If the recent Borrell Associates report is to be believed, then “Direct mail has begun spiralling into what we believe is a precipitous decline from which it will never fully recover.” OK, we’re all familiar with email’s benefits over direct mail…cheaper, quicker, easier to measure, greener, etc. However, before we write off direct mail completely, research that we have carried out indicates that the way forward is really to use email in conjunction with direct mail and to give the consumer the choice as to how they want to hear from us.

Direct Mail is certainly not dead. It may sound trite, but consumers still like receiving Direct Mail and if the piece they receive is relevant, it is not deemed to be “junk mail”. What we may also be forgetting, is that the current UK internet at home penetration still sits at below 70%, so in order to reach as much of our target market as possible, an integrated, multi-channel approach is a must. Marketers selling consumer products need to be speaking to their buyers/prospects in the home environment by both online and offline channels.

Campaign analysis that we have recently carried out has proved that online communications can drive offline actions and that the reverse is also true. Email communications drive newspaper sales, even if the email isn’t asking the consumer to go and buy a paper. By the same token, direct mail and email communications to the same individuals drive uplift yet higher.

So, yes, direct mail volumes are falling, but better targeting and a more complete understanding of channel effectiveness and consumer preference is what we should concentrate on.