I am a marketing communications strategist with over 30 years' experience drawn from Public Relations, Promotional Marketing, Rewards and Loyalty disciplines. Throughout my diverse career there is one common theme; the use of effective communication strategies to influence and change behaviour. No matter what size of business, the end result remains the same – to influence an individual's next buying decision either directly or indirectly. Budgets and resource may change, but the overriding principles and ultimate objectives do not. Engagement is the key to an effective marketing communications strategy. Passive marketing is, dare I say it, just advertising; a medium whose effectiveness is very difficult, if not impossible to evaluate. Promotional Marketing techniques designed to illicit a direct response are, almost by definition, quantifiable in terms of their effectiveness.