News from 2007 Graph Expo

From the September 10 and September 11 Show Daily issues published by Graphic Arts Monthly for Graph Expo attendees:

Direct Mail Still Beats Online Advertising

A recent Cal Poly study found people prefer to read printed materials over information on their computer screens. The 224-page study also found that people view print advertising to be more credible than web advertising.

More than 80% of those surveyed preferred print advertising over all other marketing. And 76% said they would be disappointed if their favorite publication moved to an online-only publication.

"Do Not Mail" on the Horizon?

In 2006 there were 4 states considering legislation to block marketing mail. This year that number has jumped to 15 states. Many of these anti-mail efforts are supported by groups such as GreenDimes and New American Dream.

What these groups will not tell consumers is marketing and business mail are key components of the U.S. economy. More than 146 million American households and organizations depend on the U.S. mail to exchange information every day. Advertising mail provides more than half the revenue of the mail system.

Studies by the USPS and the DMA show that the average household receives 14 pieces of mail per day and 85% of households read all of the mail they receive. Approximately 45% of all print is mailed. Any decrease in mail volume would have devastating effects on postage rates, customer service, the printing industry, and the American economy.

Mail Moves America is a coalition of mailing and fulfillment groups trying to stop anti-mail efforts. Their web site is under construction at www.mailmovesamerica.com. Alternatively, visit www.the-dma.org.

GreenDimes sells "The Junk Mail Reduction Kit" for $15 at www.greendimes.org. The site claims more than 10,000 signatures for their petition to prohibit unsolicited mail.

According to their web site at www.newdream.org, The Center for a New American Dream's mission is to "help Americans consume responsibly to protect the environment, enhance quality of life, and promote social justice." Through their 41 Pounds organization, they are offering a junk mail reduction program for $41.

Increase Response with Transpromotional Marketing

Transaction mailers have a substantial marketing advantage available to them. Transaction mailings such as account statements, invoices, credit card and retirement account mailings, have open and read rates of 95% or better. And consumers spend 1-3 minutes reading transaction documents compared with mere seconds for marketing mail. Furthermore, while marketing mailers struggle for one brief glance, transaction documents are frequently viewed more than once.

Commonly you will find marketing pieces inserted with statements and invoices. Transpromotional messages, placing marketing copy directly onto the transaction document, however, is quickly being adopted to replace or compliment free-standing inserts.

Some advantages of transpromotional messages:

• Personalization of the promotion
• Trusted: 95% of transaction mail is opened and read compared to only 7% of direct mail
• Involvement: Transaction documents receive more attention than even television ads
• Directs attention from a cost to a benefit
• Your current customers are your best target audience
• Cost-effective: Get your marketing to the consumer with no additional cost
• Cuts through the 3,000 advertising messages the average consumer is exposed to each day

Increase response and increase profit with transpromotional mailing services from CCI. Learn more about variable data printing, personalization, and statement/invoice services at http://mailcci.com.

Ready to move to transpromotional marketing? Call us now at 800-279-2505.

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