Consumer response to direct mail has risen by 12% in the past two years, said a study by Vertis, an integrated marketing and advertising solutions company.
The study, which was conducted last month, also shows that the readership of direct marketing materials has remained steady across all demographic groups.
“Direct mail is having a strong impact with consumers and there has been a significant increase in the level of response to this form of advertising,” said Scott Marden, director of marketing research at Baltimore-based Vertis, in a statement.
Nearly half of those surveyed (46%) said that they had responded to direct mail advertising in the past 30 days. In 2001, only one-third of those surveyed said they had responded. Response includes mail, telephone, in-person, or through the company’s Web site.
Younger Baby Boomers respond the most to direct mail. This group’s response rates have risen from 36% to 49%.
Some 55% of adults surveyed said they read direct mail on a weekly basis. This is about the same as 2002.
But, weekly direct mail readership is growing among adults with more than $75,000 a year household income, according to Vertis. In 2003, 59% read this mail each week, compared with 53% in 2002.
About three-quarters of those surveyed confirmed that they read direct mail. Last year, 73% said they read it.
Respondents to the survey were 6% more likely to purchase life insurance directly from direct mail, phone or the Internet, without seeing an agent, than they were in 2001.
Fifty-nine percent of respondents said they received direct mail from the nonprofit groups they contribute to in 2003, versus 49% in 2001.
The study surveyed 2,000 adults and was conducted by Marshall Marketing and Communication of Pittsburgh, PA.
Network
