DUKKY

by Kristen Sullivan | May 22, 2009

Ding dong direct mail is dead…

Actually, it’s in the process of dying announced Borrell Associates latest research report. Borrell has a strong track record when it comes to predicting doom. The group correctly predicted the demise of newspapers and Yellow Pages industries.  Now it says direct mail will be the next major analog victim of the internet.

But it was not the internet that killed newspapers. It was newspapers’ inability to quickly adapt their platforms and business models to new online technologies that brought about their current financial predicament. In the late 1990s, the vast majority of newspapers were slow to innovate. Meanwhile, Craigslist, Monster.com and the like stole the papers’ lucrative classifieds markets. Papers have been struggling to make up for the loss ever since. Though many of us love spreading the Sunday paper across the breakfast table, that paper now holds a top spot on the endangered species list. Many of the journalists who used to power those papers no longer have jobs.

Direct marketers should consider this tale carefully. Just like many people enjoy flipping through the pages of a good old fashioned newspaper, many also find value in tucking paper offers, coupons and deals into their wallets. But with increasing frequency, these same consumers turn to the internet for news, information, and yes, even deals.

At Dukky, we don’t think direct mail is dead yet. However it needs to transform quickly in order to stay relevant.  To this end, we’ve  developed a platform that allows marketers to put tangible, paper offers in the hands of consumers who want them while also connecting with those consumers online. We’re also combining technologies to lower the over-all cost of our direct mailers. Learn more and start innovating here.