Direct mail spending to boom - US report

Industry trends, such as the accelerated adoption of digital print technology, stabilisation in the statement-printing market, an increase of marketing campaigns across multiple media types and the further use of 'customer relationship management', are responsible for driving the growth in direct mail, according to a white paper from the Winterberry Group, a leading strategic consulting firm for the marketing industries.

Bruce Biegel, senior managing director at Winterberry Group, claims that detrimental factors like an upcoming rise in postage rates, potential new data legislation and production overcapacity, will fail to dent spending in direct mailing the USA.

“The looming postal rate increases, regulatory constraints on marketers, the rise of the internet and other challenges to direct mail production have been relegated to back-of-mind status, as marketers continue to both expand advertising budgets and shift spending to direct, measurable media like direct mail,” says Biegel.

The study was compiled from hundreds of interviews over the past 12 months with marketing executives and the service providers that support their direct mail efforts, focussing on ten different developments that are influencing the direct mail industry.

The report also claims that that mailer selection gravitates towards providers who offer a broader mix of value-added services, and that direct mail is heightening in sophisticated applications and the use of unique technological solutions, such as linking mail to the web.

Vertical Market Trends in Direct Mail and the Impact on Production Service Providers 2005 is available for download from Winterberry Group's web site, located at www.winterberrygroup.com .