Is there such a thing as junk mail?

Published November 10, 2014 at 9:45 am

The concept of junk mail (material that the recipient will throw out without even looking at), is a lot more subjective than it might seem. The BBC recently featured an article reexamining this trend and looking at it not as a nuisance but rather as real marketing that could be handled more effectively. As one expert quoted in the piece says, “it’s only junk if it’s not relevant to you.”

That means that direct mail marketing campaigns should be thoughtfully considered to reach the desired audience and not get tossed in the trash. Another expert interviewed by this source, the Royal Mail’s Jonathan Harman, said that different consumers react in different ways to junk mail. He recently studied the reactions of recipients via camera to see what they did when they received mail marketing.

“On average, mail will stay in the home for 17 days,” he said. “So there’s a real permanence to what we do. We also know that people pass on mail that they think might interest their friends or relatives.” He also adds that the term “junk mail” doesn’t really apply anymore and is closer to online spam than the mailers people get in their real world inboxes.

It’s clear that junk is in the eye of the beholder: Direct mail is effective in certain situations, but needs to be clearly labeled with a call to action and meaningful information. Companies should make sure they are only using direct mail marketing systems that spread their message effectively and emphasize their relevance to the recipient. If the customer feels like they are being addressed more directly, they could be more likely to open your mailer and remember it fondly.