Direct Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Direct Marketing - Essay Example It is a system of interactive marketing which is aimed at maintaining and building long term relationships with customers through the products and services offerings (Koekemoer & Bird, 2004, p.332). On the other hand, mass marketing aims to target the total market without emphasising on specific market segments. In such a case, the marketer believes that the entire market would be satisfied through the single product offering. The product is offered in the market with minimum or completely no variation in the marketing. It includes a single price, one single promotional campaign targeting the entire market and also a single method of distribution (Strydom, 2001, p.61). This is a relatively less costly affair which includes only a single standard package using one promotional message. Some of the common differences between the two are discussed as follows. The traditional advantages associated with mass marketing are that the production costs remains low because of a single production run for a product which is homogeneous in nature. The advertising cost also remains low because of the launch of a single campaign. It also does not require extensive market research which is why the cost associated with market research also remains low (Strydom, 2001, p.62). ... It is said that the strategies for direct marketing must be in alignment and should be guided by the marketing strategy of the organisation on the whole. It shows the way in which the customers can be reached on a one to one basis. This includes determining the product strategies, setting the price and arranging for the distribution. The L. L. Bean Inc. targets the outdoor apparel niche by the use of catalogue marketing. Many companies have used direct marketing to communicate with the target market. For example, Dell Inc. employs sales contact directly with the business customers, internet sales and telephone sales (Cravens, 2009, 377). Dell Inc. is also said to be using the internet for providing customers with the necessary information prior to taking an order over the telephone. The following paragraph discusses some of the common features of both forms of marketing. In term of the costs involved, direct marketing is said to be less costly as compared to mass marketing because it targets less number of people and is carefully aimed at a selected few. It would be more applicable for businesses which have a small or medium target market and which has string prospects. For example, the TV home shopping channels, like Home Shopping network is one the modes of direct marketing (Kennedy, 2006, p.3). In other words, direct marketing involves an one to one customer relationship on the basis of personalized communications (Stone & Jacobs, 2007, p.10). Another basic difference between the two is that direct marketing has a greater conversion rate than mass marketing. It is likely to be surer of converting the first person it targets before moving to its next target. Also,

Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin - Essay Example This is a clear indication that his theme of self-improvement emanates to as early as that tender age of twelve (Franklin 1899). Later on, it happened that he quarreled with his brother and he left for Philadelphia, where he got a job as a printer. This was not to last long and he left for London, where he met no fulfilling promises and then went back to Philadelphia, where he worked for a business (Leo 1986). Upon the death of the business owner, he left to establish his own printing firm, where his journal, the â€Å"Pennsylvania Gazette† when he stopped writing for the journal, he embarked on printing on it â€Å"Father Abraham’s sermon† the greatest of his works that rose him to the hall of fame, he belongs to till today (Franklin 1899). All this are illustrations of his theme of self- improvement, in that from the point he quarreled with his brother, he proceeded to seek ways to earn a living, working under different people in different fields. He emerges as a positive minded personality who struggled to make ends meet with a dream that never died to excel in the writing and publishing field (Stuber 1790). By stating, that he emerged from a state of poverty to that of affluence and fame in his autobiography further indicates the strength of the theme of self-improvement in his life (Leo 1986). He describes through his reference to personal pride that he upheld, which for some reasons created a room for change and improvements that enabled him achieve the success that he did achieved during his life time (Franklin 1899). According to him, self-pride is not evil, since it is the seed planted to reap improvements and advances in personal character traits, which are Congruent with the achievement of success. During his years at grammar school at a tender age of eight, he proved to be an excellent student. Through self-improvement, he managed to rise his position from that at the middle of the class performance to be the head of the class. This saw him moved to the next class, before his duration for the first class was over. Unfortunately, this was not long lasting and he was moved out of school to support his father’s business at the age of ten (Franklin 1899). In recounting his events, he had a liking for seafarer that his father so much opposed. However, he did all he could in his means to become an excellent one, leading the other boys. All this demonstrates the spirit of self-improvement that developed at a very tender age. Worth noting is the fact that in his family, inheritance was passed on to the first son, and thus being the last one, the hopes of any good life were extinguished by such default (Stuber 1790). More of his self-improvement theme is discovered when he states that he had not a good access to books while working under his brother, but he could borrow one in the evening, read it the whole night and return it early morning to avoid the book being noticed missing (Leo 1986). His self-improve ment theme, as advanced by his autobiography, he came up with a scheme to leave a legacy. This he did by setting up an academy, which later translated to a university. This alone was not enough, so he went on to founding the â€Å"American Philosophical Society.† The intentions of this was to provide the other scientific