Nonprofit direct mail readership has increased to 59 percent, up from 53 percent in 2003, according to a study released Tuesday by Vertis.
The results were part of Vertis' Customer Focus 2005: Direct Marketing study, which tracks the effect of direct marketing in various industries. The study is broken into subsets focusing on the nonprofit, financial, insurance and automotive industries. A survey of 2,000 adults was conducted in August and September.
The nonprofit study found that 73 percent of Generation Y adults (born 1977-94) and 63 percent of Generation Xers (born 1965-76) responded to direct mail offerings from charity, fundraising and nonprofit groups. Also, 44 percent of those born in 1929 or earlier responded to nonprofit offers received in the mail.
Other findings:
· According to the financial study, 22 percent of credit card-holding adults expressed interest in cards that offer points for merchandise or airline tickets, and 21 percent think that getting money back on purchases is a more appealing offer. Also, 50 percent of male direct mail readers ages 18-34 read financial services/credit card mail, up from 30 percent in 2003. And 37 percent of female direct mail readers read mail regarding financial services or credit card offers, up from 34 percent in 2003.
· According to the insurance study, 20 percent of adults expressed interest in buying mortgage insurance, and 18 percent would consider buying high face life insurance. Also, 51 percent of insurance direct mail-reading adults responded to an offer received via mail in the past 30 days. And 69 percent of home/renters insurance purchasers responded to a direct mail offer.
· According to the automotive study, 73 percent of adults who plan to buy a new vehicle responded to automotive direct mail they received. Also, 35 percent of adults who responded to automotive direct mail by visiting a Web site plan to buy a new vehicle within 12 months. And 26 percent of adults who planned to make a automobile purchase within 12 months responded by visiting a dealer in person. Overall, 14 percent of adults plan to buy a new vehicle in the next 12 months.
Melissa Campanelli covers postal news, CRM and database marketing for DM News and DMNews.com. To keep up with the latest developments in these areas, subscribe to our daily and weekly e-mail newsletters by visiting www.dmnews.com/newsletters
