Major brand marketers are taking the digital direct response route to engage with customers and drive commerce from a variety of media channels. This issue of DMNews is devoted to Internet marketing in its many forms.

I watched a syndicated re-run of the popular sitcom "The Office" last week. This episode pits Michael Scott, regional manager at Dunder Mifflin, against his former temp and new boss, Ryan.

We've all heard the staggering numbers on the precipitous drop in direct mail, but let me remind you: There were 35 billion fewer pieces of mail in the system in 2009 compared with 2007's tally. It is in part why the US Postal Service, which reported an almost $2 billion shortfall in the first half of its fiscal 2010, is considering doing away with Saturday delivery.

I threw a birthday party for my fabulous boyfriend last week and used Evite, an online invitation tool, to get the word out. However, the mister's friends are mostly baby boomers, and I needed to actually pick up the phone (how quaint) and call a handful of invitees who simply aren't on e-mail or not on e-mail regularly enough to trust that method of communication.

Over lunch recently with the leader of a major direct marketing agency, I had the conversation again. You know, the one about the term direct marketing and what it really means, and whether it is still relevant?

Data intelligence is on my mind as I write this at 30,000 feet. I just spent 24 hours in Little Rock, AR, on a trip that included meetings with executives from two different data services companies.

The worst of the recession is behind us, and marketers are seeing budgets stabilize. Amid the slow recovery, though, direct marketers may need to re-think everything they have ever done. The picture has changed permanently. They will need to operate in a new environment that has direct marketing at its core, but goes way beyond traditional direct.

During last year's Academy Awards ceremony, 11% of viewers tracked by Nielsen's Convergence Panel simultaneously watched the Oscars on TV and followed them on the Internet. Nielsen Online also said that people who used Facebook while watching the broadcast spent an average of 76 minutes there, and it estimated more than 100,000 messages were Tweeted during the show.

There's no doubt mobile advertising and marketing in 2010 is on a steep growth curve. Two of the largest online players have signaled their commitment to the space in the last couple of months, investing a billion dollars in mobile ad companies. Apple spent $250 million to acquire Quattro Wireless, while Google laid down $750 million for AdMob. These companies also compete on the mobile hardware front.

Despite my ignorance of the most popular sport in this country, and my lack of football fever, I have always watched with interest the advertising alongside the big game, both as a marketing journalist and as a consumer. The Super Bowl ads tend to be entertaining and visually interesting. Super Bowl ads command big bucks, and this year, while the average price — $2.8 million for a 30-second spot — is less than last year's $3 million price tag, that trend continues.