Direct marketing is an interactive form of marketing that uses advertising media to elicit a measurable customer response or transaction. It involves storing customer response and non-response data in a database for future targeted promotions and decision making. The goal is two-way communication between the customer and company without middlemen. Direct marketers are accountable and focus on maximizing customer lifetime value through repeat purchases at the lowest acquisition cost. They test strategies on small lists and use response data to project results on the entire target market.