Door drops prove mettle as sector predicts GDPR boom

The door-drop industry fought off the widescale disruption to schedules caused by last year’s snap General Election – as well as uncertainty over Brexit – to put in another solid performance during 2017, with the sector bullish about the future now GDPR has come into force.
While its critics may deride the medium even more than “shit that folds”, new research from the DMA’s Annual Door-Drop Report reveals that the sector is very much alive and kicking.
When compared with last year’s findings, there have been slight reductions in annual volume and spend, with both metric’s totals down -0.5% and -1.3% respectively.
However, the snap Election disrupted planning and spend halfway through the year. Larger regional and national door-drops underperformed against expectations in May and June (when the Election took place) and 2017 effectively became an 11-month year for many.
Meanwhile, Brexit continues to fuel the anxiety that is hindering planning and growth in many areas of marketing. Brexit continues to hit advertisers’ ability to plan and forecast.
However, over a four-year period, the annual net spend by UK businesses on door drops has inched up to £263m in 2017, compared to £260m back in 2013.
Direct mail volumes have fallen considerably over the same period, from 6.6 billion in 2013, to 5.7 billion in 2017. In the past 12 months alone, the total weight of door-drop material reduced by 3,650 tonnes. The research paints a picture of an industry continuing to attract spend but becoming more environmentally aware.
DMA managing director Rachel Aldighieri claimed that traditional print media provides consumers with a personal experience – something tangible they can interact with, take with them and go back to at their own leisure.
She added: “Its unique nature makes it a robust advertising medium and the figures over the past few years reflect this. Whilst industry volumes have declined over a four-year period, this will in part be a result of improved campaign planning, printing and targeting techniques, which are beneficial to the reputation of the medium.”
And given that GDPR does not cover unaddressed media such as door-drops – much to the disgust of the British media, despite the fact that they make millions in leaflets and inserts – the sector could be in for boom times.
Aldighieri added: “We’re already noticing a new wave of interest in the channel from client organisations and we are confident that this will continue. And Jicmail, the industry’s new measurement system, gives mail a level playing field for the first time, enabling door drops to be accurately compared with other channels.”