I’ve been coming across the name and work of copywriter and direct response marketing maven Drayton Bird a lot lately.
That reminded me of an interview that Clayton Makepeace conducted with Drayton for the members of his copywriting membership program. It’s one of the best interviews on contemporary marketing that I’ve come across.
I had hoped the interview would be available on Clayton’s blog, but alas that is not the case.
However, I did come across this “Q&A” with Drayton that contains a number of valuable insights for copywriters and marketers.
Without further ado, over to you Drayton…
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We’ve been hearing a lot about the death of traditional media from digital zealots, what is your response to this prediction?
Drayton:
Rather like Mark Twain’s on reading his obituary in a newspaper: “Reports of my death are exaggerated.”
I’ve been hearing about the imminent death of direct mail and other traditional media for well over a decade. The first person to tell me, at 3 am in a bar, was the English creative director of an agency in Kuala Lumpur.
Like most things said by drunks in bars it was utter rubbish. Now they say ‘Web 2.0 will change everything’. These claims are based on a totally flawed premise: that new media replace old. They generally complement each other, which is why integrating media pays.
How come people are reading more books than ever? Still watching TV, going to movies, listening to live music? Why are direct mail volumes, with a few hiccups, still climbing? And why have e-mail response levels fallen from those early, dizzy heights?”
Marketers should learn more from history. As the American philosopher George Santayana said: ‘Those who ignore the lessons of history are condemned to repeat them.’ And we’re already seeing people make the same old mistakes with the Internet.
What are the most common mistakes made by marketers?
Drayton:
- Too many amateurs in a business that calls for professionalism.
- They fail to study the past – or read.
- They “seek applause instead of sales” – Claude Hopkins said that over 80 years ago.
- They forget it’s just salesmanship and imagine it’s a branch of the entertainment business. Entertain, by all means, but make sure it’s relevant.
- They invest before testing – why guess when you can know?
- They don’t measure. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. What sane person invests in anything without measuring return on investment? Marketers do every day. Why? Because firms see it as an expense, not an investment. That’s why they cut marketing expenditure in recessions.
- They believe research will supply the answer – when it is only indicative.
- They don’t study business as a whole – all they think about is marketing.
- They fail to explain clearly to their colleagues what they are doing – maybe because many don’t really know.
- Over-optimism and a naive belief that marketing, especially advertising will solve business problems.
- Hiring marketing directors and senior agency people without checking their credentials. There is too little due diligence in our industry.
- Uncritical acceptance of “gurus” who are often just recycling old truths. Me, for instance.
What are changes that have affected the marketing industry most during your career?
Drayton:
Most business executives forget that marketing reflects society – and is affected by the same things. Marketers need to look beyond marketing to understand what’s going on in society and how they should react.
Here are some of the things that have had significant affect on the marketing industry over the last three decades:
- The computer and particularly the speed with which data is available.
- Databases. Now all organizations want databases because they realize the value they hold. They have seen how easy it is to capture data via a website.
- Direct marketing attracting more investment than general advertising
- Personalization and customization has allowed more relevant communications to be produced.
- The decline in educational standards, especially literacy and numeracy
- The Internet
- The proliferation of brands and media into everyone’s lives
- Inflation
- The greater desire for individual expression, frustrated by the move towards ever more centralization.
- Compliance – and the obfuscation of language in the pursuit of covering the corporate rump.
- Changes in attitudes to sex – greater openness, particularly in advertising imagery.
- The increasing use of marketing techniques – usually badly and often dishonestly applied – by government.
Can you share a disaster or two with us?
Drayton:
The rebranding of Abbey in the UK which confused their existing customers, led to a catastrophic drop in sales and eventually the sale of a firm that had done well for 150 years. The Marketing Director got another job, of course.
My own mistakes are so many it’s hard to single one out. But I once bought a perfectly good newsletter and made it look like a magazine (stupid, as newsletters imply inside information and are seen as more valuable than magazines) then did a mailing to promote it far too near Christmas on December 12th (my only excuse is ignorance) and included the publication in the mailing (a no-no).
More recently trusting someone I didn’t really know to revamp my website cost me three years of misery.
Why do you think the “digital” industry doesn’t understand they are doing direct marketing?
Drayton:
The intelligent ones do; the stupid ones don’t study. And there appear to be more stupid ones than intelligent ones. However, I chaired a conference in London last year where every single speaker – all from digital firms – took it as read that what they do is just direct marketing.
Do you predict a merging of direct and digital divisions or departments?
Drayton:
This is inevitable and is happening. Customers and their motivations do not change even if the media do. Actually as I point out in the new edition of Commonsense Direct and Digital Marketing, the word “digital” is a misnomer. We have digital TV and radio, but marketers don’t think of them as digital.
What advice would you give young marketers or agency people interested in the industry?
Drayton:
Read. It’s a very agreeable feeling when you walk into a meeting knowing more than anyone else.
Study people. They are the only profit center in your business. If you really understand your customers you multiply your chances of success.
Constantly ask yourself: “What if?” – that is how ideas are born. You need an inquiring mind to succeed in this business.
Take an interest in as many things as possible outside marketing, which is a very dull subject. If you think about nothing else you will end up a tremendous bore – to others and yourself.
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Attribution: This article was first published in “The Total Package”. To sign-up to receive your own FREE subscription to “The Total Package” and claim four FREE money making e-books go to www.MakepeaceTotalPackage.com.