Print Mailings – The Strategic Wild Card in the Media Mix

Current studies show that print mailings and bulk mail are door openers and a strategic wild card in the media mix for advertisers.
 
According to the 2023 CMC Print Mailing Study, print mailings themselves prove to be effective advertising and reliable sales drivers even in economically challenging times. Some 73% of respondents indicated that they find physical mail more personal and authentic than digital communication. “This emotional aspect establishes trust and draws the interest of potential customers,” explain the one-to-one marketing specialists from the German O/D Group, commenting the results.
 
With carefully designed print mailings, advertisers – e-commerce companies and start-ups especially – can address their target groups directly without being overlooked in the flood of digital advertising. “Personalized contents and high-quality design can increase customer appeal and leave behind a lasting impression.” The conclusion drawn by the O/D Group: Print mailings and bulk mail remain relevant tools for successful customer acquisition.
 
The CMC study attributes an average conversion rate (CVR) of 5.4% to advertising letters directed at existing customers of online shops, classifying them as a reliable response bringer. Using response boosters (printed coupons, scratch-off labels, QR codes, or paper coupons) also increases the CVR by up to 33%. After reading a print mailing, about one-fifth of existing customers visit the advertised online shop. With an average shopping cart value of 82 euros (before returns), every euro invested in print mailing yields sales of 9.01 euros (901% ROAS).
 
Direct line to the customer
In the previous year, ELMA – the European Letterbox Marketing Association – also released a white paper on the topic of door drop media. “The predicted reduction in ad spend in Europe by ~30% across the next 12 months, changing data analysis and consumer targeting policies due to reforms in European consumer protection, and increased privacy measures have made it clear that a digital communication strategy alone is no longer enough to reach the desired target groups.” In this context, offline advertising with unaddressed brochures proves to be an alternative and strategic wild card in the medium mix.
 
ELMA sees door drop media as a direct line to the consumer, not only offering an extensive reach, but also a wide range of benefits to marketers: Unlike digital advertising media, door drop advertisements remain popular and enjoy a high level of trust. Physical presence enables marketers to persuade and impress consumers not only visually but also haptically. In this area, target group orientation and regulatory compliance of print advertising offer a reliable, compliant alternative.
 
According to the ELMA study, digital marketing strategies by contrast face critical problems. The saturation in the use of digital advertising is growing, the mass-scale distribution of online advertisements has resulted in consumers more and more often ignoring ads and growing accustomed to the presentation and display formats. While 69.5% of digital ads were viewable in 2021, engagement levels have rapidly declined. Overall, the global average time-in-view for advertisements decreased by as much as 25% on mobile devices.
 


Tangible, durable, far-reaching
In the Print Media Predictions 2023 from Print Power, Kim Skjoldbord, consultant and lecturer for marketing communication and media planning at the University of Southern Denmark, goes so far as to claim that the effectiveness of digital communication is overestimated. This is due to the lack of awareness, of digital natives especially, for the efficacy of different channels, including print. “People talk about digital media all the time and consequently, they overestimate its effectiveness.” From his own experience, Skjoldbord can report: “When my students see how print is actually rated and how effective it is, something clicks in their head.”
 
Content is king, personalization is queen
In 2023, Deutsche Post released a new print mailing direct marketing guide as well. It is intended as a practical guide for successful print mailing campaigns, containing a checklist, a list of avoidable mistakes, and example campaigns. It also provides arguments for using print mailings with the slogan, “content is king, personalization is queen.”

Yours,
Knud Wassermann,
Editor-in-Chief "Graphische Revue"