Scotts adds 20 million inserts to Mail Train Media plan

Mail Train Media, the direct advertising arm of multi-channel retail group Scotts & Co, is stepping up its efforts to help marketers navigate the post-pandemic recovery, adding another 20 million targeted insert opportunities to its offer.

It is claimed the move, designed to tap into changes in consumer behaviour during the pandemic, will enable brands to engage directly with millions more individuals in their own homes at a time when marketers are having to adopt new rules of engagement with consumers.

Last year, Mail Train Media provided close to 200 million insert opportunities for clients in a wide array of sectors, from food, travel, financial services, home improvements and magazines to charities, mobility and health.

After Scotts & Co undertook some 40 million catalogue mailings last year, it increased the size of its customer file by more than 20%. This will enable Scotts to mount even more mailings this year – increasing to over 220 million the number of insert opportunities that Mail Train Media can offer.

Recent studies by organisations such as the Office for National Statistics (ONS), WARC, and Ernst & Young have shown that changes in consumer behaviour and work patterns during the pandemic are set to continue this year.

Mail Train Media maintains that for brands seeking more innovative ways to engage with the increased number of stay-at-home or work-from-home consumers, it can help them target individuals at a fraction of the cost of a postage stamp.

The firm insists that each fully personalised and GDPR-compliant mailing through Mail Train Media places an advertiser’s insert (as a printed leaflet) directly in the hands of millions of direct mail-friendly Scotts & Co customers throughout the UK – at a cost of less than £30 per thousand mailings; at least 80% lower than the cost of a direct advertiser’s own mailings.

Scotts & Co. and Mail Train Media executive chairman Nigel Swabey said: “The pandemic has brought about significant changes to the way people live, work and shop. The ‘old normal’ may never return. This year, marketers need to rethink their customer acquisition strategies to meet the challenges of the ‘next normal’.”

He added: “With increasing demands on consumer attention, effective media planning is now more important than ever to drive cut through.

“A well-designed advertising insert, delivered via personally addressed mail, can make the product or service being promoted even more compelling and memorable. It has a much greater chance of lingering in consumers’ homes long after rival brands’ promotional emails have been deleted. That’s why inserts can be such an effective tool in driving up key metrics like ROI and customer lifetime value.”