Quad VP on Why Gen Z Wants You in Their Mailbox
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Printing Impressions caught up with Todd McNab, vice president of client strategy for direct marketing solutions at Sussex, Wisconsin-based Quad, to find out how Generation Z feels about direct mail marketing. We discuss what sets Gen Z apart and how to tailor direct mail to be most effective for this generation.
Printing Impressions (PI): How can direct mail be designed to capture Gen Z's attention within their eight-second attention span?
Todd McNab: The benefit of using direct mail to reach this digitally native audience is that it’s less saturated and more memorable than the digital channels they’re used to. In fact, mail activates areas of the brain responsible for long-term memory, encoding 49% more than email and 35% more than social media advertising according to research by Neuro-Insight.
But success requires more than just reaching their mailbox. Gen Z – those from their early teens to late 20s today – responds strongly to brands that take clear stances and demonstrate genuine personality. They appreciate boldness, honesty, and humor. But only if those qualities fit the brand.
Related story: Direct Mail Marketing That Speaks to Millennials and Gen Z
The messaging, approach, and offer must be relevant to the person receiving the piece. Look beyond demographics and sales goals and connect the audience to their needs or wants. Targeted, relevant mail will win the day.
PI: What strategies can be used to ensure direct mail feels authentic and aligns with Gen Z's values, such as environmental responsibility and social consciousness?
McNab: Messaging design on direct mail can help brands demonstrate their values. Representing your brand’s ethos on a piece of direct mail that Gen Zers will hold in their hands can help foster a meaningful connection. For example, research shows Gen Z consumers have strong feelings about sustainability. If you’re using recycled paper for your direct mail, you’ll be demonstrating how your brand aligns with that customer’s commitment to the environment. But also go the extra step and let them know that the paper is recycled as part of the messaging on the piece.
If your brand does support specific causes, tie them to your call to action so the recipient knows that by engaging they will contribute to positive change. But don’t be heavy-handed.
PI: In what ways can brands leverage the emotional connection Gen Z associates with receiving mail to foster long-term customer loyalty?
McNab: This is the first generation of digital natives, but even they can feel overwhelmed with social and digital media, and we know some 46% percent are trying to reduce their screen time. Mail reminds them of getting birthday or holiday cards from their family and friends. It feels personal. Of course, direct mail is not the same as getting a postcard from your best friend, but, when it’s personalized, authentic, and connects to what’s important to the recipient, it has the potential to create a connection. Brands that pull in an appropriate amount of data can personalize with birthday incentives, anniversary cards and welcome mailings.
PI: How can businesses incorporate creativity into direct mail campaigns to appeal to Gen Z’s appreciation for unique and meaningful experiences?
McNab: There’s no limit to the creativity brands can use to make their mail stand out. Creating a tactile experience through texture with specialty coatings or finishes, like using a soft-touch coating on a luxury piece, can play a powerful role. Even the format itself can be creative. Diecut pieces that transform into something useful, like a coaster or phone stand, extend the life of the mailer and keep your brand present in the recipient's space.
A great way to incorporate creative that also smooths the customer journey is by using QR codes which can be completely customized and designed, such as Flowcodes. The codes should lead to personalized landing pages that tie direct mail to a meaningful experience.
PI: What role does personalization play in making direct mail resonate with the recipient and how can brands execute it effectively?
McNab: Personalization with Gen Zers is a balancing act between including relevant data that’s specific to them and being “creepy.” While 60% of global consumers say they would quit a brand if their experience isn’t personalized, using too much or too little can ruin the experience. Including their name, prior purchases, and prospective interests is generally fine, but brands should always watch out for “big brotherism.” If you have their zero-party data — the kind that your audience proactively shares with you—use it wisely and personalize your direct mail so that it resonates and doesn’t feel like junk mail.
The key is using data to enhance the experience, rather than showing off what you know about them. For instance, instead of saying, “We noticed you bought X product,” try, “Here are some creative ways other customers have used X product.” And always ensure your data is current and accurate – incorrect personalization can be worse than none at all.
PI: How can direct mail campaigns integrate seamlessly with digital channels to create a cohesive and impactful omnichannel experience for Gen Z consumers?
McNab: Effective omnichannel communication amplifies the consumer's voice by prioritizing their interests, preferences, and needs. At the core of a successful approach is delivering relevant messages and offers to a consumer in the places they want to receive it, at the times they want to receive it. This seamless integration is the holy grail of omnichannel marketing, and achieving it requires the very best data from a combination of sources.
Quad layers its proprietary and resilient data stack, which is based on household identifiers rather than those that change more often – like phone numbers and email addresses – with clients’ zero- and first-party data so brands can target Gen Zers across channels. That means print and digital communications reach the same audience across channels with both personalization and consistency.
PI: What are the best practices for using sustainable materials in direct mail to appeal to Gen Z’s commitment to environmental responsibility?
McNab: Printing on recycled paper (and using sustainable inks, if possible) offers print quality comparable to virgin paper while demonstrating environmental commitment. The key is effectively communicating these choices on the printed piece itself, making sustainability visible through messaging, recycling instructions, and appropriate certification badges. The message should be clear, prominent and understandable.
PI: How can businesses measure the effectiveness of direct mail campaigns in driving engagement and conversions among Gen Z audiences?
McNab: Marketers should be leveraging tools that can help them understand how their audiences interact across their brand’s marketing ecosystem from direct mail to digital properties. By measuring and evaluating response rates and conversion rates, marketers can analyze and model Gen Z recipients to understand their direct mail habits and patterns. Flowcode engagement also provides a clear gauge of interaction, while personalized URLs and unique promo codes can track individual response paths. This data can inform the next round of mail targeting and offer strategic insights about this audience.
Direct mail success with Gen Z can also be measured through their post-purchase advocacy. After responding to a mail piece and making a purchase, Gen Zers often become brand advocates. Create mail pieces that include referral codes or “share with a friend” offers to track this advocacy. Include follow-up mail pieces that thank them for their response and provide easy ways to review or share their experience, such as QR codes linking to review platforms or social media. Track these secondary engagement metrics to understand the full impact of your mail campaign beyond the initial response.
PI: What types of incentives or calls-to-action in direct mail are most likely to motivate Gen Z to engage with a brand or make a purchase? How is this different from previous generations?
McNab: In my experience working with clients that have a Gen Z audience a consistent theme emerges. Unlike previous generations enticed by points promotions, rate references, or introductory offers, Gen Z's leading indicators seem to reveal higher performance when offers communicate a clear, financial value. Whether that’s related to the price of a product or the value of a service, specificity and response are critical for this audience. A tendency for tight budgets makes them especially responsive to transparent pricing, student discounts, and flexible payment options that make purchases more accessible.
Mail pieces should contain calls to action that drive immediate digital engagement through scannable Flowcodes, simple text-to-join prompts, or social media integrations. Creative should be bold yet minimalist, featuring authentic imagery or user-generated content. The key to success is making the value proposition immediately clear while providing seamless ways to engage across both physical and digital channels.
PI: How can brands use storytelling in direct mail to build a stronger emotional connection and convey their positive purpose to the recipient?
McNab: Use your brand’s mission and what you stand for to tell your story to Gen Zers. They need to know who you are before they do business with you. Be authentic and transparent; if your brand supports social responsibility, talk about it; and show how your brand fosters community within your storytelling. These elements will enhance emotional engagement with Gen Zers.
But be careful not to exaggerate or overstate your mission. As the first true digitally native generation, Gen Zers’ ability to decipher and acquire information is embedded in their experience as consumers.