The Role of Direct Marketing in Privacy of People - Essay Example

?   Discussion on Direct Marketing       Discussion on Direct Marketing Direct marketing is a form of publi that permits non profit organizations and businesses to directly communicate with clients, with marketing methods that comprise outdoor advertising, cell phone text messaging, promotional letters, email, catalogue distribution, interactive consumer websites, fliers, and online display advertisements. Also, direct marketing is defined by several characteristics. One, marketing messages are directly addressed to the client or clients. Direct marketing is dependent on having the capacity to talk to customers in a specified market. Addressability may take an extensive choice of forms, for example, through postal addresses, email addresses, fax numbers, web browser cookies, and mobile phone numbers. Two, direct marketing attempts to promote a specified call to action, for instance, an advertisement may require the customer to either click on a link to a website or calla free telephone number. Three, direct marketing lays emphasis on measurable, traceable reactions from clients without regard for the medium that is utilized (Tapp 2004, p. 9). In addition, direct marketing is utilized by businesses of all magnitudes, from the ones that are in their initial stages to the most developed ones. A correctly planned and implemented direct marketing advertisement may prove definite earnings on investment by indicating how a large number of probable clients reacted to a concise call to action. Standard advertisements avoid call for action in preference of communications that attempt to develop prospects’ emotional engagement or awareness with a product. Even properly developed standard advertisements infrequently can prove their effect on the end result of an organization (Blankenship, Breen & Dutka 1998, p. 72). This paper will discuss the statement direct marketing is an invasion of people’s privacy. The paper will look at the channels of direct marketing, direct and digital marketing theories, and engage in a discussion of the statement. Any means that may be utilized to convey a message to a client may be used in direct marketing, including; direct mail, mobile, email marketing, direct response television, and telemarketing. Direct mail explains messages conveyed to possible donors or clients through the postal service and different delivery services. Direct mail is distributed to clients on the basis of criteria, for example, buying pattern, age, profession, location, income, among others, for example, it may be in the form of a post card with the heading “Lose extra fat in two weeks”. Bulk mailings are a specifically prevalent technique of promotion for organizations functioning in the travel and tourism sectors, home computer, and financial services (Adcock & Al Halborg 2001, p. 15). Advertisers frequently enhance direct mail activities into targeted mailing, in which mail is distributed using database assessment to choose receivers perceived to be most probable to react in a positive way. For instance, an individual who shows preference for swimming may get direct mail for swimming-associated commodities (Adcock & Al Halborg 2001, p. 15). Using mobile marketing, marketers communicate with potential donors and clients in an interactive way through a mobile network or device, for example, a smartphone or cellphone. Forms of mobile marketing messages include mobile applications, multi-media message service, and a short message service. Market communications are sent through mobile applications, audio, videos, and images, and text messages. Email marketing is also becoming the most largely utilized direct marketing techniques. The popularity of email marketing is because it is relatively affordable to send, test, and design an email messages. Email marketing permits marketers to send messages at all times, and to correctly determine reactions (O'guinn 2008, p. 625). For example, Burger King lately developed a mobile Web site so as attract customers to its restaurants. Direct marketing using television may take the short form or the long form. The short form uses advertisements that last for a maximum of 1 minute and asks the audience for a direct reaction. In contrast, the long form lasts for almost an hour while explaining a commodity in depth (Blankenship, Breen & Dutka 1998, p. 33). Telemarketing is another form of direct marketing whereby marketers get in touch with clients by phone. The foremost advantage to business in enhanced lead generation, which assists organizations enhance their customer base and sales capacity (Tapp 2004, p. 93). Network theory and the direct marketing’s 70% theory are significant in discussing if direct marketing is an invasion of people’s privacy. Network theory looks at connections of all forms, whether between, things, animals, or individuals. Social network examination is an overlying technique for being aware of trends that exist in social networks and the style and how they affect behaviour (O'guinn 2008, p. 625). Digital marketing mediums, for example, Twitter and Facebook permit the marketers to know the customers’ views and also permit marketers to control the authority of significant customers to convey messages using their networks (Adcock & Al Halborg 2001, p. 26). For example, The National Geographic Channel utilizes software to attain details on its website visitors. When customers use Facebook or Twitter sign-in-data, information is shared with the customer. The 70% theory asserts that approximately 70% of individuals who click on a link to a website