Direct Mail Spending Continues To Surge

According to a recent report by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), total expenditures for direct mail increased to more than £30 billion in 2011. This represented a rise from the previous year of 4.6 percent across the entire industry. In Addition to this, early estimates by the DMA have suggested that ad spending by marketers and retailers on direct mail campaigns will continue to grow at a rate of 2.4 percent into 2013. These numbers are a great help to marketing executives who have been told that digital channels are the next wave, with direct mail on the outs. However, it’s clear from the data that most executives don’t believe in its impending extinction and continue to trust the tried-and-true practices of sending out mail pieces.

In addition to the substantial spending on nationwide and global direct mail campaigns, direct mail continues to have a big impact on local advertising in smaller markets. According to Net News Check, local retail ad spending is expected to surpass £16.4 billion in 2013. Of that substantial amount, 42.5 percent is estimated to go to direct mail, while online spending will account for only 11.2 percent. This provides us with further proof that direct mail can co-exist, and even top the spending and the influence of online advertising and other channels.

One of the reasons that direct mail continues to be relied upon by marketing executives is the fact that physical mailers leave a deeper and more impactful footprint among consumers, according to research conducted by Millward Brown. Reading something that can be physically held has been proven to be more long-lasting in a consumer’s mind than examining something on a digital device.

In conclusion, according to AccurateLeads, the main factor in the rise in Direct Mail is its ability to coexist with various digital channels, creating multi-channel initiatives that efficiently saturate markets. Direct mail can be treated as an effective complementary medium to other marketing channels for full effect.

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