Direct marketing 'adapts to consumer trends'

Direct marketing is an effective tool because it can change in response to consumer trends, an expert has asserted.

Ren Kapur, director of corporate development at the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management (ISMM), suggested that marketing through email, telephone and post can be an efficient way of communicating with potential clients.

"In a drastically changing market, direct marketing is able to be so much more flexible and so much more sensitive to customer trends," he continued.

Mr Kapur added that direct marketing goes through phases, as five years ago it was mostly conducted through the post and by telephone, then email became popular and now some firms are returning to mail.

Recently, the Fournaise Marketing Group published its report into the effectiveness of promotional methods popular during 2007.

It noted that less than 35 per cent of marketing and communications budgets worldwide were spent on direct marketing.

However, the organisation highlighted that - despite such a low level of resources being committed to such communications - marketers still consider it to be the most effective means of promoting goods or services.