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Snail Mail Deemed Least Annoying Form Of Direct Marketing

Snail Mail Deemed Least Annoying Form Of Direct Marketing

Traditional snail mail is the least irritating form of direct marketing, according to a new study from mail and messaging analysts, Pitney Bowes.

The survey, which questioned marketers from the UK’s top 1,000 companies, asked participants to rank each form of direct marketing communication in the order of irritation caused to the consumer.

Telephone marketing was found to be the most irritating form of direct marketing and was identified as having an ‘image problem’. The survey claims that despite the work of the telephone preference service to raise the profile of the industry, the image of the ‘hapless double-glazing salesman’ still persists.

SMS marketing came just below telephone marketing in terms of its annoyance, with a score of 72%. However, the findings suggest that SMS is far more useful as a tool for customer service than for direct marketing.

The research also reveals the changing face of email marketing and analysis reveals it is becoming increasingly irritating to consumers, with a score of 57%, up from 48% three years ago. Undoubtedly, the impact of spam communications has had a negative effect on consumer attitudes towards email marketing.

According to Pitney Bowes, the study shows that traditional mail, or snail mail remains the future for direct marketing as its irritation score has not altered much over the past three years.

Earlier this year the Direct Marketing Association launched a nation-wide advertising campaign to encourage consumers to recycle their unwanted direct mail (see DMA Launches Boldest Ever Consumer Marketing Campaign).

Pitney Bowes: www.pb.com/europe

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