Comcast Corp. Has found what it believes is a good substitute for direct mail in some markets: Door hangers.
That's right. The telecom giant launched a 280,000-piece campaign in Denver earlier this month for its voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) digital telephone service.
Why door hangers? Because they draw a whole new group of responders, according to Bill Borneman, CEO of Power Direct Marketing, the company that developed the campaign.
This is not the first time Comcast has tried the medium. Last summer it distributed 150,000 pieces to Hispanic families in Denver and Miami to promote Cable-Latino Spanish-language cable television service. The effort drew a 1.5% response, Borneman said.
For the VoIP campaign, Comcast used lists of local households with high computer penetration, then overlaid them with geodemographic data.
Borneman estimated that a comparable mailing probably would cost only $25,000 more. Then why use door hangers? To avoid mailbox clutter, he said.
Comcast is not the only company to use them. Electronics retailer Best Buy tested oversize door hangers to promote its Reward Zone customer loyalty program. It started in April with a 500,000-piece trial in Minneapolis, Boston, Indianapolis, New York and Phoenix.
That followed several 100,000-piece efforts for Best Buy's Geek Squad computer support service in San Jose, CA and Madison, WI. This “task force” of electronic technicians visits customers' homes to hook up their new equipment and answer any questions they might have.
Power Direct Marketing, of Newport Beach, CA, came up with the oversize hanger format, according to Borneman. The company recently began using global positioning satellite technology to track door-hanger delivery crews to verify their activities.
