Porsche® Declares the Age of Direct Mail is NOT Dead (Second in a series)

Does opening a piece of ‘snail mail’ seem archaic to you?  Do you find your mail box overstuffed with ‘junk mail’?  Wonder if the billions of pieces of direct mail sent out each year have any positive impact?  Do you think stamped envelopes delivered by U.S. Postal Service (founded in 1775 by the Second Continental Congress and Ben Franklin) will be soon replaced by e-mail?  Think again!  Direct mail is still one of the most impactful and best revenue generating marketing tactics ever.  Just ask Porsche.

Prior to the end-of-year holiday season a friend, and former Porsche owner, received what is sure to be the most impressive piece of ‘snail mail’ ever!  An un-ignorable silver box (pictured below) arrived emblazoned with the Porsche color logo arrived in his mailbox.  Interest peaked immediately and my friend could hardly wait to tear into the gift giving season mystery box.  Of course he had to bring the piece to the office, to let those of us who probably wouldn’t be getting a Porsche under our Christmas tree this year, gander at the untouchable luxury.   The box contained a personalized letter, and an obviously well-crafted and expensive looking brochure; what else would you expect from Porsche?  The enclosed pictures of relatively young owners (none over 40) spoke of adventure on the open road, kayaking on a wild river and jetting through urban congestion is quiet, powerful, leathered speed and comfort.  Each page brought us more into a state of drool, then aspiration, then desire.  The carefully designed material pushed our senses way beyond ‘new car scent’ from our local car wash.  Subtle descriptive wording informed us of why the new Porsche Cayenne is not a car, but rather a lifestyle, a statement, a way of life that only the chosen few can experience.  I was sold by page 25 of 48, and picked up the phone to call my lending company to start the paperwork on a second mortgage.  Porsche was only a few keystrokes and signatures from my grasp.  But wait!  What’s that?  Don’t tell me…..virtual reality glasses?

Yes, as if the high end printing wasn’t sufficient, the marketing geniuses at Porsche decided to ‘seal the deal’ by giving me a glimpse into what my life could be like within the confines of the Porsche cockpit, and with the ergonomically engineered steering wheel in my grasp.  Following the instructions, I downloaded the correct software onto my smart phone, inserted the screen into the cardboard viewer and held it up to my eyes.  So this is what Porsche life is like…..wow!  As I moved my head around, I virtually-viewed the interior of the car in close detail and focus.  Wow again!  There were even a couple of hip ‘friends’ in my car, along for the test ride.  Direct mail instantly went from a glossy 2-dimensional world to the third dimension and my brain went into overdrive, powered by 541 turbo horses.  I really didn’t need to even visit the showroom; I was already sold on all the glories that could only be ‘Porsche’.

Why does one a company as successful as Porsche still use ‘outdated’ and ‘low tech’ direct mail?  Because it works!  Think about it; we are physically and spatially oriented beings.  We engage our world with our senses including tactilely, auditory, and visually.  Information presented on physical paper engages 3 of those senses in ways electronic information doesn’t.  Adding virtual reality takes this sensory experience to an even higher level.

Also, direct mail, compared to electronic mail, allows us to absorb information at our own pace, without the pressure of having to hit the ‘delete’ key so we can jump on the next item in our overflowing inbox.  We can think about the information as presented, set it aside until we have a quiet moment, or write a thought, comment or question in the margin for further investigation.  And the printed piece can engage us in a creative manner that may allow us to think ‘outside of the in-box’ and maybe, just maybe, make a better decision.

Direct mail puts the reader in charge to either ‘take the next step’, delay a decision until additional information can be considered, or pitch the piece into the recycle bin (to someday return as another direct mail piece). The ‘snail mail’ delivered offer, allows us to engage our decision making process in a manner that is completely customized to our personal preference.

Finally, direct mail, sent to an accurate prospect list which has been updated by a service like     www.IMDataCenter.com , works because marketers can refine and pre-qualify their target market.  This allows them to hone in on highly qualified prospects for their goods and services, thus increasing their marketing return-on-investment, by increasing their response and closure rates beyond mass marketing efforts.  With our WealthIM product, we can generate highly focused lists of individuals with income producing assets for high-end consumer targeting.  In the above Porsche example, the company already knows that my friend is a former Porsche owner.  Porsche can pull outside data as well from companies like Brooks Integrated Marketing, which can append (i.e. segment information based on specific filters) a vast array of demographics including music preferences and qualifications, estimated credit scores, age, income and/or homeowner. Correct targeting is critical because an estimated one-third of direct marketing’s response rate is highly dependent on selecting the right target market.

So if you are searching for proof that direct marketing works, just ask Porsche, and then open your mailbox!

Article by David Garrett at Brooks Integrated Marketing, www.BrooksIM.com in Bonita Springs Florida, specializing in hygiene services for B2C and B2B clients, to assure high impact and economic mailing list accuracy. BrooksIM also provides data enhancement to clients’ lists by adding phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and social media links for Omni-channel customer targeting, as well as profiling for new customer acquisition. Do you use direct mail, social media, phone or e-mail marketing? We would love to hear from you and welcome the opportunity to discuss data driven ideas for your next successful campaign. Contact Brooks Integrated Marketing today at: www.BrooksIM.com or call 1-800-531-2601

Data Appending, Direct Mail