I was struck the other day by a post that raised a question that crosses the mind of most marketers at some point, be they big or small. What is the value / place of classic direct mail in world that is becoming more digitized as we speak?

The article was in Direct Marketing News (DMNews) and you would suspect that there is quite a bit at stake for a group like that. For years and years that organization has kept itself as the pulse of the direct marketing (which was mostly mail of some sort) industry. It is the go to organization for marketers to turn to when trying to put together ideas and plans to reach the right customer, at the right time with the right message.

So what was the verdict? Well, both sides of the coin were presented with one side claiming that the bell has tolled for direct mail marketing. The USPS considering stopping their Saturday delivery to save money and stop the fiscal bleeding was evidence of this trouble. He author also cited the inability to truly measure the effectiveness of direct mail other than if someone ID’d that they acted due to the direct mail piece. Both valid arguments.

In support of direct mail as a viable marketing alternative even in the e-mail centric world we live in, was the argument that was not so much for direct mail itself. Rather it was about how different people receive messages in different ways thus direct mail has a spot in the overall marketing efforts of any organization. He basically argued that anything done in isolation is not as effective as it could be when done in conjunction with all the other marketing options that exist.

So what’s your take? How do you allocate your marketing dollars? Do you use co-op money for direct mail or e-mail or something else? How could MDF be used to ensure that each type of customer you desire receives the right message from you at the right time from you and in the right format for them?

We feel that the answer is always about balance. Is direct mail dying? I don’t think so. I do think though that it is changing due to the changing world around it. In this day and age anything that can’t be tracked so tat some ROI is attached to it stands little chance of making the marketing cut.

Give us your thoughts on this subject. How you view your customers’ tendencies and habits could mean life or death. Not for direct mail but for their business. Now that can make you think, right?

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