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Chris Whitson. Planning Partner at Stephens Francis Whitson (part of the VCCP Partnership), and IPA DM Group Chairman, discusses why DM is no longer in exile on Main Street…

It’s fair to say that direct marketing has always had its share of knockers, both inside and outside the marketing industry, many of whom predicted the rise of digital media would be the final nail in the coffin for the sector.

But, while detractors cried foul ‘junk mailers’, the sector has proved as resilient as Rolling Stones’ legend Keith Richards. And despite the gloomy predictions, for the vast majority, it is a long way from being ‘all over now’.

In fact, a quick glance through the Bellwether Reports for the past decade shows that, through email marketing, DM has actually embraced digital media much better than other sectors, meaning the adverse effect of the rise of the internet has been far less for DM than for any other discipline.

Not that DM professionals have been able to sit back and wait for the marketing budgets to land on their desks; there have been many battles fought to prove its effectiveness. Where once to some clients, DM-ers were seen as low-level suppliers these days practitioners are driving clients’ business strategy. Just ask Tesco bosses where they would be without their Clubcard programme.

So, what of the next decade? Can DM hold its own in such a competitive environment? Well, one thing is for sure, the industry can’t afford to rest on its laurels. But there are a number of compelling arguments as to why the sector should thrive; after all , few people would disagree that marketing is becoming more personal , so it stands to reason that the companies which know their customers best are going to be more successful.

The days when you could fly off to Barbados with a marketing director and a huge production team in tow to produce a 30- second TV ad are long gone. In these times when every marketing pound is accountable – never more so than today – DM’s ability to show exactly how budgets are turned into sales is crucial.

But arguably, it is the industry’s ability to combine traditional techniques such as direct mail with email, mobile and social media and other digital methods that will consolidate DM’s place as masters of developing the long-term customer relationships that will be crucial in future marketing strategies.

A decade ago, the prospect of contacting one of your customers in the post or via email at exactly the right time, with the right tone of message, getting them to respond on a handheld device, then converting the sale and completing the transaction all in a matter of seconds was just a pipedream. These days it’s direct marketing reality- and that truly is ‘jumping jack flash.