Consumers Prefer Direct Mail to E-mail Marketing

Despite the rise of digital marketing, consumers prefer direct mail over e-mail for receiving marketing messages, according to a new study by multichannel marketing company Epsilon. Direct mail trumped e-mail in almost every product category, including health, financial services, insurance and travel. Direct mail also was the favorite option across age groups, extending to the 18- to 34-year-old, digital-savvy demographic. For more details, see http://www.epsilon.com/download/consumer-survey-results-reveal-direct-mail-most-preferred-channel-receipt-brand-communicati

Sir Speedy and PIP Use PURLs to Sell PURLs

Franchise Services Inc.'s brands, Sir Speedy and PIP Printing and Marketing Services, are using custom-printed direct mail pieces to promote their services -- including use of a personalized url (PURL). "We're using PURLs to sell PURLs," explained David Robidoux, Franchise Services vice president of marketing. Ten times a year, the company drops around 160,000 mailers on behalf of 350 to 400 franchise locations, with each generally submitting 500-1,000 prospects. Each mail piece is customized with PURL response mechanisms, and some mailers even showcase three response channels — PURLs, QR codes and telephone numbers personalized to the location nearest the recipient. To read more, see http://chiefmarketer.com/direct/print/direct-mail/custom-mailing-purl-pi-sir-speedy-1208rhl2/