Consumers increasingly value postal mail as a source for marketing offers and for its trustworthiness, according to a new survey from ICOM, a division of Epsilon Targeting. The 18-34 year old age group showed a strong preference for receiving a variety of marketing offers via offline methods such as direct mail and newspapers versus online sources such as social media platforms. In the personal care category, respondents preferred offline offers over online ones by a 62% to 22% margin; for food products, the margin was 66% to 23% for offline versus online. The preference for offline offers also shows up for cleaning products, over the counter medicine, sensitive health products, prescription medicine and insurance and financial services. The only exception was travel, where 18-34 years olds prefer online information to offline offers by a 42% to 35% margin. The survey also indicated that consumers of all ages are finding postal mail more trustworthy these days. Information is more private if sent through the mail versus e-mail or online, according to 36% of US respondents and 38% of Canadian respondents. In 2008, only 29% of US respondents and 35% of Canadian respondents felt this way about postal mail. In addition, 25% of US respondents and 28% of Canadian respondents said a lot of online information can’t be trusted. In 2008, only 19% of US respondents and 24% of Canadian respondents answered this way. Finally, 20% of US respondents and 25% of Canadian respondents said they trust information received by mail more than online. In 2008, only 12% of US respondents and 18% of Canadian respondents said the same thing. The 2010 study surveyed 2,569 US households and 2,209 Canadian households about their preferences in regard to the ever-expanding array of communications channels for the delivery of marketing information, offers and promotions.
Commentary & Analysis
Young Consumers Like Offline Channels for Marketing Offers
Consumers increasingly value postal mail as a source for marketing offers and for its trustworthiness,
About Chantal Tode
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Discussion
By Kevin Carlisle on Sep 01, 2010
Thanks for the insight. That's an encouraging report--I hope we can believe it. We've seen the continued fragmentation of marketing with the advent of so many new online channels for communications--email blasts, social media, YouTube, SEO/SEM, etc. And it looked like a generational phenomenon that would have lasting impact as that younger group moved into decision-making roles in business. Hearing now that even they might be realizing some of the downside suggests maybe we've reached a point of saturation on some of these new media. Every medium has its own challenges. There is no one silver bullet in marketing. It's about the mix.
By Chantal Tode on Sep 02, 2010
You are right about the mix being important in today's fragmented media landscape, Kevin. Which is why it's also important to make sure you are communicating with customers via their preferred channels. Don't assume you know which channels customers they prefer. As this study shows, sometimes you may be surprised by the method customers choose for communicating with companies.
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