europeforvisitors - 4:06 am on Aug 4, 2004 (gmt 0)

Big companies use direct-response marketing all the time. (I've seen AdSense ads for British Airways and Virgin Airlines on my own site, for example.)

The "nichier" the product or the intended audience, the more likely the company is to use targeted direct mail and ads in special-interest publications. Just the other day, I saw an ad for a Canon digital SLR on the back cover of TRAINS Magazine. (The ad was specifically targeted at railfans.) Contextual online advertising has great potential for such advertisers, but only if it can deliver high-quality leads.