The End of the World as We Know It?

YEAH, YEAH, sure, sure. Jan. 1, 2000 has come and gone, and Y2K turned out to be the most over-hyped dud since the “Seinfeld” finale. Our computers still work, nothing blew up and we all stocked up on bottled water and canned peaches for nothing.

But we did wake up to a different world, my friends. When I first heard the news, I was certain it was one of the signs of the apocalypse. Now I think it’s the herald of a promising new era.

A direct marketer was named Time magazine’s Person of the Year.

Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, whether he labels himself as such or not, is one of us. And one of the country’s most respected publications – arguably the top newsweekly in the world – has deemed that he, a direct marketer, is the most significant figure of the last year of the 20th century.

Wow.

In this space we’ve discussed, perhaps ad nauseam, the typically negative perception the mainstream media has had of direct marketing. It’s heartening to see Time recognize someone who has spearheaded the e-revolution driving customers – many who would never dream of buying from a print catalog, an infomercial or a telemarketing pitch – to shop direct.

Forgive me if all this end-of-the-century talk seems a bit dated; I know you’re reading this close to Valentine’s Day (hugs and kisses to all). But at this writing it’s less than a week into the new year, and I’m still marveling over how bored ABC’s Peter Jennings looked 22 hours into his round-the-clock New Year’s coverage, clearly disappointed nothing even slightly catastrophic had happened. (What? Europe is still there? Awwww, rats.)

But what’s even more fun to marvel over is the fact that Time’s profile of Bezos centered on some tried-and-true tenets of direct marketing that have made Amazon.com such a success (even if it isn’t exactly turning a profit yet): caring for the customer and effective use of data.

Time notes that the “New Economics of Internet commerce” spring from the concept that “whoever has the most information wins.” The caveat here, of course, is that you have to realize the value of your information – and know what to do with it – for it to really mean anything.

Bezos seems to have that down, telling the magazine that at some point Amazon may move to a membership club format. Anyone would still be able to shop at the site, but those who want access to Amazon’s cool bells and whistles like professional and customer book reviews would have to pay an annual fee.

The company Time profiled was an electronic age version of the classic DM kitchen-table start-up, in the tradition of venerable direct marketers like Lillian Vernon. The company, as you probably know, started out of Bezos’ two-bedroom home with a $300,000 investment from his parents, who are now billionaires thanks to their faith in their son. That’s one of the nicest ROI’s I’ve ever heard of.

So hooray for DM. Of course, there will always be less-than-flattering portrayals of direct marketing, even the current golden child e-commerce. Anyone else catch the “60 Minutes” piece on e-privacy the show researched at the Direct Marketing Association’s annual conference in Toronto? While I was disappointed they didn’t include any footage from the DMA (What? We’re not ready for prime time?), I loved Leslie Stahl’s gasp of horror when she saw a site asking for name and address in exchange for the chance to register for a sweepstakes. Truly a great moment in comedy.

But as for flattering portrayals of the business: Well, Time’s story…heck, Time’s story was, for lack of a better word, timely. On behalf of the direct marketing industry, thanks for some well-deserved recognition.