Despite all the attention that Internet marketing gets in political campaigning these days, direct mail is considered a valuable technique for candidates trying to reach specific groups of constituents and for its ability to tell a story, among other reasons. In this article from Politics in Minnesota, the reporter points that all of the major party gubernatorial campaigns have hired direct mail firms. Representatives from several of the campaigns cite direct voter contact, depth of messaging, fundraising and the ability to target specific voters, among other things, as reasons why direct mail is so appealing compared to other media choices. A report from earlier this year from Borrell Associates, 2010 Political Advertising Outlook: The Endless Campaign, predicts political advertising will reach $4.2 billion this year. Spending on online advertising will top out at $44 million, less than 1% of the total budget while spending on direct mail will reach $131.85 million, or 3.1% of the total. Borrell says there will be more than 400 million pieces of election-related direct mail processed this year. By and far, the largest portion of political advertising budgets will go to TV advertising. Direct mail’s share is so small for several reasons, according to the report. First, Borrell's estimates include only postage and handling, not design, printing and list purchase, which account for the major portion of direct mail expenses. Secondly, rising costs have eroded direct mail’s popularity, a trend which is expected to continue. The report also suggests that almost three-fourths of the total political advertising budget will go towards local advertising, most of it centered on issues, not candidates. This would seem to favor direct mail, among other local strategies. Borrell says state and local political candidates will be reaching deeply into every neighborhood this year, putting less emphasis on broadcast TV and more on newspapers, out of home and direct mail.