The revival of letters
The pandemic has permanently changed our work and consumption habits. This is affecting the marketing strategies of many companies: Direct mail is experiencing a resurgence—with measurable results.
Over the past few months, the rules of the game have changed for many companies and industries: stores and restaurants remained closed, people worked from home, and mobility was restricted. This had a direct impact on the marketing of products and services. Target audiences suddenly disappeared or became harder to reach, consumer habits shifted, and media usage patterns changed. Even after the COVID-19 crisis, some of these pandemic-driven developments are likely to persist. For example, a representative survey by the auditing and consulting firm Deloitte found that many people now enjoy working from home. Office workers in Switzerland would like to work from home either part-time (62 percent) or even full-time (26 percent) after the pandemic.
Offline is becoming more important
The trend toward working from home is having a direct impact on marketing. To reach people as effectively as possible, many companies are adapting their advertising to the so-called “new normal.” A study conducted by Intervista on behalf of Swiss Post shows which channels are best suited for this purpose.
«The trend toward working from home has a direct impact on marketing.»
In this context, the home is defined as a new planning factor. «Working from home has changed everyday life. Old routines are being adapted to this unique situation, and new ones are emerging,» the report states. People have learned to structure their day at home while scheduling in short breaks. For example, by taking a few steps, emptying the mailbox, and then flipping through a magazine or brochure over a cup of coffee. The younger generation is also actively enjoying this screen-free time, which has implications for media usage: offline channels are gaining in importance. Forty-eight percent of respondents say they pay the most attention to personally addressed direct mail. This is followed by attention to television commercials (41 percent) and to advertisements and brochure inserts in newspapers and magazines (40 percent).
In addition, 19 percent of study participants now prefer reading on paper, and 57 percent say they are most likely to be persuaded to make a purchase by personally addressed promotional mailings. For more than half of young consumers (54 percent), mail has become more important during the COVID-19 pandemic; 65 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds also say that packages have become even more important to them.
New Opportunities for Direct Marketing
This creates new opportunities for direct marketing. It is one of the sectors in the advertising market least affected by the crisis. According to Stephan Obwegeser, CDO/CMO at KünzlerBachmann Directmarketing, certain clients significantly expanded their direct marketing activities during lockdowns and while working from home, thereby achieving significantly greater value creation.
«Many people today appreciate reading something on paper more than they did before the pandemic.»
Cenk Erdil, a marketing specialist at Trendcommerce Dialog AG, reports that the company saw a short-term positive trend in the areas of direct marketing and interactive marketing at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, as it was able to carry out informational mailings for its clients—primarily insurance companies. Following this increase, Trendcommerce observed a stagnation in the direct marketing and interactive marketing sectors. The company assumes that businesses reprioritized their operations and revised their direct marketing and interactive marketing activities during this difficult period. «Since the pandemic situation in Switzerland has improved and a return to normalcy is in sight, orders in the direct marketing and dialog marketing sectors have increased again,» says Erdil.
Even without an opt-in, in the mailbox
During the crisis, direct marketing had clear advantages. Nadine Krienbühl, Head of Marketing at Swiss Direct Marketing, commented: «Direct mail pieces end up in people’s mailboxes even without an opt-in and don’t get lost in the flood of emails.» Attention to personal mail increased during the pandemic, which can be attributed to the fact that people were spending more time at home due to mandatory work-from-home policies and fewer leisure options, and were using their time differently. Stephan Obwegeser shares this assessment: He is convinced that, especially during the COVID-19 crisis, direct marketing is an excellent option for reaching target customers. Reduced mobility has made out-of-home formats and commuter media less attractive, compounded by long screen times while working from home, which has left consumers screen-fatigued. This is where traditional direct mail can shine.
Cenk Erdil cites the high level of availability while working from home as an additional advantage for dialogue marketing. The partial lockdowns and the introduction of reduced working hours also contributed to this trend. «This enabled companies to increase their interaction with customers during the crisis, which also had a positive impact on customer satisfaction,» says Erdil.
In demand
«Direct marketing is proving to be relatively resilient in times of crisis»
m&k: Daniel Schönmann, the pandemic has changed consumer behavior. What are the challenges facing marketing in 2021?
Daniel Schönmann: The major challenge lies in recognizing these rapid changes and the opportunities they present, and responding to them quickly. In this regard, I believe it is important for companies to break free from existing, paralyzing patterns and start thinking in new, liberating ways. For example, a recent study by Intervista AG shows that a large proportion of workers who are still working from home have become screen-fatigued. As a result, it is becoming increasingly difficult to reach them digitally. This calls for different kinds of engagement. Companies should take this into account in their marketing efforts.
Which forms of marketing are effective during a crisis?
Tailored marketing strategies that are adapted to the current situation and the specific target audience resonate even more strongly during the crisis and are particularly successful. Currently, this is evident, for example, in the fact that direct marketing—specifically, physical communication on paper—is receiving even more attention at home, having a greater impact, and is more likely to lead to a purchase.
How have the figures in direct marketing—and specifically in interactive marketing—changed?
Direct marketing has proven to be relatively resilient in times of crisis and an essential communication channel. This is confirmed not only by the aforementioned study by Intervista AG, which surveyed more than 1,000 respondents. The recently published “Swiss Advertising Statistics 2020” by WEMF AG for Advertising Media Research also demonstrates this impressively. This study reports on advertising expenditures: Direct mail accounted for the largest share in the crisis year of 2020—even ahead of print media and TV.
