Especially since the broadcast of the BBC's 'Brassed Off Britain' programme, you'd half expect groups of consumers wielding pitch-forks kicking at the doors of every direct marketing agency and data bureaux in the land.
But let's not forget the tradition and heritage that surrounds the mail, and the relationship consumers have with their post. Especially as media continues to fragment at a faster pace and brand communication across a range of media has the ability to get even more personal, what role does the post really play in consumers' lives?
Royal Mail appointed the CRAM Institute to research this further. The emotional relationship consumers have with mail is complicated but one that all direct marketers should learn to respect. There's a myriad of items that are delivered to a typical letterbox from birthday cards and invitations to important bills and statements. But, unlike many other communication channels like advertising, where people can feel bombarded by marketing messages, the research demonstrated the daily delivery of the post is approached with hope and longing. So much so that people are disappointed when they don't receive any mail, and some even stated they'd rather receive a leaflet than nothing at all.
I think one of the main problems is that consumers don't understand the direct marketing industry and, to be honest, why should they? This often results in the use of the term 鈥渏unk mail鈥 for anything that consumers don't deem to be of interest to them. But if this is the case all we need to do is raise the level of interest, give the mail relevance, and demonstrate its potential value. It then moves from being 鈥渦seless and irrelevant junk鈥 to being 鈥渦seful and relevant鈥 communication.
Yes, 'Brassed Off Britain' didn't do us any favours, but did we really expect it to? Hopefully as consumer understanding of our industry grows, more people will understand the intelligent and relevant marketing we're capable of.
Of course, changing consumer perception is one of the most difficult tasks and no amount of positive noise from the industry will change this overnight. But what we can do is make advances in the mail consumers receive, and make sure we hit the right triggers of relevance and value, so marketing messages rise above the 鈥渏unk mail鈥 level. It's not about changing how consumers perceive the varied kinds of mail they are sent, or even about changing perceptions of the industry as a whole. It's about communicating through mail in a targeted and appealing way that enables consumers to take advantage of the products and services on offer and over time perhaps they will appreciate the value of the industry. But in the first instance let's help them appreciate the value of your specific and relevant offering when it lands on their doormat.
If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .