Study: Direct mail is used more frequently

According to a study by German Nielsen Media Research, specialty and bulk mailers used direct mail as an advertising medium 13 percent more frequently in the first quarter of 2006 than in the previous year. The study also allows conclusions to be drawn about the use of direct mail in the media split and the media mix strategies of bulk and specialty mailers. In addition to traditional communication channels, direct mail is used to address specific target groups, mainly through the use of addressed advertising mailings. Wholesale and specialty mailers use direct mail as the main advertising medium in the media split with a share of 82.7%. 63.4 percent of the 2068 companies surveyed used direct mail exclusively. The highest priority for the sender is to address the customer personally. 88.6 percent of the gross advertising expenditure of large and specialty mailers was used for addressed mailings. More than half was spent on mailing catalogs. On average, mailers invested 9.2 euros per household in their advertising mailings.