DIRECT ADVERTISING, a type of advertising distin guished by the fact that it is conducted by delivering by post (mail), by person or otherwise the announcement of an adver tiser directly to specific individuals instead of by publishing it in a newspaper or magazine to the public in general. Direct ad vertising commonly takes such forms as catalogues, sales letters, folders, circulars, broadsides, pamphlets, booklets, postcards, novelty pieces, house organs and package inserts. If any of such material is sent to individuals through the post, such adver tising is called direct-mail advertising.