CUSTOMER FOCUS INDUSTRY RESEARCH
Public perception of direct mail is improving, with almost half of consumers seeing it as good business communication, according to a recent survey by data specialist Wilmington Millennium. Public sees direct mail in fonder light
Any sector can sendmail that’s valued The report examined various sectors wheremail is a key part of themediamix including financial services, utilities and telecoms, public sector, charity, travel and tourism*. Any sector can sendmail that’s of value to the recipient – even if it’s a bill! Interestingly however, when respondents were asked which three items of mail they found useful or interesting, retail clearly dominates.
Post with personal appeal
According to reports, Cooke had felt tormented by the number of fundraising requests froma wide range of charities. Pritchard said that charities had been forced to review their communication policies, reducing the number of wrongly addressedmailings and sendingmore relevant offers through tighter targeting. “I don’t think it has damagedDM in the long term. Improvement will just give customers a better perception of themail that they are receiving,” Pritchard said. She added that DMprint volumes would never return to the heady days of the 1980s or 1990s but 2015 saw advertising mail volumes and spend rise and this was expected to continue on the same trajectory through 2016. Source: WilmingtonMillennium Out of the 2,000 consumers questioned, 48% thought direct mail is a good way for businesses to connect with them.
The research found that out of the 2,000 consumers questioned, 48% thought directmail is a goodway for businesses to connect with them, a rise of 7% since a similar survey in 2014. The research also found 44%of consumers ranked directmail and doordrops as their favourite formof direct marketing, against 42%who preferred email. Website pop- up advertisements received the lowest seal of approval, with only 2.7%of those surveyed preferring them. Karen Pritchard, Wilmington Millennium’s Product Director said: “Customers are approaching directmail communications far more readily than they were in the past. Therewas a point when therewas far toomuch untargetedmail being sent out. When a correctly addressed and targeted piece of DM comes through the door, they are not seeing that as intrusive in the sameway as a pop-up for example. They are annoying, whereasmail you can digest at your own pace.” The results come despite a slewof bad press for DM last
78% RETAIL
Whether it’s a travel brochure we’ve been waiting for, vouchers froma supermarket or a bank statement we need to check, every piece of mail has the potential to personally connect with us.
27% UTILITIES/TELECOMS
consumers who reported feeling something in response to valuedmail also said they acted on that feeling. Commenting on the research Mark Davies, Managing Director of Whistl Doordrop Media, said: “It’s good to see that Quadrangle’s research demonstrates howmail can really drive value for advertisers. With good targeting, useful information and timely messaging, marketers can really help to increase brand loyalty andmakemore of a personal connection with their audience.”
But what makes us keep somemail and discard others?
them. 57% of people who receivedmail they valued felt more positively about the brand who sent it. IT CREATES FEELINGS Valuedmail creates real feelings. Some are personal, some are purely transactional and some arise due to the relationship between the recipient and the sender. 45% of people feel happy when they receivemail they value. valuedmail drives actions that create commercial value for the advertiser. Valuedmail engages customers on a personal level because they either already had a relationship with the brand or because they receivedmail that was timely or relevant. 92% of IT LEADS TOACTION Perhaps most importantly of all,
Royal Mail commissioned Quadrangle, an independent research agency to look at what makes a piece of mail valued and whether this can create value for companies that send it. Here’s what the research found.* IT CONTAINS USEFUL INFORMATION Valuedmail contains information that keeps customers up to date, tells them something new and explains what, if anything, they need to do. 44% of people feel better informed by mail they value. ITMAKES YOU THINK Valuedmail makes people consider or reconsider their perceptions about the brand or product and its relevance to
16% PUBLIC SECTOR
28% FINANCIAL SERVICES
15% TRAVEL & TOURISM
To find out more and download the full report visit www.mailmen.co.uk
*Source: Royal Mail MarketReach, Valued Mail, Quadrangle, 2014.
*Base 3,000. Source: Royal Mail MarketReach, Valued Mail, Quadrangle 2014
year following the death of poppy seller Olive Cooke.
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Whistl Magazine • Spring 2016
Whistl Magazine • Spring 2016
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