http://dennyhatch.blogspot.com/2018/07/13-800-year-history-of-direct-marketing.html
Issue #13 — Monday, July 2, 2018
Posted by Denny Hatch
The First Direct
Marketing Campaign 800 Years Ago
CHARTRES,
France,
June 15, 1194 — Lightning struck and kindled a massive fire. Chartres
Cathedral burned to the ground. The only elements intact were the façade, west
towers and the crypt.
For the community of Chartres this was a
catastrophe. The very symbol of the city was in ruins. Worse, lost for all time
was one of Christianity’s holiest relics—the robe believed to have been worn by
Mary when she gave birth to Jesus Christ.
The Bishop of Chartres, Regnault de Mouçon,
wanted to start rebuilding immediately. But the townspeople, devastated by the
huge loss, had no stomach for such an undertaking.
Mary’s robe was not only holy, but also had the mystical aura of being the
city’s amulet—or good luck charm. It kept everybody safe. To the residents of
Chartres, rebuilding was a non-starter.
A couple of days after the fire, Bishop de
Mouçon was at the smoking ruins delivering a passionate plea for rebuilding to
a small collection of villagers. Suddenly a procession of monks, nuns and
priests appeared, slowly marching up through the smoke from the crypt bearing
the reliquary with Mary’s robe intact. It was saved!
To Regnault de Mouçon and the God-fearing folk
of Chartres this was a sign from the Almighty the cathedral must be rebuilt.
The bishop launched a furious letter-writing campaign to French nobility and
rich people all over Europe.
In addition, Regnault cut a deal with Richard the Lion Hearted (with whom France was at war) enabling him to send fund raising mailings into England.
In addition, Regnault cut a deal with Richard the Lion Hearted (with whom France was at war) enabling him to send fund raising mailings into England.
The winding Labyrinth in Chartres' nave
with its atmosphere of myth and mystery
with its atmosphere of myth and mystery
The rich noble families of France
and England responded with cash and gifts. So did the many guilds of workers,
the equivalent of unions back then—shoemakers, wheelwrights, bankers, vintners,
coopers, furriers, bankers, etc.
Chartres was rebuilt bigger and
better than before. As an eternal “thank you,” the donors’ portraits and coats
of arms were included in the magnificent 2600 square meters (172 bays) of stained glass windows of the new
Chartres, where you can see them today.
Chartres' Glorious, Eternal Thank-you to: (left) Vintners' Guild, (right) Furriers & Drapers
This was the very first instance of direct mail
marketing.
Takeaways to Consider
• Direct Mail/direct
marketing is a discipline going back more than 800 years.
• No other advertising
medium can claim 800+ years of testing what works and what does not.
• Direct mail is
“intimate advertising.”
—Stan Rapp, Rapp
& Collins
• Direct mail is
theater in print.”
— George
Duncan, freelancer
• "Always say "Thank You! It's the polite thing to do." —Roger Craver, Legendary fundraiser
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Word count: 447
You Are Invited to Join the Discussion.
Denny, thank you for your unabashed admiration of the medium via which so many of us have built our livelihoods.
ReplyDeleteToo bad there are those among us who wish to banish the word "direct" out of fear of being left behind, and replace it with mealy-mouthed jargon like "data driven marketing."
Direct marketing, of course, encompasses ANY medium - online or off - when used to generate a lead or order.
Even just looking at direct mail, it's instructive to note that the likes of Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google collectively spend billions on this "marketing that dare not speak its name."
Hey Peter,
DeleteMany thanks for taking the time to comment.
I also despise the term “Data-Driven Marketing.”
I remember the old days when DMA stood for Direct Mail Association. Morphed into Direct Mail Marketing Association, thence to Direct Marketing Association.
As you know it has been in financial doo-doo for years. Now just been sold to another association and is the Data & Marketing Association.
Hell, all marketing associations deal with data and marketing.
Plus their conference is “& Then.”
Huh?
A bunch of yuppies talking to themselves.
Do keep in touch.
Cheers.
Loved the 'Direct Mail' example and re-read it a couple of times just to make sure of the 'strategy' involved behind its success. Today we even hear about the need to now teach the Art of Communication & Conversation at school as it appears that this art is lost?
DeleteBeautiful piece of history, Denny. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course, Franklin was appointed postmaster of Philadelphia by the British Crown Post in 1737 and later the first Postmaster General of the United States, because he had a vested interest in a postal service serving the entire country so he could promote the books he published, receive orders by mail, and then ship the ordered books by post. Franklin was responsible for all Post Offices from Massachusetts to Georgia and had authority to hire postmasters as necessary.
ReplyDeleteErnie,
DeleteThank you for taking the time to Comment.
One of the great tourist stops here in Philly is the First Post Office on Market Street.
https://tinyurl.com/ycj3zqne
"Intimate advertising". Love that!
ReplyDeleteGreat story, Denny! The best definition of "junk mail" I ever heard: "The only mail that is 'junk' is the mail you get that doesn't interest you."
ReplyDeleteIt is sad that direct is the Rodney Dangerfield of marketing. Sad because it's the only division of marketing that can prove its effectiveness down to the tiniest detail. It's the only marketing that is truly scientific.
Best regards!
Tim Orr
Thanks for the story Denny, both interesting, instructive and inspiring!
ReplyDeleteThe word "direct" implies a personalized message about something one cares about. It may provoke a need, solve a problem, arouse an emotion. Attracting support for a church and a robe 800 years ago sure accomplished those goals. Too bad religious institutions today have not targeted their messages appropriately, at least none that come to me. Thanks Denny for your contribution.
ReplyDelete