direct marketing

American  

noun

1. marketing direct to the consumer, as by direct mail or coupon advertising.

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direct marketing British  

noun

1. Also called: direct selling.  selling goods directly to consumers rather than through retailers, usually by mail order, direct-mail shot, newspaper advertising, door-to-door selling, telephone selling, the internet, or television home-shopping channels

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Example Sentences

Tanya said Meta had agreed to stop using her personal data for direct marketing purposes, "which in non-legalese means I've essentially been able to turn off all the creepy, invasive, targeted ads on Facebook".

From BBC • Oct. 11, 2025

Buried in its language is a promise to “limit the direct marketing of certain unhealthy foods to children, including by evaluating the use of misleading claims and imagery.”

From Salon • Sep. 7, 2025

Some of the interviewed land users felt that market access could be improved by supporting direct marketing, for example, via farm shops.

From Science Daily • Apr. 30, 2024

The firm reclassified Amazon in March 2023 – from the discontinued internet and direct marketing retail sub-industry to the consumer discretionary sector, where it now sits.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 1, 2023

Reaching the consumer with the message is not the hard part of direct marketing.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell