A little truth serum would go a long way in this job… oh to have that kind of power in my grubby little hands.

It would have made my efforts to look back on ‘the year in direct marketing’ so much easier. Talk about conflicting statements. Printers were lamenting the drought of direct mail and marketing gigs, at the best of times. At its worst, those major suppliers were biting the dust. Clients, for their part, were keeping a fairly low profile, with few major public announcements or strategic shifts.

And yet direct agencies – judging from the entries to this year’s Direct Agency of the Year (DAOY) competition – were as happy as pigs in…well, you know. Nearly everyone was growing and winning new business – even though many agencies have since said there truly wasn’t a lot of new business up for grabs this year.

One dubious agency president had employees (who, naturally, had come from other shops) vet the competing agency write-ups to gauge the ‘truth’ of the entries. (This year, agencies desiring to become DAOY were asked to submit ‘for your consideration’ year-in-review précis. Those highlights and lowlights of the year were posted on a Web site and judged by a panel of more than 30 client and agency types. Based on those votes, the DAOY shortlist was formed.)

Now don’t get me wrong, the campaigns submitted to the final stage of the competition were rock solid (and the packaging of the submissions themselves wowed judges). Our adjudicators made note of the gorgeous production values, the roster of ‘contests and bribes – oops, gifts and incentives,’ and the development, by some agencies, of strong in-house data capabilities – crucial to success.

I can’t speak for judges here, but I think I would have been further impressed if an agency had laid it all on the line and demonstrated what it had been able to accomplish in spite of hardships. I’m of the ‘through adversity there is opportunity’ opinion – opportunity to get back to basics, to really push the envelope and look for new windows, to rally around your team and your industry, and to take those learnings and do good! But maybe now I’m the one looking through rose-coloured glasses.

For their part, the top three agencies have justified their figures and spelled out their new account wins, which, in almost every case, were at the root of their respective growth. A big piece of U.S. business kick started the year for our second-time Direct Agency of the Year, Lowe RMP, for example.

The industry has come together on several occasions this year, most notably the CMA RSVP Awards, and Lowe RMP’s The Direct Marketers Other Ball, both held in Toronto last month. And the feeling at both events was certainly not one of doom and gloom. In fact, it was rather uplifting.

Could be that a resurgence is already underway…and that this is old news now. Many printers have reported upswings in the fourth quarter. And there are indications that there will be more DM business for the taking in the new year. But it’s still an opportunity to take heed of those little lessons to have come out of the past year. (Kind of like the following.)

Perhaps it was the product of a difficult year, or of specific client-driven focuses, but some judges did leave words of warning for the industry. Of the seven judges, at least two were left wondering what had happened to DM creative standards. All told, those standards, in the words of one judge, were ‘a little fast and loose’ with a lot of reverse body copy type, for example – and ‘lots of advertising in an envelope.’

The most poignant comment – one that I hope ultimately serves to inspire as we all welcome the new year, is as follows: ‘Overall, creative standard is down. We have become so good with data/targeting that creative is getting relegated in importance. We now know our segmentation preference and triggers so well they already have a propensity to respond, call, click or buy. It is a sobering thought and hopefully a temporary one. The next agency to develop that ‘extra something’ visually, will surely surge ahead.’

Congrats again to the winners, and thanks to everyone who put so much thought and time into this year’s Direct Agency of the Year.

Cheers,

Bernadette Johnson