page, or get direct email or mail, look at it for a short period and then go to another page, delete, or discard the mail. From the direct marketing channels, and direct and digital marketing theories, one may argue in favour of the statement direct marketing is an invasion of people’s privacy. People’s privacy is invaded when their private life is intruded by others. It is evident that all channels of direct marketing intrude the private life of individuals. Opinion polls conducted on members of the population indicate that a large portion of individuals are worried about dangers to their privacy due to direct marketing practices. It is evident that almost every time clients want to purchase commodities either by telephone or mail, or desire to distinguish more about a product that is being advertised through their email, their purchasing behaviour, address, and name may be included to numerous company records (Baker 2002, p. 726). This generates a concern that marketers may possess excess information regarding the lives of the customers, and they may utilize this information to take undue benefit. In addition, academics, legislators, and consumers usually perceive numerous forms of direct marketing, for example, those conveyed through door-to-door, internet, telephone, mail, or television as an invasion of people’s privacy and a nuisance. A large number of direct marketing requests are both burdensome and annoying to the receiver than of assistance to the conveyer (Kotler & Keller 2012, p. 32). People who view direct marketing requests as an irritation unsurprisingly concentrate on establishing techniques for blocking the direct marketing requests. As it has been emphasized, this is an invasion of privacy of particularly significant individuals. While a large number of individuals have increasingly become accustomed to the horrid truth of telemarketing calls, it is valuable to recall that this invasion of privacy implicates the most indispensable form of privacy, the right to be left undisturbed in one’s household (Tapp 2004, p. 94). The telemarketing channel of direct marketing literally invades into the most private areas of an individual’s households. This includes the living areas, kitchens, and bedrooms. This is because these are the exact areas where people place their telephones so as to get quick access to their families, friends, loved ones, and essential services (Tapp 2004, p. 94). The network theory and 70% theory of direct marketing also highlight elements of invasion of people’s privacy. Network theory looks at connections of all forms, whether between, things, animals, or individuals. In looking for links between individuals, the network theory has to invade people’s privacy. For instance, direct marketers may utilize the social media such as Twitter or Facebook to be aware of the views of the customer. This means that when the user of Twitter or Facebook logs into his account he will get items related to direct marketing on his page. This is a clear invasion of privacy as he did not permit the marketers to access his account so that they can get his views. On the other hand, the 70% theory clearly indicates that these people do not authorize the mails, links, or emails sent to them by marketers, hence approximately 70% of individuals who click on a link to a website page, or get direct email or mail, look at it for a short period and then go to another page, delete, or discard the mail (Kotler & Keller 2012, p. 66). In the United States, in 1991, Federal law initially acknowledge the annoyance of telemarketing. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the rule that controls telemarketing, established that a large number of people are offended with the large number of nuisance, intrusive telephone calls to their households from telemarketers (Tapp 2004, p. 96). This legislation made it unlawful for telemarketers to solicit customers early in the morning or during night time. In conclusion, direct marketing invades people’s privacy. This is evident from telemarketing calls, direct mails and emails sent to people without their permission, door-to-door marketing in the community, and marketing through television during programs, and radio response (Baker 2002, p. 729). Nonetheless, one of the foremost impediments in applying the privacy concept to marketing activities is developing and recording the damage that results from invading the privacy of individuals (Baker 2002, p. 729). Invasion allegations should prove that a marketing activity has interfered with an individual’s physical existence, but customers’ capacity to deal with the unsolicited invasion, for example, deleting unwanted email, hanging up a phone call, or disposing of unwanted mail, usually makes such allegations arguable. It may be argued just as individuals have a degree of restrain over the reproduction of their bodily likeness and the manners it may be utilized by other people, they should also have control over the marketing activities that may affect them. References Adcock, D & Al Halborg, CR 2001, Introduction, marketing: Principles and practice (4th ed.), Prentice Hall, New Jersey. Blankenship, A, Breen, G & Dutka, A 1998, State of the art marketing research (2nd ed.), McGraw-Hill, New York. Kotler, P & Keller, LK 2012, Marketing management (14th ed.), Pearson, New York. O'guinn, T 2008, Advertising and integrated brand promotion. Oxford University Press, Oxford. Tapp, A 2004, Principles of direct and database marketing (3rd ed.), Prentice Hall, New Jersey. Baker, M 2002, The marketing book (5th ed.), Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford. Read More