The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has launched a three-month research project into advertising mail to gauge the state of the channel and its evolving role in the digital age.
The DMA is partnering with technology company Ricoh to produce Advertising mail: a new perspective, which will be the most comprehensive study of its kind. The research findings will be unveiled at a launch event for senior marketers in February next year.
The project will survey 300 UK marketers to assess the standard of planning, creative and tech skills in the industry for advertising mail, as well as examine marketers’ perceptions of the medium, understand the range of roles it now plays in marketing campaigns, how it’s being integrated with digital media and marketers’ predictions for future innovations.
Rachel Aldighieri, the DMA’s director of communications, says the report will provide much-needed strategic insight for the industry, ‘Senior marketers are constantly faced with the challenge of understanding how best to maximise the effectiveness of all marketing media in today’s evolving one-to-one media landscape.
‘We have a generation of marketers that are digital natives. We need to ensure that clients and agencies are able to identify the areas in which they need to invest to ensure their planners, creatives and data officers are equipped with the knowledge and skills they now need to work in multi-channel environment. The findings of this report will be instrumental in raising awareness of this crucial issue.’
Carolyn Scrivener, head of communications at Ricoh UK, said, ‘Creating collateral that will engage brands’ target audiences is only part of a marketeer’s challenge. The format in which the message is delivered is key. The choice of communications channels is wider today than it has ever been, and the value in this research is that it will delve into the detail and provide a clear picture for marketeers to help them make campaign choices that will deliver the greatest return.’
