Response to article questions

I think one of the biggest advantages of direct mail is its ability for a people to make personal contacts with one another. Emailing is definitely easier especially if you have a P.O. Box, but with direct mail, its more personal and may mean more if you are writing to a family member or friend. Direct mail is beneficial to everyone because everyone gets mail and has an address. If a person chooses not to use the interent, whether they are from an older generation or dont have the money for the technology, then they wont receive important mail and or mail from a company trying to promote a new product or sale. Emails and electronic means of marking are so easy to erase, and if the only way a company reaches out to people is by email, then most of their mail is probably erased or sent to the junk mail folder. Direct mail is still a very important for companies to do if they want to reach new customers and get their product out there.
Barcodes seem promising but concerns with their use are the fact that most people dont have a barcode scanner device. People will need something to be able to read these bar codes which could cost people more money then they are willing to pay. Barcodes seem more like our generation, most of the older generations dont like technology or like the simple things technology offer which definitely isn't the barcode idea. It is definitely a neat idea and shows promise.
E-marketing has already started to take over traditional forms of marketing. Most companies have their own website online which allows you to shop their products and see their sales. You are able to create an account with the most companies online and instead of going to the store, you can order online and have it shipped to your home. It's in the companies best interest to have a website especially these days because if they dont, then most people will go to another company website that does. I think companies will still send direct mail but phone calls will and already are decreasing. Most people don't like phone calls and get annoyed by them if its people they dont know, so having more of an e-marketing approach will only help companies in the long run.
Big companies and corporations are already well known so I think that smaller businesses and companies would benefit more with the use of direct mail. There's a hair cut place in Bratt, Vt that is a small business and on your birthday they send you a card in the mail that gives you a percent off their services and products for one day. They do give you a time limit to go in and use it but it is still nice that they offer you a deal and that they have direct mail. Most of the customers who go their appreciate it and it helps the company build a more personal relationship with their customers. If the customers like the company then they will also spread the word to their friends so it is important for a company, big or small, to make the customers happy.

I know most companies are trying to go green and if they did market electronically, they would save paper and some company costs, but would the product or service that they are trying to promote succeed without any sort of direct mail?