Janet R. Gross

PEOPLE LOVE to get mail. But, they hate junk mail, and unsolicited faxes and e-mail— facts that keep direct marketers teetering between subtlety and straighforwardness. Direct marketers can avoid audience alienation, experts say, by focusing on the basics: targeting the right audience with the right message, and using strong copy and creative elements. The most important element is the mailing list, according to Matthew Staudt, president of Interactive Marketing Group, Allendale, N.J. “If there is any question about the validity of the list, all the other elements of what might be an otherwise successful campaign are suspect,” said Staudt. “List data becomes outdated on