Back from the iDi conference in the US, Ian Hughes reports that even big brands are having to learn to stop shouting and start listening.
At the recent iDi Marketers Forum in New York, I was lucky enough to hear a series of talks by a number of companies, that all pointed to the same issue.
The [...]

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Columnist Ian Hughes rants about the latest issues affecting our industry. This time, his topic is about ‘Changing the D’.
A few weeks ago I wrote a piece about how much I hated that the M in DM still stands for Mail for so many people. Attending the recent DM Days in New York (DMDNY) I [...]

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A few months ago I wrote about how the lunatics have taken over the asylum.
And then I realised that the problem is worse than I thought.
My basic thesis is this: digital (direct) marketing is now run by the IT department and not by the marketers. The result: marketing is getting worse, not better.
A case in [...]

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Ian Hughes says there are lessons already learned which should be applied to modern day marketing.
One of the things that drives me crazy about DM is that still today, after all these years of change, people think the ‘M’ stands for Mail.
This relentless holding on to a past that has only a small, but significant [...]

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Have your say on the latest issues affecting our industry and the world of business. DMI columnist and ‘Master Debater’ Ian Hughes welcomes your comments on this, his latest rant. Today’s topic: a global gulf.
Do you know what . . . there is some astonishingly good stuff going on out there!
Of course, it’s unlikely that you’re going [...]

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Ian Hughes says he made a mistake when he consigned Twitter to the corporate rubbish bin.
When I am wrong, I am prepared to admit I am wrong. I was wrong once before and it might be that I am wrong again.
I recently wrote that I could see no commercial use for Twitter. And indeed, at [...]

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The end of Twitter is nigh . . . so, what’s next?
For those of you who follow my shenanigans here, you will know that last year I attempted a three-month tweet-fest, attempting to keep Facebook, Twitter and my Linked-in status up to date.
I tried and I failed – my prognosis was: "I don’t get it."
Since [...]

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Ian Hughes makes a marketing prediction for 2010.
During a recent visit to Hungary, I got a brief glimpse of the future and it made me think. It ought to make you think, too.
I recall a James Bond film from a few years ago in which our philandering hero had a BMW that he could control [...]

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Have your say on the latest issues affecting our industry and the world of business. DMI columnist and ‘Master Debater’ Ian Hughes welcomes your comments on his latest rant.
Today’s topic – ‘The lunatics have taken over the asylum’!
We have moved to a spangly new office building, which is wonderful news for us.  Made better by the fact [...]

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Have your say on the latest issues affecting our industry and the world of business. DMI columnist and ‘Master Debater’ Ian Hughes welcomes your comments on his latest rant.
Today’s topic – ‘Network Schmetwork’!
Those of you who attended the USA DMA’s annual fun-fest in California this autumn will have noticed two words blaring out from [...]

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