It’s a new day

That’s the name of a new song by Will.I.Am (most clever singer name ever, IMO). But it is also a new day in marketing. Marketers are trying to find new ways of doing old things–that is, getting people in the door (and better yet, to make a purchase). A couple of stories in the Washington Post this week make this point. In today’s post, there is an article about a trend toward retailers creating an emotional connection with shoppers and also having gatherings in stores, to get people literally in the door. Although this is not new per se, it’s application is. It seems that generalized advertising is just not doing the trick. Marketers think that by encouraging positive contact and context, consumers will part with their money.

The other story (which I cannot for the life of me find on line to link to) is one regarding credit card and other offers by mail. It seems that, finally, issuers of these offers are cutting back. Although I do think that direct marketing can be a good way to reach a target audience, I think unsolicited and unwanted credit card offers do little more than sully the environment further. This trend has much to do with the availability of credit as well. The article also reports that Neiman Marcus is cutting back on its famous Christmas catalog–sending out fewer copies and making it thinner.