Many affluent investors claim to be less receptive to direct mail and telemarketing than they were a year ago, according to a survey by financial media and direct marketing firm OneFN done exclusively for DM News.
Thirty-six percent of the 1,000 respondents said they are less receptive to direct mail than they were a year ago, while 17 percent said they are more receptive. The survey consisted of 89 percent men with an average age of 39 to 55, average income of $115,000 and an average investment portfolio of $350,000.
Sixty-eight percent said they are less receptive to telemarketing than they were a year ago, while 2 percent said they are more receptive.
But 55 percent said they are more receptive to e-mail pitches this year than last, though 26 percent said they are less receptive.
Also, 28 percent said they are less receptive to catalog pitches this year than last, while 11 percent said they are more receptive.
Thirty percent of respondents said they are more comfortable making purchases based on e-mail advertising, 26 percent said they were less comfortable and 28 percent reported feeling the same as they did a year ago.
When asked whether they were willing to provide personal information in order to receive fewer but more relevant e-mail ads, 49 percent said no. Of the 36 percent who said yes, 15 percent exempted financial information and 4 percent exempted medical information.
The following proportions said they had made a transaction based on receiving e-mail about:
· Investment seminars, 17 percent.
· Investment newsletters, 25 percent.
· Options, 8 percent.
· Publications, 23 percent.
· Brokerage firms, 17 percent.
