The Personalized Direct Mai...

As with many households, I get a lot of direct mail sent to me. I had to admit that I throw a lot of it into the recycling bin without even looking at it.

But, there was one piece that I received recently that caught my eye. And, not only did I not through it away, but I kept it! What was it? It was an oversized postcard from Rogers, my cable/internet/phone company that was advertising what they call personal tv, or their on-demand movie channels.

What made the direct mail piece special was the simple marquee on the front of it that read Now Playing at the Windisman Household. Brilliant! Not only did it appeal to my sense of vanity, but it was a clever way to illustrate the point that I had control over the movies that I could watch on my television.

More, and more, marketers are getting wise to the fact that the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns is diminishing. So, they have to be more innovative when it comes to direct mail, and that means turning to personalization as a solution.

Personalization refers to the ability to customize a direct marketing piece with known individual elements or facts about each customer or customer segment which may include a reference to previous purchases, preferences, or subjects of interest – and promotional offers customized to what that individual is likely to purchase.

Why?