Cheap flyers could become more widely used following report on direct marketing

All marketing will become direct marketing to some extent, it has been claimed.

Direct mail materials such as cheap flyers could rise to greater prominence in advertising following a report predicting a shift towards direct marketing over the next few years.

According to Marketing Week, author of the paper Martin Hayward - the former director of strategy and futures at Dunnhumby UK - stated new sources of data and insight will make marketers increasingly accountable.

They will also alter the timescale and analysis of communications to such an extent that "in reality, all marketing is becoming direct marketing", he continued.

Mr Hayward said while direct marketing has been seen as a "rather unglamorous tactical" subset of the industry, now everyone will have to "embrace the targeting, measurement and rapid response skills pioneered in this discipline".

In a recent article for the same publication, Russell Parsons claimed leaflets were one of the success stories of 2010, as data collection becomes increasingly important due to the uncertain economic climate.