U.S. publishers, which once led the way overseas, are cutting their international mailings in response to the poor economy and a shrinking list supply.
For example, Harvard Business Review has reduced foreign mail volume by about 20% in the past year. This has been driven, in part, by budget cutbacks. But the Boston-based magazine has found that there’s a smaller supply of names available overseas, probably due to corporate downsizing in Europe, says circulation promotions manager Arthur Cohen.
The Review, which targets corporate managers at all levels, now sends out two prospect mailings a year: one to 1.8 million names, and the other to 1.3 million. According to Cohen, one drop may be added but quantities would be trimmed so the names wouldn’t get worn out.
The mailings go to magazine and book buyer response lists, European association files and some compiled databases. All letters are written in American business English
