Direct marketers in the US are hailing the presidential election as a major turning point in use of the medium, with a major slew of the estimated $6bn spent going on direct mail, social media and data techniques.
President Barack Obama’s victory marked the end of one of the most expensive political campaigns in history, with commercial print – most notably direct mail and postcards – at the forefront.
Even the troubled US Postal Service received a boost, with the company estimating nearly $400m had been spent on postage alone by last week.
US DMA senior vice-president of government affairs Jerry Cerasale said: “You’re getting some bigger pieces of mail, rather than just fliers. We’re also starting to see mailings be co-ordinated with email and phone calls.”
Cerasale predicted that political parties will also start embracing sophisticated tools of consumer driven direct mail. “You haven’t seen a lot of QR codes in political direct mail, but there was some and I think you’ll see a lot more in the future,” he said, adding that there is likely to be a rise in linking political mailers to mobile apps or mobile landing pages.
“The data companies which played a role in who the campaigns decided to target and who they wanted to get out and vote, have done well,” Cerasale added. “And the efficacy of putting money into social media is something that’s going to be studied hard and analysed in the coming months to see, come the next election, where you’re going to be putting your money.”
