A new breed: with the emergence of agencies that use direct marketing as only one skill among many to run a client's campaign, specialist firms are having to work harder to prove they still offer value for money

Precision Marketing, July, 2004 by Steve Hemsley

IT HAS ALWAYS been a rule of business that a specialist in any industry can charge a premium for its expertise. This has certainly been true in the world of direct marketing, where agencies concentrating on this discipline have flourished because they can deliver a quality solution regardless of the client or target audience.

Yet fashions appear to be changing. A new breed of promotions agency, where direct marketing sits alongside other skills such as sales promotion and live brand experience activity, is tempting brands.

It means the specialists have to work harder than ever to demonstrate their unique position in the market is an asset worth paying for, and not a constraint when it comes to meeting a client's marketing objectives.

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