Helping Mail Do Its Job

Despite pouring record amounts of money into direct mail campaigns over the last three years, some industries have seen their response rates decline by as much as 80%, according to the Direct Marketing Association.

The reason? "Too many envelopes going through too many mail slots, leading many consumers to discard the blizzard of solicitations they receive" according to Ad Age.

The solution? "Target better and differentiate more," offers one direct mail expert.

Maybe -- but we'll offer another:

Differentiate your mail piece before it arrives with a long form commercial designed to soften the market for both the offer that viewers are about to receive -- as well as for the company behind it.

Now, is that redundant or a double expense? Not necessarily.

The right long form commercial may not only help you achieve more cost-effective response rates on your mail but in the process provide another sales channel -- and even multiple response mechanisms by which the viewer may more readily choose to respond.