RISMEDIA, Jan. 18, 2007-Vertis Communications announced the results of its proprietary Customer Focus® Direct Mail study, which indicates that 85% of women ages 25-44 read printed direct mail marketing pieces, despite the influx of electronically generated advertisements throughout the past decade. Additionally, the study reveals that 53% of all women surveyed ages 25-44 who have access to e-mail, read e-mail advertisements, consistent with the 54% that did so in 2005.
"While technology has significantly affected the way we work, communicate and socialize with each other on a daily basis, we find some types of technology such as e-mail marketing to be most effective when they are used in conjunction with traditional methods of grabbing consumers' attention," said Jim Litwin, vice president of market insights at Vertis Communications.
"With the evolution of production technology, marketers now have the tools to develop highly personalized campaigns. We recommend they take full advantage of these in order to create more advanced, dimensional marketing pieces such as printed advertising inserts and direct mail that have proven effective in connecting with target audiences on a personal level."
Furthermore, Vertis' study indicates marketers can increase the effectiveness of their direct mail campaigns by offering target consumers exclusive deals and coupons. Seventy-two percent of total adults surveyed said they have replied to direct mail containing a "buy one, get one free" offer. Additionally, 63%of all adults indicated the have responded to direct mail collateral offering a percentage discount on merchandise, up from 54% in 2005.
The Vertis Communications Customer Focus® 2007 survey series also includes findings from the financial, credit card, insurance, publishing, casino gaming, retail, and automotive industries. The Direct Mail study revealed the following additional results:
Direct Mail Response Rates Significantly Higher Among Hispanics
Total adults who responded to direct mail via in-store visits, Web sites, 800 numbers or mail remains steady, with 47% in 2003 and 46% in 2007.
While total adults remain flat, the number of Hispanics who responded to direct mail marketing jumped drastically, from 38% in 2003 to 54% in 2007.
Personalized Follow-up Communication More Effective Than Sending Generic Information:
57% of women ages 35-64 prefer that companies they express interest in, send follow-up communication through direct mail pieces personalized to their needs.
In comparison, 38% of men 35-49 prefer generic direct mail when being contacted by a company in which they have expressed interest.
While 45%of total adults are open to receiving personalized, follow-up e-mails, younger men and women seem to be more responsive to this medium, with 52% of men ages 25-34 and 56% of women the same age stating e-mail is an acceptable form of follow-up communication.
The survey indicates text messaging to be the most desired method of follow-up communication in younger men ages 18-24, with 23% desiring contact via text message from a company they are interested in, compared to 5 percent of women the same age.
For more information, visit http://www.vertisinc.com.
