Direct response advertising as an element in the promotional mix

Current mainstream academic marketing literature classifies direct response advertising as either a sub-set of advertising or as a channel-of-distribution concept. The authors position direct response advertising as a separate promotional mix element different from both general advertising and selling. Direct response advertising may be sub-classified, based on the major direct response advertising media types: outbound and inbound telemarketing, interactive electronic media, direct mail, broadcast electronic media, and print. These media are considered to represent points on a continuum between selling and advertising. Suggestions for maximizing the efficiency of the various media during the pretransactional, transactional, and continuing stages conclude the article.