The new interactive media: one‐to‐one, but who to whom?

With the heralding of the new “interactive age” direct marketing seems poised to have its reliance on individual customer contact vindicated. However, in the struggle to apply direct marketing techniques to the new interactive marketing media, many firms are failing to recognise the basis of differentiation between the two domains. This paper seeks to identify the key features which underlie the new computer‐mediated communications media (in particular, the Web), and to explore the impact this may have on buyer‐supplier relationships and the types of marketing activity which the Web may facilitate. In conclusion, we stress the need for firms to adopt a new approach to value creation in these media, one which recognises the dynamic role which consumers may adopt.