General Election to fuel direct marketing spend windfall

The direct marketing industry will be licking its lips at the prospect of a major boom in spend – worth millions of pounds – following Prime Minister Theresa May’s call for a General Election on June 8, as the main political parties turn to direct mail, digital advertising and telemarketing to try to win over British voters.
Although it has yet to be sanctioned by Parliament, large-scale direct mail campaigns would be a welcome boost for postal operators, with both Royal Mail and its main rival Whistl keen to get a slice of the action; door-to-door distribution companies will also benefit.
The move will prove highly beneficial for Royal Mail in particular, as it has seen direct mail volumes under pressure in recent months. Meanwhile, the data industry will also be gearing up for a boost, as targeting, analytics and segmentation will be crucial to any activity.
Total marketing expenditure for the 2015 General Election reached £37.3m, nearly 20% up on 2010. The Conservatives splashed out £15.6m; Labour over £12m.
Whether this will soar again is open for debate but one thing which is certain is that online channels will see a huge splurge. During the 2015 General Election, the Conservative Party spent £1.2m on Facebook advertising, compared to Labour’s £16,454 and this is likely to rise significantly this time round.
One industry insider said: “This general election could be won and lost online. Twitter and Facebook have far more influence than even two years ago. And for the direct mail industry, the timing could not have been better, the forecasts were not looking particularly promising; this changes everything.”

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