May 15
002

Study Proves Printed Envelope Preferred Choice Over E-mail

By Paige Wills in Facts About The Paper Industry, Why Choose Paper?

 
A drawing of an envelope

A drawing of an envelope (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The debate facing many corporations today is whether or not to stick with traditional mail marketing, switch to e-mail marketing or maybe a combination of both.  According to an article on piworld.com titled, “Nielsen Study Proves the Impact and Attraction of the Printed Envelope,” customers still value the printed envelope.

According to the article, the study confirms the unique aspects of the printed envelope. Here is a short excerpt from the article demonstrating the success of the envelope.

“The study shows that the printed envelope stood up during the whole purchase decision process. The envelope is most effective in drawing attention and generates the highest number of readers compared with the standard envelope, the self-mailer, the wrapper and the email.”

The article and study found:

  • The printed envelope: the medium for success.
  • Printed envelopes influence the purchase decision the most.
  • Young recipients prefer envelopes – as long as they are personalized.
  • The customized enveloped has to become more efficient.

According to the article, speed of delivery is one of the drawbacks. However, if marketers can get printed materials to consumers in a reasonable amount of time, Phillip Schilling, managing director of RAPP Germany, an international advertising agency, said the envelope will improve its future standing in society.

Here is another short excerpt from the article:

“Schilling suggests that the Nielsen study shows that if envelope-based communication can manage to combine its high quality with individualization and a reduced time-to-mailbox, it will increasingly be the medium of choice when addressing customers directly.”

I think an envelope adds suspense to what’s inside. Although we may know it is “junk mail,” we still can’t be sure unless we open it. An e-mail is kind of like receiving a Christmas or birthday present without wrapping. Without the wrapping, the surprise of what’s inside is spoiled.

What are your thoughts? Do you prefer e-mail marketing or paper-based marketing?

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  • dbarton_victorenvelope

    PLEASE PRINT THIS MESSAGE AND MAIL IT TO YOUR FRINEDS! As far back as you can possibly look, humankind appears to be a “show and tell” species.  I remember back in kindergarten being encouraged, no, being required to bring in something that I was proud of and having to show it off to all my other classmates.  My favorite toy, maybe a good luck charm, but something that I thought might be exclusive to me and definitely something I had an expert understanding of.  It gave me a sense of pride watching an item that I thought was unique being passed around.  Which brings me to another great trait of humankind: we love to touch!  Sure, we rely on all of our senses to get the most out of experiences, but feeling is believing!  These are two ageless fundamentals that exist today and will be around forever.  If you came upon a group of people that have never been influenced by modern society, you would see visual and physical aspects being used to differentiate between individuals or groups.  Maybe it’s a certain color scheme in body paint, clothing, or accessories.  Perhaps certain items being passed around would bring to life an adventure or help tell the story from the past.  Through “show and tell” and individual can take their thoughts and ideas and present them to a group in a way to create interest.  Does this sound like marketing?  Technology creates convenience and can speed up processes, but it does not appeal to our senses the same way a physical object can.  Emails can be flashy, maybe audible, but those elements slow down the process!  I make sure those elements of email are disabled because it just takes too long for them to be downloaded!  Paper based marketing, particularly direct mail, is not only something we can see but something we can put our hands on.  It doesn’t give you the option of clicking on a link, downloading a file, or creating a username and password.  Heck, that takes time and effort and humankind is in too much of a hurry for that!  Direct mail is delivered to our homes, where we’re comfortable, where we relax, where our time is spent according to our terms.  We open our mail and have the extra few moments to spend reading the contents, viewing the pictures, truly learning the message the sender intends.  Direct mail is a true form of “show and tell” we all can relate to, it appeals to our sense of touch, and is a better form of marketing.        

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