What is direct marketing?

I am a big fan of Wikipedia, and of the thinking and spirit behind its invention. I've seen claims that Wikipedia is just as 'accurate' as some of the big encyclopedias. In a world where many students now equate 'research' with 'google', it's a popular resource.

So I wondered what a 'googler' would find if they looked for a definition of direct marketing. I read the Wikipedia entry with dismay. I read the comments behind the page as well, and was relieved to find I wasn't the only person who thought it a million miles off the mark.

Who in the commercial world feels they have a responsibility to the world of collaborative 'free to air' knowledge sharing? It is a little scary - and embarrassing - to think that such a partial and misleading description of our world is still out there, waiting for one of us to put it right.

picture: Wikipedia