1. Fresh Thinking: The Power of Direct Mail
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2. The Power of Direct Mail
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN DM
TODAY?

3. Some Stats…
•
More than 92% of direct mail is opened and 48% of UK adults took action after receiving
direct mail last year:*
• 14.2m bought something
• 10.5m used a voucher or coupon
• 2.8m tried a new product or service
• 3m made an enquiry by phone.
•
DM continues to deliver ROI
As customers face email fatigue and the novelty wears off banner advertising, direct mail
is
again outperforming digital. Direct mail delivers an average £3.22 return on investment
compared with online’s £3.12 for every £1 spent*.
•
DM Reaches the ‘digitally disenfranchised’: according to TGI 58% of those over 65 and
46.6% of those in socio-economic group E have not used the internet in the past year.

4. The power of DM
•
•
Elicits a stronger response – the ritual of reaching inside an envelope, pulling out its
contents and reading it is a unique sensory moment
Physical mail can engage multiple senses: scents, textures, visual quirks, sounds,
edible samples and so on….

5. DM reaches people that email can’t..
•
There are still 16 million people aged 15 and
over who don’t have basic IT skills and are
not online.
•
They are predominately over 55 years old and
are C2DE:
•
•
34% of 65 - 74 year olds
•
•
19% of 55 – 64 year olds
21% of C2DEs
All of these groups have not used the internet in
the past year.
Source: Go-On UK, November 2012/TGI Q3 2013
•
And, 66% of the top income earners read
weekday newspapers and magazines in hard
copy, rising to 75% at weekends.
EMS Deep Dive, from Ipsos, Sept 2013

6. Direct Mail and Email can work together
Direct Mail %
Gives me better impression of the company
53
49
48
47
46
43
43
41
37
37
36
30
More professional means of communication
Easy to take in the information
Likely to really grab my attention
I’m likely to spend a lot of time reading it
It makes me feel more valued
I am more likely to do something as a result
Appropriate if I’m not already a customer
Better for sending reminders
I enjoy receiving and reading it
More appropriate if a customer already
Easy to file so I can go back to it later
Better for confirmation/follow-up messages
20
15
Easier to respond to
Better at communicating brief messages
Better for the environment
Source: July 2011 MMC
6
4
Email %
8
14
20
19
14
7
17
20
43
12
32
53
64
68
82
87

7. How can DM grab attention?
Personalisation
Sensory/tactile
Creative Directors are a tough “target
audience”. Kontor records and Ogilvy
Germany came up with a lovely idea to
promote Boris Dlugosch’s new single to
the advertising industry.

8. Fusion of digital and physical
Boundaries between physical DM and digital are becoming blurred. People expect, and demand,
the ease and interactivity of the digital, along with the more sensory and tangible aspects of the
physical
Deep & ‘hidden’ content gets people more intrigued, can generate more engagement & response
Fresh Routes. Fresh Powder. Augmented Reality DM for Monarch
-1st UK airline to use Blippar augmented reality in an interactive DM
pack with ski tips, resort facts & more.
QR codes create a hassle free, seamless journey from offline to online
AA and Vision Express have both incorporated digital
CTA’s in their BAU communication as they find it an
easy and effective way to get people to do something.