Direct marketers are a secretive bunch. While rivals can view TV commercials and track media schedules, direct marketing takes place behind closed doors. Marketers are tight-lipped about data sources and segmenting strategies and it is not easy to obtain copies of the letters shoved through doors.
Marketing asked Nielsen Media Research to track the mailshots of leading car manufacturers. Its panel of 10,000 consumers forwarded the direct mail they received each month. The panel is representative of the UK population, based on age, gender, region and consumer segmentation.
The tables below look at the volumes of direct mail sent by five mainstream car brands in the 12 months to June 2005. The first uses the Financial Mosaic segmentation tool, which classifies consumers according to financial product ownership, financial behaviour and future intentions (based on consumer polls).
The second, Mosaic Group table, classifies consumers by lifestyle, using census data, financial history and house prices.
Volvo was the most-targeted in regard to financial behaviour, devoting 54% of its direct mail to 'good-paying realists'. This was also the largest category for Ford (37%), Vauxhall (25%) and Renault (24%).
Volkswagen aimed to appeal to the heart as well as the head, with 35% of its direct mail going to 'adventurous spenders' and 29% to 'capital accumulators.'
Volvo was also the most-targeted by lifestyle group, devoting 49% to 'country dwellers'. Volkswagen allocated 54% to 'blue-collar owners' (less-expensive areas of owner-occupied housing) and 20% to 'high-income families'.
Analysis of the figures by gender revealed Ford was the only one of the five to target more women (53%) than men. Two brands displayed a definite male bias - Volkswagen (78%) and Volvo (74%). A slight male bias was shown by Renault (54%) and Vauxhall (53%).
Broken down by age, the study found the 35-44 age group received the most mail from Volvo (37%), with the 55-64 group on 29% and over-65s on 21%. Ford had an older bias, with 72% of its mail going to those over 45. Somewhat surprisingly, Renault directed one-third of its mail at the over-65s. Vauxhall's major target group was aged 35-44 (40%).
DIRECT MAIL - CAR MANUFACTURERS Demographic Ford Vauxhall Volvo % % % total Est total Est total Est Financial Mosaic volume volume volume volume volume volume Adventurous spenders 12.4 608,428 18.1 433,338 2.0 23,060 Burdened borrowers 3.0 148,064 11.4 273,522 1.0 11,545 Capital accumulators 8.2 398,926 11.2 267,848 5.7 67,184 Discerning investors 5.0 245,603 3.1 74,296 5.2 61,117 Equity-holding elders 9.5 463,255 5.7 136,267 7.6 89,307 Farm owners and traders 4.6 227,140 13.0 311,353 13.7 160,409 Good-paying realists 37.3 1,821,274 24.7 591,266 53.7 630,525 Hardened cash payers 4.9 239,231 3.2 76,282 3.0 35,170 Just about surviving 7.0 344,094 6.7 160,933 1.1 12,511 Mosaic Group Blue-collar owners 18.8 917,654 16.8 402,325 14.2 166,420 Council flats 0.3 14,938 3.1 73,695 1.1 12,511 Country dwellers 6.8 331,373 12.5 298,130 48.5 568,916 High-income families 15.9 776,977 20.3 485,498 11.4 133,784 Independent elders 7.1 345,802 6.1 144,934 4.1 48,214 Low-rise council 5.2 254,473 6.9 164,899 3.0 35,170 Mortgaged families 5.5 267,812 9.6 228,963 2.9 34,092 Stylish singles 0.6 31,531 7.3 174,853 1.0 11,545 Suburban semis 7.9 387,728 6.4 153,893 8.7 101,723 Town houses and flats 17.4 849,220 6.0 143,666 5.2 61,401 Victorian low-status 14.3 700,860 5.0 119,920 n/a n/a Demographic Volkswagen Renault % % total Est total Est Financial Mosaic volume volume volume volume Adventurous spenders 34.8 408,202 13.6 434,890 Burdened borrowers 0.8 9,757 12.0 382,781 Capital accumulators 29.4 345,610 5.6 177,818 Discerning investors 2.1 24,389 12.8 406,957 Equity-holding elders 4.1 48,539 6.5 207,585 Farm owners and traders 9.1 107,243 8.9 283,821 Good-paying realists 12.7 148,870 24.4 778,712 Hardened cash payers n/a n/a 4.5 144,512 Just about surviving 2.4 28,136 2.1 66,412 Mosaic Group Blue-collar owners 53.7 630,302 15.2 485,550 Council flats n/a n/a 0.5 14,938 Country dwellers 2.7 31,927 20.9 665,001 High-income families 20.3 237,686 19.3 616,541 Independent elders 3.4 39,516 1.9 61,134 Low-rise council 3.4 39,604 4.5 143,847 Mortgaged families 0.8 9,757 11.1 355,020 Stylish singles 2.4 28,288 2.0 64,910 Suburban semis 5.0 58,481 14.3 454,306 Town houses and flats 8.4 98,160 4.9 157,486 Victorian low-status n/a n/a 5.3 169,286 Source: Nielsen Media Research Note: figures are for 12 months to June 2005
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