Being Direct: Making Advertising Pay

by Lester Wunderman

Lester Wunderman is an advertising legend, the pioneering father of direct marketing, to whom we owe the ubiquity of the American Express card, the creation of the Columbia Record Club, and the high profile of L.L. Bean. The visionary marketing techniques Wunderman conceived and perfected over his long and brilliant career transformed the advertising industry and will shape the interactive marketplace of the future. Here is his own story, in his own words, of how he did it – how he learned to make advertising pay. Direct marketing is a strategy for putting manufacturers directly in touch with consumers – the blueprint for the "disintermediation" of the digital world. Back in the fifties and sixties, while other ad agencies disdained what was then called mail order selling, Lester Wunderman used his instincts and skills to revolutionize the industry. He was responsible for a number of He introduced bound-in subscription cards for magazines, founded the first "virtual store," introduced pre-printed newspaper inserts, and persuaded Time Inc. to use an 800 number to sell their magazines. Today, direct marketing accounts for 15 percent of all retail sales worldwide. Twenty-five years before the Internet was invented, in a now famous speech at MIT, Wunderman described the sales relationship of the future as "interactive." In tomorrow's electronic marketplace, the interactive techniques he pioneered will account for the great majority of sales worldwide. In a groundbreaking final chapter, Wunderman looks forward to marketing in the "post-present." Anyone with an interest in the future of advertising and selling would do well to listen to this remarkable, wise and wonderfully entertaining pioneer. The new version has been augmented with a new final chapter on the impact of the Internet on direct marketing, includes a new Consumer Communications Bill of Rights, and has been statistically updated regarding the size and scope of Direct Marketing.

Genres: Business, Biography

350 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Kristian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this for a project at work. It is an interesting read if you have an inclining towards marketing and advertising. Also, it is a look inside the mind of someone who created a global advertising agency. From my perspective after reading the book, Mr Wunderman was a bit of a genius and an incredibly hard worker but he also seemed to think very highly of himself and comes across as bit of an arrogant prick. I wouldn't recommend this book anytime soon unless you want to know more about direct marketing techniques and how to credit yourself with all the successes and shift blame of a failure onto others.

[Tim Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book. Age old lessons from direct mail that can be applied in today's digital world.

[mdy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this when I knew nothing about Direct Marketing and Email Marketing was becoming a lot more targeted. It was great as an eye-opener even though it was written more in a story-telling style rather than as a straight-to-the-point reference or how-to.

The opening pages have a section called "Nineteen Things All Successful Direct Marketing Companies Know" and that's probably the closest you'll get to a list of principles.

[Mike Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy learning the history, the why, the backstory; and this book doesn't disappoint. Wunderman gives his perspective on advertising and "Being Direct" is his style as well as the title. His 19 principles are still incredibly relevant. It all builds toward creating a relationship with the consumer; and that is what advertising today is all about.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

This really is an auto-biography and not a book on direct marketing tips. Still, it is a good read and a lot could be learned through the examples provided by Wunderman.

[Nate Desmond · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know those books you come back to repeatedly? This is one of those.

[Gianni · Rating 1 out of 5]

Half biography half history of advertising, interesting read. I couldn't help but feel a melancholy thread in those pages. Lester Wunderman is the most recognizable advertising guru on earth.

[Pkingy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The absolute read for all things direct marketing