Direct Mail Marketing
Direct-Mail Advertising As consumers, we are often bombarded with different types of advertisements each day. Whether it’s by television, newspaper, billboards, or the internet, advertising has reached us one way or another. Yet, a majority of the ads that we encounter are often meaningless and uninteresting, because of the fact that these ads are meant to reach a certain target audience. This perception seems to change, however, when we look inside our mailboxes, pick-up our telephone, and even check our e-mail. We often ponder how marketers know that we have a pet snake, own a certain kind of computer, or even wear 90’s clothing. That is because every time we purchase products such as: electronics, computer software, and other products; direct mail advertising is in the air. Every time we send in warranty cards and registration forms back to the manufacturer; as consumers we are often unaware that we are sending information about ourselves, that will be used as; statistical, personal, and informative data for future marketing purposes. Thus, marketers and advertisers know what kinds of products to target us with. Although direct mail, or as we call it “junk-mail” somehow finds its way to our homes and businesses. In order to understand direct-mail advertising, I will be discussing this unique form of advertising in a broad area. Among them are: what direct-mail advertising is, the historical development of the direct-mail advertising, different methods and types of mail, the future of direct-mail advertising, and the internet’s use of and impact on direct-mail advertising. Direct Mail Direct-mail advertising is a form of medium used by direct marketers, it is the most personal and selective of all media. Also, this highly specialized mail can be purchased (available among the thousands are lists of various level students, business professionals, college professors, pregnant women, and even vintage car