Consider Tomorrow at Today’s Conference

MANY OF YOU will read this issue either before or while attending the Direct Marketing Association’s annual conference in San Francisco. To set the mood, I’d like to share a little perspective and some thoughts about the program.

With over 100 sessions, the conference promises (according to the DMA’s promotional materials): “The latest information available to marketers”…”The newest products and services”…”Where the direct marketing industry is heading.”

It’s easy to get excited about a conference like this, and all those wonderful digital capabilities ahead-Web marketing and e-mail, interactive and integrated.

It seems like almost everyone’s out there learning, doing, experimenting. And since none of us wants to be left behind, it’s not hard to spend an entire conference focusing on a promising future, while neglecting some important opportunities and information available right now.

Although there’s a heavy focus on e-commerce, interactive marketing and high tech throughout, equally important sessions will be held on privacy, global and database marketing, customer relationships, management, media, insurance and financial services, creative and production.

Such a wonderful assortment can make it tough to choose. What comes first? What’s really important? Sure, some marketers are more prepared than others but there’s an implication that we all support and practice the basics of direct marketing-database management, measured response and testing.

And yet a lot of companies may be fooling themselves into thinking they’re ready for the big digital plunge ahead. Newcomers aside, how many of us really have sophisticated databases set up to handle segmentation, retention procedures and real-time applications? From what I’ve seen, some of us are still in the early stages of database development. And some marketers don’t even know the 20% who buy the 80%.

Should companies with “limited” databases even consider e-commerce before they build and begin cultivating a sound customer database? Conferences like this can help with solid, new technological information on database development, relationship building, branding and creative testing.

Privacy is another issue to consider. Many marketers haven’t yet complied with the DMA’s mail and telephone preference services. DMA chief executive Bob Wientzen has already warned members they have “only until the end of this year to demonstrate industrywide compliance with meaningful, consumer-focused self-regulation.”

Should those who don’t adopt the new DMA ethical guidelines -not to mention the basic DMA privacy guidelines-even consider going global? Or starting something as interrelated to privacy as relationship marketing?

Meanwhile, as we rush to learn more about the Internet, many media pundits have pointed out growth problems, like electronic glitches with servers and consumer preferences that may slow down the promise of massive Web success in the near future.

They report that, in addition to widespread difficulty finding and accessing servers, once prospects access the Web, the majority of interest is focused on free data, like maps, reservations and other travel information; medical news and advice; product reviews and price comparisons; and electronic phone directories. This is not the hot, new market we’ve been led to believe is out there ready for e-commerce.

Much of the material offered at the conference represents fantasy for many of us, as opposed to practical advice. But important practical advice is there, too, and we need both. We’re all concerned about falling behind. And most of us agree we must plan now for the future-even if we’re not ready to jump.

But consider this: How useful will today’s exciting new technology be if we’re unprepared to take advantage of it? Although things are indeed moving fast, what good is e-mail, the Web or any other new technique if we’re not yet ready to accurately test and capture customer response? What’s the point in trying new ways to prospect if we don’t understand and respect the customers we have now?

When offered so many conference options, a balance must be struck between covering doing what we already do best even better and solid, intelligent toe-in-the-water investigation and planning for tomorrow.

Much of the glamour of today’s digital media may be old hat or completely worn away by the time some of us get seriously involved. On the other hand, many of our prospects and customers themselves aren’t prepared to rush ahead into electronic interaction.

So relax. The future always takes longer to get here than we expect. But when it comes, it comes fast!