Alberta Business Marketing

Imagine opening the mailbox and every piece of direct mail looked identical, the card stock was the same size, shape and colour—the only thing separating the two was content. Now imagine the same situation except the complete opposite—where every piece of mail had a different shape, size, and colour, but not a lick of content. So what is more important: content or design?

The beautiful thing about direct mail is that it is (without a doubt) the most measureable form of advertising available. It is not overly expensive; a company can directly tailor messaging to their target audience—current clients or potential new customers that match the demo/psych/geo of your audience profile. When conducting a direct mail campaign, one must ask: do I hire a graphic artist or a copywriter? Well, in my opinion, it all depends on how recognizable your brand is to your target audience. Large companies such as: McDonalds, Blockbuster, Rogers and Bell, contain a high level of brand recognition. The golden arches of McDonalds restaurant can be spotted a mile away on a foggy day by a 5 year old. So what does this mean in terms of a direct mail campaign?

People are much more likely to take interest in a mailing piece that they recognize. If they received a white piece of paper in the mail that read, “McDonalds, two can dine”, they would think of the offer as a prank. This is where design is vital in a campaign. Smaller companies may not encompass brand recognition as well as larger companies—this is where I feel content plays a more important role while still complementing design. A company cannot measure the success of their campaign if the mailing piece is just a design to build brand awareness. There needs to be an offer, a call to action, and more importantly, persuasive content.

Content will drive people to the product/location and word of mouth will build the brand. It can be argued that content is design—typography is a brilliant branding strategy that many organizations use. I asked a marketing professional, Lindsey Fair, what her take on the subject is, her response included, “Without sitting on the fence (because that’s a copout), I would have to say the design. If it doesn’t catch my attention to begin with I will never even read the content. But, content can make it or break it, the content is what can make me throw it out.” I would be very curious to read what other marketing professionals feel about this debate.

What do you think is more important in a direct marketing campaign—content or design?

By Eli Nicholson, a student at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, ON

Tags: Direct Marketing
Posted in Advertising | | Comments Off