• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, May 11, 2003

Direct Mail and Radio Not Dominant in Buying Decisions

Ray Schultz reports on a new survey of 3,000 adults from Vertis, conducted by telephone by Marshall Marketing and Communication, Pittsburgh, showing that only 3% of all consumers ranked direct mail as the medium most likely to influence their buying decisions in 2002. Mail was tied with radio for the bottom slot.

At 4%, the Internet fared only slightly better. Television and advertising inserts were tied for first with 22% each. Only 6% of all consumers say they are likely to turn to mail first to help with their buying decisions. And the number of consumers who read direct mail has fallen from 76% in 2000 to 73%.

When asked in December 2002 if they had read any direct mail in the past seven days, 55% said they had. Only 10% said they read all the advertising mail available to them, and 38% indicated they occasionally read it. The percentage of those who never read it jumped from 23% in 2001 to 27%.

Readership of mail remained the same or went down in almost all product categories in 2002. Book/music clubs increased their readership to 43% in 2002, compared with 38% the year before. But magazine and newspaper publishing declined by four points to 38%, and entertainment fell from 50% to 46%. Financial services dropped by 2% to 34%.

A special offer or discount was favored by 43% of recipients to open direct mail, up from 34% in 2001. Timing was rated as most important by 68%/ Dated material was cited by 24% in 2001 and by 27% in 2002.

Forty-six percent of those with household incomes of $75,000 or more, said that a special offer or discount will motivate them to open a direct mail package. In 2001, that percentage was 26%.