World Business Service

Modern companies operate in the Economy of Attention. This is a phrase used to imply that the consumer’s attention is the most valuable resource and to capture that attention is more difficult than ever today. On average, consumers are currently exposed to between 1,000 and 2,000 advertising and marketing messages every day. Clearly, if the messages are to have any chance of making an impact among all this saturation of information should be presented in a professional manner, be accurate and targeting consumers through the proper channel.

For many companies still preferred channel direct mail. No doubt that in a time of economic uncertainty, direct mail is a means of communication with customers and potential of proven and cost-effective connection.

A recent study by Pitney Bowes provides the views of consumers in France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Spain and Germany. The survey asks consumers to choose from a list of vertical sectors and identify the three sectors, in their opinion, create more effective direct mail.

The results in Spain generate an interesting comparison with the average results in the rest of the countries surveyed. It seems apparent that there is agreement in these European territories about which sector creates the most compelling direct mail.

The banking sector is going through its most difficult period in many years and it would be logical to think that consumer confidence in this sector could be at its worst. However, the opposite happens. Consumers recognize and respect the effort and intelligence that banks are focusing on communication with customers.

The banks themselves are under enormous pressure and face the dual challenge of stopping the defection of customers while trying to increase the number of products each customer purchased. Here we are seeing banks to use existing communication channels in a more dynamic, for example, including marketing messages on statements of account (the much discussed phenomenon “transpromo”) or being more creative in their use of color. Obviously, European consumers, particularly the Spanish, are recognizing that business intelligence.

Direct mail can be a powerful tool for the retail sector, but only for those willing to invest in data analysis in order to gain a holistic view of their customers. The success in directing specific promotions and products to certain people in certain geographic regions can attract people to their stores. Not only that, the mail is a proven vehicle to encourage consumers to visit websites.

In fact, given the interaction between direct mail print and web traffic, the results for Internet companies contribute to a surprising reading. It is clear that at the beginning of the Web and e-mail, the opinion of consumers and analysts predicting tough times for regular mail and a purely digital future. This substitution has not occurred and is far from it. In fact, evidence shows that consumers with broadband receive more mail form that households are not connected.