Here is a link to an intriguing New York Times article on virality by John Tierney. A good deal of thinking has been done about which articles NY Times readers choose to share, and why. You might be surprised by what type of articles are most shared, but the reasons why (emotional communion, among others), are very interesting. Especially when you think about the Times readership in terms of being an audience you might want to reach, and what types of content could engage that audience enough to inspire pass-along.

It’s that magical time of year, the Holiday season once again.  Every day the retail email fairy leaves me well over 20 (some days over 40) red and green emails to spread joy and cheer throughout my inbox. I have begun to understand how time-consuming Chad White’s http://www.retailemailblog.com job must be.

The Holiday season is an excellent litmus test of how far direct messaging has come - and how much further it needs to go. In arguably the most competitive drive period of the year, retailers should be showcasing their direct messaging chops to break through the clutter, driving revenue and margin.  The epitome of direct marketing is relevance.  Yet the evidence in my inbox points to Holiday messaging firmly entrenched at the other end of the spectrum: one-size-fits-most messaging, with discounts of 20%+ thrown in to catch the eye.

Disappointed, I briefly considered checking last year’s emails to see if any retailers chose to reduce costs by re-using their Holiday 2008 creative.*

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Articles, blog posts, and press releases abound about how much data the internet is now making available for marketers, about what a sea change this data deluge is bringing to business processes and decision-making. New data companies are entering the space every day, each with case studies that verify the utility of their offerings. A new world of data-driven marketing is upon us!

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I think it’s fair to say that most marketers don’t aspire to win the Nobel Prize. But there are lessons.

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Welcome to re:direct, a conversation about modern direct marketing.

David Ogilvy began his advertising career first doing research for Gallup and selling Aga stoves door-to-door. He learned precious lessons in salesmanship and how to communicate with people to help them make a decision. Ogilvy placed a high value of not just guessing at would work, but knowing what would work. He insisted on direct response being an integral part of the agency he built.

For all the rigor as it has evolved from mail order to database marketing to CRM and digital, direct seems stuck in a decade or two past. We believe it’s time for a second coming, especially creatively.

We’re tasking talent across Ogilvy — from creative and strategy to analytics and media — to tackle this and showcase work. We’re also asking the wider marketing community to participate and push us all towards some answers.

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