DIRECT team for all its good work.
Tom Turner
DMDNY & Turner Direct Inc.

First thing I look for when my DIRECT mag arrives is Tom Collins’ name in the table of contents. Hope he continues writing this column for a long time. I cite it often to clients, and frequently turn to back issues for inspiration.
John Shilgalis
Editor
RMDMA DirectLine

Five years ago I resolved never again to rise to the bait by responding to the dumbing down of the business as reported in your pages.

But alas, I find I can no longer hold to my vow of silence.

Thus, to the cockamamie kiddie corps of carpers critiquing Tom Collins’ column: The only thing missing between puissant and pissant is “u.”

In more ways than one.

Cease, desist and try to learn what it takes to sell. I realize it will hurt but you’ll benefit in the long run (and the short one, too).
Irv Mayer

I think Tom Collins has pointed us closer to the truth when he notes, “That doesn’t mean an ad can’t perform both functions [response advertising and branding advertising] simultaneously.” (See Letters to the Editor, DIRECT, April.)

Most ads in this age do, in fact, consist of both. How we go about accomplishing the task of branding as well as bringing in a response is where we begin to disagree.

The era of David Oglivy-style advertising is over. When was the last time you saw the truly great movers and shakers of our economy (and those who aspire to be) using advertising that’s copy intensive with little or no regard for nailing the cutting edge of graphical design? For every one of them I will give you 10 others who support the concise and aesthetic approach to creating an ad.

Does this mean successful companies are succeeding in spite of their advertising? I’m still trying to think of one that is.

What needs to be agreed on about the two types of advertising Mr. Collins mentioned is that communications design has indeed shifted from a dialogue style to one focused prominently on image. In this evolution of advertising, that means the creatives are currently winning in their survival of the fittest.

(If this is a contest. I don’t think it needs to be.)

That could be unfortunate for some copywriters, who had their heyday in the more calculated, analytical and conservative culture of bygone decades. I would be the first to admit that our society has become shallow and hollow since then. That doesn’t mean, though, that they’re no longer a worthy audience or that our message can’t be just as profound or moving within more restricted and/or subtle copy.

Who would argue that skilled writing and design is doing more with less?

I regret anyone assuming I was “lecturing” Mr. Collins on how to write copy. It was never intended, and a better reading of my letter would prove the point.

For the most part, I think Tom has done a great job of venturing into a whole new and effective means of exposing ads that just don’t work. My opinion is that more copy isn’t going to be the best answer. With this I lay my case to a final rest.

Kudos to Mr. Collins for exposing and facilitating a very hot button. My only suggestion is that the benchmarks set for “good” advertising should be current, with known, real-life success in their intended use.
Phil Landowski

More Travel Tips

Loved Katie Muldoon’s “Tips for Great Trips” (DIRECT, April).

May I add three?

• Bring extra white athletic tube socks. They’re perfect for bringing wine home safely, or any number of other gifts that need a little cushion.

• Roll up silk ties and put them in a suit pocket, then pack the suit.

• The upper safety limit for bringing wine in a suitcase is 15 bottles, or 5 magnums. Beyond 15 bottles you can’t get the case off the floor, let alone in the overhead, even if you’re Schwarzenegger. If you check it, you’ll never, ever see the case again.
  Geoff Batrouney
  Executive Vice President
  Estee Marketing Group Inc.
  New Rochelle, NY

Another Dimension

I admit to not being diligent in my reading — but a letter to the editor in the April issue of DIRECT caught my eye.

The writer defended the use of dimensional mail in response to the article “One Tree, Three Saps” by Jonathan Boorstein (Hot Creative, DIRECT, February).

To a degree, Boorstein is right in his criticism of dimensional mail, while the writer is also accurate regarding the attention-getting properties of dimensional promotions.

I’ve been involved in producing dimensional mail for the past 15 years, and I’ve also seen projects that were poorly thought out and poorly delivered.

The radio that arrived broken in particular was a promotion that was DOA — and could have been prevented with better planning, testing, and possibly putting some of that budget money into the packaging instead of the premium.

Although dimensional mail stands out from the clutter, and tends to generate a greater response, it’s still bound by some logical questions:

• Who is your audience?
• What is your message?
• How does this tie into your message?
• How will this be used?
• How will it be delivered?

All of these basic questions deserve attention, as Boorstein demonstrates.

When that radio arrives broken, it’s a loss for the client, for the agency and for the vendor that produced it.
Jeff Kopito
Suncoast Dimensional LLC

Correction

In “Soft Landings” (On the Record, DIRECT, April) one of the CRM systems vendors mentioned in the article was misidentified. The Menlo Park, CA firm’s correct name is Broadbase Software.