After hitting some of the overlapping parties and events Sunday night during the DMA‘s annual conference – Xerox‘s rooftop networking event and the DM Buzz party at the Hard Rock Hotel’s Club 207 – I wandered back to my hotel room to find a door hanger ad from iContact hanging on my door.
“The best direct marketing is e-mail marketing,” the sign read, with a button telling me to stop by booth #3025 to learn more. Old-fashioned targeted marketing to tradeshow attendees. I can dig it.
Once in my hotel room, though, I found another much more intrusive ad, this one from First Data, slapped on the hotel mirror. Designed in the style of an old election campaign button, it implored me to “Join the campaign to end 1% response rates.” A third tent-card-style ad promoting direct marketing legend Stan Rapp’s new book was perched on the TV cabinet.
Tradeshows by nature assault the senses, and this is a tradeshow for marketers, so we know how that goes. And I’m used to it. But my hotel room? Can’t I escape the madness for the precious few hours I actually have in my room? I’d like the direct marketing to stop at my door.
Apparently, I am not alone. As one of my colleagues said, in a text, “I feel totally violated.” My sentiments exactly.
