A recent study suggests that direct mail makes deeper and longer-lasting impressions on people’s brains than digital advertising.The study was conducted jointly by research firm Millward Brown, Bangor University and the United Kingdom’s Royal Mail.
Researchers used neuroscience technology to see which areas of the brain became active when participants viewed the same marketing message as a physical piece of direct mail and digitally on a computer screen.
Their findings suggest “the brain is more emotionally engaged and is potentially reflecting more on a response” when viewing direct mail, says Graham Page, executive vice president of consumer neuroscience at Millward Brown. Also, because the brain saw mail as real, deeper memories were likely being created.
Direct mail hadn’t been the subject of any major neuroscience research until Royal Mail and Millward Brown teamed in 2009 to investigate its place in the evolving media landscape.
“We were keen to understand how direct mail would work within new emerging media,” says Mike West, head of data products at Royal Mail. At the same time, the organization wanted to be able to show businesses that were starting to switch to digital how the benefits compared with direct mail.
Page says the implication is clear — direct mail should still have a place in marketing strategies, even in the digital era.
“While there are huge benefits of taking advantage of virtual media, our research suggests that we shouldn’t be forgetting more physical media like direct mail,” says Page. “Physical, ‘real’ events like receiving direct mail add an element that virtual campaigns cannot.”
Source: NewsLink 7/7/11
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