For an industry that pretty much fuels the whole capitalist engine, advertising is getting a sound snubbing these days — a Tom Petty-ish, “don’t come around here no more” message. Fatigued consumers, looking to free up mail-box real estate and precious dinner-hour phone time, have opted out of direct mail marketing by placing their names on do-not-call and do-not-mail registries. Reputable integrated marketing communications professionals abide by the wishes of consumers who beg off solicitations, but what if they’re actually good prospects? Here’s how to reach fine selling targets without turning them off:

1. Ramp up your public relations. When a new product is launched or a current product is enhanced, or when your company has news of any kind that is beneficial to the consumer, quickly spread the good word to media outlets. Strive to make company representatives sources for stories that focus on consumer marketing trends in your industry.

2. Improve your Internet advertising strategy. Savvy consumers now use the Internet to find products and services and to compare prices and offers. Make sure your company pops up first when a prospect plugs key words into a search engine. Between Google and Overture, advertisers can cover more than 90 percent of the common places that people go to search for information on the Web, says Miki Dzugan, president of Rapport Online Inc.

3. Partner with a charity. Use cause-related marketing for building brand awareness with customers and best prospects. Find a local or national charity that’s an altruistic fit, and then underwrite events and programs. A bookstore, for example, might support a literacy program; a hardware store could partner with Habitat for Humanity.

4. Hit ’em with Internet niche marketing and traditional media. The old methods still apply — advertise with brand-building messages that will captivate your audience. John Winsor, author of Beyond the Brand: Why Engaging the Right Customers Is Essential to Winning in Business, believes that “if you know your customer, you can make your message not only more interesting but something to look forward to — [as are] the ads from Volkswagen, Apple’s iPod and Nike.”

5. Sponsor special events. Deliver your brand positioning message to the masses at high-profile events. For example, buy an advertising package that places your signage at a high school football stadium for a year — and gets you in each game’s program.

6. Buy billboard space. Out-of-home advertising gets attention. Buy primo real estate to capture prospects as they head out to work and play. Keep copy short and sweet, and keep visuals strong.

7. Work that referral with incentives. Employ your current customers as disciples for your brand-building strategy, and offer a juicy incentive if they refer new business. “Actively encourage your existing customers to tell friends about the excellent service and value they receive from you,” says Shel Horowitz, author of Grassroots Marketing: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World. A retailer could give away $50 gift certificates, and an ISP might offer a month of free service.

8. Sponsor an e-newsletter. Find a complementary industry e-zine and run a text ad. “Advertising in related email newsletters has been found to have a good response, especially text ads,” Dzugan says. She adds that because subscribers develop more of a relationship with the newsletter than the typical surfer does with a Web site, the newsletter sponsor has more credibility.

9. Run a sweepstakes. Give away a fabulous prize that connects with your target demo — an incredible getaway, a pile of cash, or a new car. If you can’t afford Oprah-style giveaways, consider teaming with another company to donate the prize in return for co-promotion. Make the sweeps easy to enter and advertise the heck out of it. Adam Hanft, coauthor of Dictionary of the Future, believes the offer must be “significant and substantial for that personal connection. You can’t expect consumers to trade off privacy for useless information or frivolous salesmanship.”

10. Build a better offer. Are consumers avoiding your direct mail offers en masse? If so, it’s time to figure out why. If you offer a truly helpful, necessary, or innovative solution, prospects will welcome your relationship marketing.

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