Direct Mail Marketing Essay Research Paper DirectMail

Direct Mail Marketing Essay, Research Paper

Direct-Mail Advertising

As consumers, we are often bombarded with different types of advertisements each day. Whether it s by television, newspaper, billboards, or the internet, advertising has reached us one way or another. Yet, a majority of the ads that we encounter are often meaningless and uninteresting, because of the fact that these ads are meant to reach a certain target audience.

This perception seems to change, however, when we look inside our mailboxes, pick-up our telephone, and even check our e-mail. We often ponder how marketers know that we have a pet snake, own a certain kind of computer, or even wear 90 s clothing. That is because every time we purchase products such as: electronics, computer software, and other products; direct mail advertising is in the air. Every time we send in warranty cards and registration forms back to the manufacturer; as consumers we are often unaware that we are sending information about ourselves, that will be used as; statistical, personal, and informative data for future marketing purposes. Thus, marketers and advertisers know what kinds of products to target us with.

Although direct mail, or as we call it junk-mail somehow finds its way to our homes and businesses.

In order to understand direct-mail advertising, I will be discussing this unique form of advertising in a broad area. Among them are: what direct-mail advertising is, the historical development of the direct-mail advertising, different methods and types of mail, the future of direct-mail advertising, and the internet s use of and impact on direct-mail advertising.

Direct Mail

Direct-mail advertising is a form of medium used by direct marketers, it is the most personal and selective of all media. Also, this highly specialized mail can be purchased (available among the thousands are lists of various level students, business professionals, college professors, pregnant women, and even vintage car owners), but they can be expensive. Printing and postage fees make the cost of direct mail per person reached quite high compared with other forms of media. However, because direct mail goes only to the people the advertiser wishes to contact, there is no wasted coverage. Reaching the prospect does not, however, ensure that the message is received. Direct mail is pure advertising. Therefore, a direct-mail ad must attract its own readers. This is critical when you consider that the average American home receives more than 10 direct mail pieces a week and that the recipient of ads on average decides within four seconds whether or not to, open it, or throw it out.

Historical Development

During the 1950 s and early 1960 s, computers emerged to be common business tools. Marketers were able to collect, store, and manipulate larger amounts of data to aid marketing decision makers. Out of this capability developed the marketing information system (MKIS)- an ongoing, organized procedure to generate, analyze, distribute, store, and retrieve information for use in making marketing decisions.

Another useful tool that developed for marketers is the decision support system (DSS). This particular system is a computerized procedure that permits the marketing manager to interact with data and use various methods of analysis to incorporate, examine, and characterize information.

These useful computer-based systems are then organized, stored, and updated in another computer in what is known as a database. This is perhaps the center for all direct-marketers, because it has allows them to narrow their specific target market feild by identifying people that they want to target for advertising.

With the developments of these two interrelated computer systems, direct-mail then emerged to be one of the many tools that direct-marketers conveniently use to target their markets. However, with the introduction of desktop publishing in the 1980 s, direct-mail advertising accelerated as an important medium for advertisers.

Growth of Direct-Mail

Direct mail is successful because it matches today s lifestyles; families have less time, so shopping by mail is more convenient. It is the most effective way to generate immediate results.

Another reason for the global success of direct-mail advertising, is the fact that this type of advertising can increase the effectiveness of ads in other media. For instance, advertisers do not send unsolicited mail. They will tend to use other direct-response media to reach their target market, and then use direct mail to respond to inquires. Thus, making direct-mail advertising to be the most effective method for closing a sale or generating attention of products, services, or ideas.

Throughout the history of advertising, newspapers and television have been the most widely used medium, based on total advertising dollars spent. However, their share has declined, as the amount of dollars spent for direct-mail advertising has increased. The Direct Marketing Association estimates that national advertisers spent more than $32 billion on direct mail in 1997, that+s nearly 20 percent of all the ad dollars spent in the United States. Making direct-mail advertising the forth-ranked advertising medium used today. Surpassed only by television, the Internet and newspapers.

The Development of Direct M

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