“What we see in our research is that digital media ranging from the firmly established e-mail to the nascent mobile marketing channels are complementing — not replacing — direct mail, telephone, events, and direct response broadcast advertisements,” Yoram Wurmser, DMA research manager, told BtoB Online, according to BizReport.

Offline media (direct mail, telemarketing; radio and broadcast TV) remains more important to direct marketing budgets, but marketers are increasingly utilising digital media (e-mail, search marketing, social networks and video).

The report pointed out that preliminary contact with consumers is usually made through direct mail, while e-mail and telephone are primarily used later as a follow-up, according to BizReport.