Commonsense Direct and Digital Marketing

I own an earlier edition of this book, written beforethe internet stuff was added.Still, Drayton Bird is a fine writer and he explainsthings lucidly and he has hella' experience and knowsof that which he writes.He has a good sense of humor. Sort of droll.No book can cover it all, but this one does a good jobof touching on major points any direct marketer shouldreally get a grasp of.It isn't until about half-way through that Bird gets intoCopywriting but he covers a lot of ground quickly in thisarea. If you write copy you SHOULD read a lot of booksand read a lot of copy - one book doesn't do it.It's not obvious to everyone but there are some "copywriters"out there that don't actually know marketing very well.They are best avoided if you are paying for copy, and thisbook will help you a lot if you are thinking of writingyour own copy or thinking of hiring somebody to do it for you.Favorite quote (of many):"If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys"Funny guy, that Bird.

Excellent reference book for anybody in marketing

IF you know about Drayton Bird, then you know he's a bit of a legend. If you don't know about him, well then what are you doing in marketing/advertising?But seriously, this book is a goldmine of marketing ideas and advice that are designed to get results.If results matter to you, then get this book.If you want fancy marketing and branding theory, then this is not for you.It's a big book packed with tips on what to do and how to do it.All delivered in Bird's irascible and highly amusing style.As the name implies, it's about direct marketing. In other words the hard nosed approach towards getting the sale and the profit.It should be required reading for all marketers and advertisers, but sadly it isn't.That makes it a secret weapon for those of us in the know.

This book has timeless and practical advice on good marketing, and, I dare say, all aspects of it.If every company or marketer had Drayton Bird's book and followed the advice within, all would surely do very well.With the exception of those companies who don't treat their customers well, of course.(Good marketing will bring you customers. Bad service will leave you many unhappy customers who'll leave a bad review.)This is one book I will surely leave as one of the most precious heirlooms for my children.

I want to share my experiences after reading this book. It's a great book and the guy Drayton is still alive at 80+ yrs old, imagine that for a second. The reason i purchase this book is so i can learn about direct marketing/mailing as i'm in process of starting my own company in an extremely competitive and commoditized industry. For context i have already read about 20 other books besides this one. I think most valuable materials are towards the end of the book on the subject of testing, tracking, interpreting your results accurately. It actually provides a structure for you start with so you can narrow your focus before mailing out your first pieces.Anyways, it is a bit long, but it is the perfect starter book for any business owners who want to not just start a business with a product and sell, it's a book that teaches you to be on top of the business and build a business and thrived. Those who invest the time/energy to finish reading this book will be rewarded with the foundations and fundamentals of direct marketing that will lead them to better success.It is perfect for the newbie as it covers all the core areas and in great details and with a lot of context based on his 60+ years of experience in the business. He probably shared 50-60 scenarios from his direct experience, imagine how much you have to pay to experience that yourself, vs reading this book. It's one thing to learn some rules/principles, it's another to be educated on how those rules apply in the real world, and he gives out plenty of examples from his experiences to add a depth of knowledge and context so you can understand "why" those rules/principles exist in this space.Plus he also mentions probably another 15+ direct marketing related books so that you can further your education/knowledge on specific areas within DM, so that you will do it right the first time if you invest the time to research. It's just a wealth of knowledge from his 60 yrs of experiences condensed into 400 pages for like $10 bucks. Imagine the time, cost and failures he had to endure to not only get to the top of his profession, but also help his clients achieve increase sales success. You can gain his knowledge and wisdom for $10 bucks and 2-3 weeks of your time reading it.Overall, if you really want to use direct marketing as a tool to increase sales and build a dept. within the company that will thrive and help you scale, then this is the book for you to start with.

What more can I say? David Olgivy said Drayton knows more about Direct Marketing than anyone else. I would certainly say NO one knows more than Drayton (although there is a possibility of his having 1-2 people who are close to his insight).The only disappointment in the book is that I don't have his autograph in my copy. I need to get to get to the UK to have that drink with Drayton and Madsen (and not forget to take the book to get signed).

My original copy of Commonsense Direct Marketing has been lent to many people, and inevitably ended up not coming home!The updated Kindle version has lots of great new material and it is harder to lose!Having paid for his services back in the early eighties, I know his work is great, and the book is an absolute bargain. Easy to read and full of advice that can save you a fortune.

The money invested in this book has been one of my wisest choices. Drayton Bird is a first rate author when it comes to Direct Marketing. He's a sincere, funny and knowledgeable man who's given us this excellent book to study a field in which he worked in for decades with some of the greatest ad men of our times.

This book is written for business owners, marketing professionals and students of marketing. For a text book, it's great and I wish my MBA had included a direct marketing module.As a book for business owners, it's a bit daunting. It's bigger and heavier than normal and looking at it feels more like work than reading the lighter style marketing management books.It's written with great panache and the author shares his experiences as well as direct marketing theory.The book was originally called Commonsense Direct Marketing and back in 2007, it was probably a good idea to include Digital Marketing as well. Inevitably technology moves on and this section is dated but it's not a major part of the book.Many other copywriting books focus on the process of creating headlines, openings, bullet points, proof, objection handling and calls to action. This is much more a general discussion of direct marketing packed with plenty of tips and ideas.I've owned it for about five years now and I don't refer to it as often as I do other copywriting books. I think that's because I'm either focusing on a particular type of media (sales letter, flyer, web page etc) or thinking about a particular part of the copy like a headline or guarantee. There are other books that spring to mind to check before this one.It's also possible there is much more to get out of this book than I have done as I'm daunted by its appearance. To test this idea and because I'm only a zdrsyton Bird binge, I've also bought the book as a Kindle version, where its look is neutralised.Paul Simister, a business coach who helps business owners who are stuck, get unstuck.

After gobbling down Drayton's 51 Helpful Marketing Ideas, I clicked and bought this power-packed comprehensive work.There's no hype here, just an MBA in effective marketing for today. This isn't theory from some idealistic ponce, it's the real guy and the no holds barred stuff you need to know before throwing another marketing penny down the drain. Drayton gives you clarity, and lifts the mist from marketing.

I've been lucky enough to have seen the author in action.Someone bought me an earlier version of this book about 20 years ago and I've been a fan ever since.I have put a lot of what he says in this book into action. What can I say? It works.If you run a business, any business, you need to read this.

I bought this edition because it was cheaper than the latest edition. I head read about Drayton bit didn't want -- neither could -- to spend that much. Knowing what I now know about Mr Bird's unique ability to combine general wisdom, history and business knowledge (plus sense of humor!), I would gladly pay two or three times as much its actual price. The value it contains is worth the investment. HIGHLY recommended (the latest edition).

The best book you will ever purchase about marketing! Not only explains how marketing fits into your business plan but clearly explains to integrate all forms of marketing.The bottom line is that the book clearly shows how your business should be seen from your customer point of view not your point of view.