Catalogues continue to hold their own

Letterbox-delivered catalogues are the number one choice for retail advertisers in Australia and New Zealand, according to a study by the Australian Catalogue Association.

The study found that letterbox advertising has sustained a five to seven per cent annual growth rate for the past ten years. Chris Lee-Brown, CEO of the Australian Catalogue Association, said that catalogues are growing in popularity as a mainstream advertising medium.

Through catalogue advertising, media buyers now have access to readership, auditing and consumer research tools that allow them to measure reach and readership along with testing householders' attitudes to their campaigns.

"Unaddressed advertising is now as accountable as any other medium," said Lee-Brown (pictured). "This accountability, coupled with promising response rates, makes it an essential component of any advertising campaign."

Statistics from the study discovered that 87 per cent of householders regularly read unaddressed advertising material and that 2.5 people in every household read unaddressed advertising material.

Lee-Brown also asserted that catalogues do not have a negative effect on the environment. "Catalogue paper is very lightweight, with fresh long fibres and natural clay-based lubricant, which makes it very recyclable," he said.

"It comes mainly from plantation softwoods grown in the northern hemisphere and its sustainability as a crop is unquestioned being strictly controlled by government legislation and industry controls."