---
title: Who Defined Direct Marketing?
description: 🔵 Who Defined Direct Marketing? Direct marketing was defined by Lester Wunderman, an American advertising executive, who coined the term "direct marketing" in a speech at MIT in 1967.
url: https://flawlessmlm.com/en/faq/who-defined-direct-marketing
last_updated: '2026-08-12'
language: en
type: faq
keywords: ''
published_date: '2026-05-18'
---

# Who Defined Direct Marketing?

**Updated:** May 2026

Oleksandr Honcharov, CEO at FlawlessMLM 

Direct marketing was defined by Lester Wunderman, an American advertising executive, who coined the term "direct marketing" in a speech at MIT in 1967. Who defined direct marketing? Wunderman is widely recognized as the father of the discipline and built the agency Wunderman Worldwide on the principles he developed.

**Key facts about the origin of direct marketing**

*   **Lester Wunderman** — coined the term in 1967 and developed many techniques still used today.
*   **His agency** — Wunderman, Cato, Johnson became one of the largest direct marketing agencies in the world.
*   **Key innovations** — introduced the toll-free 800 number for orders, loyalty programs, and subscription model marketing.
*   **Famous clients** — Wunderman ran direct marketing for American Express, Columbia Record Club, and Ford.
*   **The Direct Marketing Association (DMA)** — founded in 1917 as the Direct Mail Advertising Association, formalized the industry long before Wunderman coined the broader term.

**Definition:** Direct marketing as a defined discipline was named by Lester Wunderman in 1967 during a speech at MIT. He is credited with formalizing the core principles of measurable, response-driven, customer-targeted advertising and founded one of the largest direct marketing agencies in the world.

Before Wunderman, the activity existed under names like mail-order or direct mail advertising. He gave it a name, a framework, and made it a recognized discipline in marketing departments worldwide.

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Source: [FlawlessMLM FAQ](https://flawlessmlm.com/en/faq/who-defined-direct-marketing)