While Wary, Consumers Want Holiday Mail: Survey
Mailers wanting their efforts opened in a time of anthrax scares should consider transparency, both in terms of motive and package design. Nearly six in 10 consumers would prefer to receive a postcard from marketers than a letter, and 53% said they would discard mail they can’t positively identify.
More than half the consumers surveyed said they would be either extremely or very likely to open their mail if it came in a transparent envelope. Four in 10 said they would open it if it displayed endorsement by the Direct Marketing Association, the Ad Council or another reputable marketing association. A similar number wanted a Web address on the outside of the envelope that would let them view the contents online, without having to open the package.
But marketers shouldn’t take that as a rush to modify their packages and send them out willy-nilly. Two thirds of the respondents said they would just as soon prefer to receive less unsolicited mail during the current crisis, and 38% said they were less likely to open unsolicited mail
