Circulars please

Previously I read an article titled; ‘direct mail is dead’, it started me thinking, how can this be? When every Tuesday night I find myself flicking through the numerous catalogs, flyers and mountains of ‘junk mail’ devouring my coffee table. A weekly ritual and one, which I have to admit, I rather enjoy.

Direct mail advertising has survived for centuries and is easily one of the oldest methods of advertising. This method of invading consumer’s homes has changed significantly over time, but is it still effective and relevant to today’s tech savvy consumers?

I believe that in today’s market it has become a method to stand out when so many organisations are opting for ‘cheaper’ methods in saturated channels. With direct mail the consumer is receiving something tangible, this is a lot harder to ignore, instead of pressing the little ‘red cross’, changing the channel or pressing delete, the consumer has to physically throw the item away. This means your brand; your products and a little slice of your shopping experience could potentially be accommodating room in your consumer’s private space for a period of time unlike other channels.

Direct Mail has other advantages, it gives you the ability to target your market geographically and reach the right people, at the right time. It gives you the ability to communicate large amounts of information without a word count or image restrictions and it allows you to personalise your direct mail (database is required). What other method can provide all of these benefits and still be tangible.

So I propose, next time you are designing a media plan think outside the traditional; press, radio, TVC box and give direct mail some consideration, some things do get better with age.