Quiz: What marketing medium do these companies and one non-profit have in common?
1. JP Morgan, Chase & Company
2. Citigroup
3. Sprint/Nextel
4. Discover Financial Network
5. The American Red Cross
OK, here's the answer: They are the Top 5 direct mailers in America thus far in 2012. This list is not based on total mail volume per organization but instead on sales revenue and fundraising numbers harvested from publicly available resources. However, observers say a reasonably accurate direct mail budget can be garnered from this data, and while not near the record-breaking levels of 2007, is still in the hundreds of millions of dollars range for each Top 5 company. All this money has been injected into a medium that has been pronounced dead far more than it has been praised passionately.
Yet, as the list shows, direct mail is very much alive and kicking. These are marketers which cannot be dismissed as out-of-step with the times. They represent some of the savviest and most successful companies in direct marketing. They know how to test and track results, and they use direct mail because it works for them.
That's not to say direct mail hasn't changed or adapted itself to emerging media, because it has. In fact, one of the chief reasons for direct mail's continued relevancy is its now-complete integration with online media, strategy and tactics. For example, direct mailers have learned to create combined direct mail/email campaigns that work together in a complementary way to increase response - and purchase. In fact, whole white papers have been written laying out just how to coordinate the two media for optimal results. Almost certainly the Top 5 direct mailers this year have adopted this approach, which has breathed new life into USPS-delivered mail.
So the next time you hear a so-called expert say that direct mail is dead, just recall that the companies listed above are far from corpses. Instead, they are gaining new life from direct mail!
1. JP Morgan, Chase & Company
2. Citigroup
3. Sprint/Nextel
4. Discover Financial Network
5. The American Red Cross
OK, here's the answer: They are the Top 5 direct mailers in America thus far in 2012. This list is not based on total mail volume per organization but instead on sales revenue and fundraising numbers harvested from publicly available resources. However, observers say a reasonably accurate direct mail budget can be garnered from this data, and while not near the record-breaking levels of 2007, is still in the hundreds of millions of dollars range for each Top 5 company. All this money has been injected into a medium that has been pronounced dead far more than it has been praised passionately.
Yet, as the list shows, direct mail is very much alive and kicking. These are marketers which cannot be dismissed as out-of-step with the times. They represent some of the savviest and most successful companies in direct marketing. They know how to test and track results, and they use direct mail because it works for them.
That's not to say direct mail hasn't changed or adapted itself to emerging media, because it has. In fact, one of the chief reasons for direct mail's continued relevancy is its now-complete integration with online media, strategy and tactics. For example, direct mailers have learned to create combined direct mail/email campaigns that work together in a complementary way to increase response - and purchase. In fact, whole white papers have been written laying out just how to coordinate the two media for optimal results. Almost certainly the Top 5 direct mailers this year have adopted this approach, which has breathed new life into USPS-delivered mail.
So the next time you hear a so-called expert say that direct mail is dead, just recall that the companies listed above are far from corpses. Instead, they are gaining new life from direct mail!
About the Author:
Want to find out more about direct mail in an email world? Then visit the website for Commercial Letter to learn how to get the most from both media.
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