What is affinity and why is it important to list selection?
The concept of affinity is a good tool for identifying new ways — and new lists — for reaching your audience and increasing their response. For direct marketing purposes, affinity is defined as “a logical connection between a marketer’s offer and the people on a particular list.” This is why you send your investment banking newsletter promotion to a list of investment bankers, not pig farmers. Common affinities include industry, job function/title, profession, geographic location, company size, ownership and professional interest. But don’t be misled by this simple illustration: Almost always more than just one logical connection exists between your offer and its audience. Some of them are more powerful than others. Identifying the many possible affinities that characterize your audience or market is a useful exercise. Once identified, they can help you find new lists. By testing these lists, you can measure the relative strength of the affinities they represent. Affinity identificat
