Mail 10x more popular than mobile

Direct mail may no longer be the darling of the marketing department but you could be forgiven for asking what do they know; consumers see it as over ten times more engaging than advertising on a mobile phone, according to a study.
And, while marketers the length and breadth of the country plough millions of pounds into smartphone campaigns, the City Numbers research shows direct mail is second only to TV ads in the popularity stakes.
The study, based on responses of 1,006 consumers, found that 79% would engage with a TV ad, with direct mail coming second (62%), and print ads third (53%). The most unpopular forms of marketing activity, however, were found to be marketing calls (6%) and mobile advertising (5%).
Survey participants also said they would be put off responding to ads that did not provide a freephone number (34%) or a website (35%) where they could get more information about the product or service.
City Numbers managing director Craig Busst said: “More traditional tactics are holding their own in a marketplace that demands increasingly diverse and integrated marketing campaigns, while it’s clear that unsolicited calls to the home or mobile remain as unpopular as ever.
“But if you don’t have the right communication systems in place, it can all be for nothing. TV advertising is still connecting with audiences but as these normally run for 30 seconds or less, it helps if the phone number you display is memorable.”
The results of the survey will no doubt raise a cheer at Royal Mail, whose most recent results have shown a fall in direct mail spend. Meanwhile over at WDMP they will be equally cock-a-hoop; the agency’s direct mail campaign for Monarch Airlines (pictured) proved the power of the medium by picking up the DMA grand prix at last year’s awards.

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