Direct Mail Outlook -- Meeting the Challenge

ASKING WHAT kind of impact that a recessional economy has on direct mail campaigns is like asking how many beach-goers will be turned away by an approaching hurricane. Sure, there are those who will want to brave it, but most people prefer to take a wait-and-see approach somewhere safe. At the danger of mixing metaphors, we have to wonder whether the storm clouds of 2008 will drift into 2009, and, if so, for how long? Even the most conservative of economists would suggest that we have been in a recession since 2007 and (hopefully) reached rock bottom in October of 2008, en route to recovery. Should President-elect Obama infuse more than a little optimism in government and spark consumer confidence—and lending institutions provide more than enough money to go around...