Direct Mail: The Importance of Junk in your Trunk

Like a lot of households we have a system for dealing with the post. After a cursory sweep for handwritten cards and court summons, we put it all in a pile on the windowsill until it starts to block out the sun and one of us cracks and eventually has a sort out. Unusually on this occasion Mr Robinson cracked first, beginning the process of opening, filing and binning bills, statements . . . and the inevitable sales “junk mail”. In his general enthusiasm my Marisota catalogue went into the recycling bin with me protesting that I hadn’t had the chance to look at it. He reluctantly extracted it remarking that it’s all online anyway which made me think about the nature of print.

The $44.2 billion direct mail industry continues to thrive, even in a digital age, and it is doing so because it is a tried and true marketing tactic that gets results for advertisers. Giving, receiving and handling tangible objects remains a deep and intuitive part of the human experience. Even switched-on millennials often prefer receiving direct mail. InfoTrends found that 38% of millennials prefer direct mail while only 26% like email marketing. The same study reported that 25% of millennials view reading direct mail as a leisure activity.

That’s the research but on a personal level, why did I rescue my printed Marisota catalogue from the recycle bin? Well Marisota does indeed have an excellent website, probably extending to millions of products but it’s actually too vast for a little browse for "nothing in particular". You always have the delay of loading up the pictures, even with a good connection, and as a mobile browser you’re usually looking at little thumbnail images which can’t really showcase the new season styles. Additionally, there is something satisfying about flicking through a printed catalogue, opening the cover, turning the page, even that slightly acrid “new magazine smell”. Everyone’s got a little soft spot for print.

Of course a mailing needs to be targeted and in this case I am part of an existing customer base, within their target demographic and the direct mailing is supported with email and social media campaigns. Conversely, I also seem to be inundated with promotional leaflets for riser chairs and stair lifts which hardly reflect my rock and roll lifestyle. Well not quite yet anyway – maybe I should fish them out of the recycling as well  .  .  .