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Why Big Brands Still Turn To Direct Mail Marketing to Make an Impression
After years spent turning away from physical marketing strategies in favor of digital tactics, there’s been resurgence in the other direction. Companies are realizing that there is still much to be had from direct mail marketing and physical mail campaigns. And not just small businesses, but large corporations are finding success applying direct mail marketing tactics in conjunction with other forms of marketing.
The Effect of Physical Marketing on the Senses
Canada Post, Canada’s largest postal service, contracted neuroscientists to do a comparative analysis on the effectiveness of digital and physical messaging. The study was the largest of its kind and yielded some interesting results.
When compared to physical messaging, 21% more cognitive effort was needed to process and retain digital messages. Unaided brand recall was only 44% for digital messaging and an impressive 75% for physical messaging, and what is probably most important is that physical messaging encouraged a motivation response that was 20% higher.
Big Businesses Turning to Physical Mail
Think about the smiley face from Amazon on all of your deliveries, or the Walmart and Zulily logos on the side of the delivery boxes. The fabric softener that came with the garment that you ordered online wasn’t an accident. And then there are FinTech companies that operate completely online using direct mail brochures, and companies like Zappos that use printed catalogues to reach their customer base.
These are million- and even billion-dollar companies that understand that physical marketing is still important. Why else would Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, open a brick and mortar bookstore? The message is clear: appealing to the senses still matters when it comes to business.
Digital platforms satisfy certain aspects of marketing and they do so very well. But there hasn’t been any innovation or invention yet that can replace experience of physically engaging with a piece of mail or the product itself.
Even musicians are seeing the light. Kanye West released his latest album strictly through streaming services; but when it came to selling merchandise, he turned to pop-up shops in 21 cities around the world. The shops were a success both popularity-wise and the profit-wise with lineups of fans waiting to get a hold of the clothing and all merchandise eventually being sold out.
Macromark has long understood the value of direct mail marketing. It’s been our main function for three decades. Even throughout the times when digital was the hot new thing, we stayed strong and continued to push forward. It’s not an accident that we are now thriving. We know our market, and we help our clients better reach their own consumers through direct mail strategies.
If you are looking for way to implement or reignite direct mail back into your organization, contact us today.
Source:
Chopra, D., “Physical Mail Marketing Still Has Plenty to Offer Marketers,” The Globe and Mail, October 6, 2016; http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-commentary/physical-mail-marketing-still-has-plenty-to-offer-advertisers/article32264812/.
David Klein
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