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Print in the Mix

Marketers Underestimate Consumers' Acceptance of Direct Mail

The 2009 Marketing-GAP Tracking Study, conducted by online market research company fast.MAP and the United Kingdom's Direct Marketing Association (DMA), shows that marketers are continuing to underestimate the percentage of consumers who welcome items of direct marketing.

• Of the 1,367 panel members (whose demographics reflect those of the United Kingdom), 51 percent expressed an interest in receiving marketing e-mails about companies they know. However, a panel of 300 marketers predicted that just 28 percent would be happy to do so.

• A further 38 percent of consumers surveyed were happy to receive printed direct mail (marketers assumed only 30 percent would).

• The study also indicates that consumers are more receptive to the direct marketing of products and services which interest them or come from trusted brands. More than nine out of 10 (95 percent) of consumers "are happy to receive" information from their favored supermarkets and stores through one or more marketing channels, and 73 percent are happy to receive information on local restaurants. However, the financial services industry didn't fare as well, with only 27 percent of adults being happy to hear from them.

• Marketers are also failing to keep up with growing consumer awareness of data protection; the marketing expert panel expected 57 percent of consumers to always tick the "opt-out" box on marketing communications to prevent their data from being passed to a third party, when in fact 90 percent of consumers always do so.

"Although people favor e-mail, the best message for the direct mail industry in this year's Marketing-GAP research is that, as in 2008, 86 percent of consumers opened mail packs—although in both years, 37 percent of them only opened ones from a company with which they already had a relationship," says David Cole of fast.MAP. "Marketers underestimated people's willingness to receive mailed promotions."

To read this Print in the Mix Research Summary and additional print market research studies, go to www.printinthemix.rit.edu. Print in the Mix is a free and easily accessible clearinghouse of research on print media effectiveness, published by the Printing Industry Center at RIT and made possible by a grant from The Print Council (www.theprintcouncil.org).

The Partnership in Print Production (P3) Network has named its 2010 Luminaire Awards recipients. They include: Katerina Caterisano, creative director of Network Design & Communications; Terri Dannenberg, senior partner and executive director of print production at Ogilvy New York; Marisa Fariña, group publisher of Time Out; Paul Nicholson, vice president of print and broadcast production at Showtime Networks; and Pictorial Offset for innovation in environmental stewardship.

Four appointments have been made at Woburn, MA-based Hannaford & Dumas Commercial Printers. Chuck Duggan has been selected as the new sales manager. Paul Marshall, has joined as an account executive. Jason Parks has been promoted to production planner. Amanda Warren has been hired for a designer/prepress position.

Kurt Hamlin is the new vice president of operations at Loveland, CO-based Vision Graphics, now responsible for managing the operations at the company's Loveland and Denver facilities. He previously held positions at manroland Inc. and Current Printing Solutions.

At Manchester, CT-based Allied Printing Services, John Sommers Jr. has been named a member of the board of directors, and has also been tapped as the vice president of marketing communications. He most recently served at Allied as an account executive.

Dallas-based Padgett Printing has expanded its sales team with the addition of James White and Bill Harrott. White was previously with E&D Web, and Harrott formerly worked at Varidoc Printing.

Three appointments have been made at Clifton, NJ-based Sandy Alexander. Art Bush has been designated as director of national business development. Steve Longo has joined as a senior sales executive responsible for national sales development. And, Hansford Ray has also been selected as a senior sales executive responsible for the Texas marketplace.

Paul Hechler has joined Southeast Media in Houston as supervisor of its large-format department, which supplies area grocery stores with posters each week. He formerly spearheaded the wide-format department at Ideal Printers.

Columbia, MD-based Cadmus Communications, a Cenveo company, has selected Rich Kobel to help grow the organization's Scientific, Technical and Medical (STM) market presence by representing Cadmus' suite of content, editorial, print and distribution services within the professional publishing community.

Jeffery Smith has joined Eugene, OR-based Green Solutions Printing as a sustainable accounts manager serving clients in the Southern Oregon and Northern California territories.

Two new hires have been announced at Menomonee Falls, WI-based Arandell Corp. Lauren Falk has been named marketing administration manager. And, Donna Flanagan has joined as a sales executive. Flanagan was most recently employed with Nahan.

Tim Wright has been named vice president of the government and identification markets for ABnote North America, a division of American Bank–note. He most recently served as vice president of product development.

Concord, NH-based Concord Litho has appointed Christine Erna as director to oversee the expansion of its mailing and fulfillment services division. She previously held positions at Vermillion, Fulfillment Print & Mail Solutions and the U.S. Postal Service. PI