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152 direct marketing
direct marketing
Direct marketing is a measurable marketing
technique that involves communicating with a preidentified
audience, using one or more media in
order to achieve a specific market response within
a defined time frame. The overall aim of direct
marketing is to achieve lower net promotional costs
per measurable response than is possible with other
methods.
Sometimes referred to as `direct response
marketing' or `database marketing', direct marketing
encompasses any marketing approach that
involves direct one-on-one relationships between
suppliers and targeted customers with the ultimate
objectives of generating sales. These approaches
include direct mail, telephone sales �telemarketing)
and/or personal selling. Such techniques can be
used individually or integrated with other promotional
methods to achieve overall marketing
objectives.
A basic tenet of direct marketing is to efficiently
link tourism service suppliers and vendors with
specifically targeted trade and/or consumer markets.
This goal is achieved by developing relationships
with current customers to sustain repeat
business, inform clients of new products and secure
referrals. Direct marketing creates awareness to
inform referrals of available services/products and
generates new leads through contact with names
on proprietary and/or personally developed lists
that match or augment current customer profiles.
Predicated on developing client profiles using a
database, the significance of direct marketing is
that it can be used by any tourism/hospitality
enterprise, irrespective of size, target market or
type of products/services offered. Requisites of
direct marketing involve collecting detailed customer
information, market planning and testing.
The technique offers absolute control over customer
contact and fulfilment, revenue and cost
accountability that is attributable to specific
campaigns, precise market segmentation that
matches customer profiles, quick and immediate
testing of markets and tourism products/services,
special offers and/or programmes and finally, costeffective
management of promotion budgets. With
these elements in mind, any travel organisation has
the potential to successfully exploit direct marketing.
See also: market analysis; marketing
information systems; marketing mix; marketing
plan
Further reading
Burke, J.F. and Lindblom, L.A. �1989) `Strategies
for evaluating direct response tourism marketing',
Journal of Travel Research 28�2): 33±7.
�Discusses the applicability of direct response
tourism programmes for destination marketing
organisations.)
Fairlie, R. �1993) Direct Marketing and Direct Mail,
2nd edn, London: Kogan Page. �Outlines the
concepts/principles involved, including database
creation and applications.)
Hughes, A.M. �1994) Strategic Database Marketing,
Chicago, IL: Probus. �Explains how to build a
database and use it profitably with a focus on
accountability.)
Talarzyk, W. and Widing II, R.E. `Direct marketing
and online consumer information services
�OLCISs): implications and challenges', Journal
of Direct Marketing 8�Autumn): 6±17. �Provides a
comprehensive literature review of direct marketing
as well as examination of trends and
technologies.)
disciplinary action
LAUREL J. REID, CANADA
The goal of a discipline programme is to promote
positive employee behaviours. To effectively lay the
groundwork for a discipline system that promotes
positive behaviours, managers first clearly establish
the rules and then communicate how those rules
should be carried out through the use of effective
manuals, training, job descriptions, performance
standards, posted notices and employee handbooks.
Managers must choose between two substantially
different types of discipline systems. Normally
referred to as the traditional approach to discipline,
the first type emphasises the administration of
discipline after an employee fails to follow