DM News: DM Purchases Different Than Supermarket Buys, Wunderman Says

Interesting short piece reporting on a speaking engagement by Lester Wunderman, the man who, for all practical purposes, invented direct marketing (he's getting up there, so let's suck his brain while we can). He talks about how many DMers are ignoring the issue of consumer privacy at their own peril, about the difference between "suspects" and "prospects," rewarding customer "tenure," and this critical point (which also forms the first chapter of his classic book):

Direct marketing is a strategy, not a tactic. It's not an ad with a coupon; it's not a commercial with a toll-free number; it's not a mailing, a phone call, a promotion, a database or a Web site. It's a commitment to getting and keeping valuable customers.