Polarization

This message comes to us from the most recent e-mail newsletter of the Seattle Direct Marketing Association:

• "The direct marketing industry has been changing at a feverish pitch. First came email, then blogs, RSS feeds, rich media, word of mouth, viral, social networking and user-generated content. The SMDA is evolving right along with it, and we'll soon be introducing a new tag line "Thinking Outside The Mailbox" to help define the SDMA for the future."

Let's compare and contrast that statement with what DMNews told us last week:

• "In case there were any lingering thoughts that the printed word is dead, consider this: Hewlett-Packard has launched a $300 million-plus, integrated marketing campaign that reflects just how important printing-related services and products are to the company ... the campaign is one way HP is trying to drive its Print 2.0 strategy ..."

Maybe it has always been this way, but the marketing voices we have to listen to seem to want to polarize us.

It's like going to a direct marketing Farmers Market, where everybody is SCREAMING at you about how 'right' they are for your business. You find a dizzying array of booths ...

• The "print" booth.
• The "e-mail" booth.
• The "compiled list" booth.
• The "list rental" booth.
  
• The "portal advertising" booth.
• The "affiliate marketing" booth.
• The "shopping comparison site" booth.
  
• The "search marketing" booth.
• The "RSS" booth.
  
• The "blogging" booth.
• The "facebook/twitter/social-graph" booth.
• The "word of mouth and viral marketing" booth.
• The "PR" booth.
• The "loyalty marketing" booth.
• The "multichannel marketing and operations" booth.
  
• The "business intelligence and SAS programming" booth.
• The "web analytics" booth.

Each booth has a small but fiercely loyal tribe of believers. Each tribe is able to "prove" to you why they are right. And each tribe "is" right ... to an extent.

I want to be presented with a bowl of direct marketing cioppino. Instead, all I see are cutting boards full of uncooked ingredients, arguing with each other about why each individual ingredient is best.

Seattle DMA Event: Conference Slides

Thanks very much to those of you who joined me for my talk today at the Seattle DMA event, "Market To The Max". A great crowd, and great questions! Follow this link to download slides from the presentation.

Listen To Tuesday's Webinar!

The good folks at Intelligent Results recorded today's webinar on Multichannel Forensics. The event was well attended. Thanks to everybody who joined me, I appreciate that you spent time listening to this topic.

Please click here to listen to today's presentation. You'll be able to follow along with the slides as you listen to the audio portion of the presentation.

Up next is the Seattle DMA's "Market To The Max" event on Monday, May 21. If you're in Seattle, stop by after the presentation for a chat! You'll also have a chance to hear uber-bloggers Robert Scoble and Ben McConnell, as well as Friend of MineThatData Chris Baggott at this conference.

Seattle Direct Marketing Association: Market To The Max 2007

One of the best local direct marketing programs in years is all yours if you attend the Seattle Direct Marketing Association's "Market To The Max" conference on May 21, from 8:00am to 5:00pm at the Bell Harbor Conference Center in Seattle.

At first, you might think that attending my 10:00am session on Multichannel Forensics is worth the admission price. You'd be wrong. Take a look at this lineup of speakers.

Keynote Sessions from former Washington Governor Gary Locke, author and uber-blogger Ben McConnell (Church of the Customer), and Microsoft VP Jeff Bell highlight an informative day.

Breakout sessions are loaded with great speakers as well. My blogging audience will be happy to know that A-lister Robert Scoble will participate in a panel discussion. Friend of MineThatData Chris Baggott will team with Eddie Bauer alum Bryan Chaffe on a search marketing session.

Register by Tuesday, and save $20 off of the $219 membership fee.

I look forward to seeing you at my session on Multichannel Forensics!