Men's Negative Attitudes Towards Direct Mail

Men have a more negative attitude towards direct mail than women, according to a new survey just published on behalf of Oce.

Men have a more negative attitude towards direct mail than women, according to a new survey just published on behalf of Oce.

Oce has announced the findings of its survey of over 2,000 UK consumers to understand attitudes towards the direct mail industry and the impact of printed literature on their daily lives.

The research conducted by You Gov interviewed 2200 people across a range of ages, social backgrounds and regions.

The aim was to uncover the impact printed literature does or in some cases does not make on consumers and recipients.

Oce commissioned the research as part of its 'print innovation through convergence' strategy, as a means of better understanding the requirements of printers and ultimately the consumer, said the company.

Simon Wheeler, business unit director for the commercial market at Oce, said: "We in the print industry really need to understand what captures the imagination of those receiving our printed literature, so that we can all be involved in more focused and meaningful communications.

Oce is committed to providing the print industry with the right tools and insights to adapt to this genuinely dynamic market place." He added that the research showed that everybody regularly receives some type of direct mail and that people were more receptive to reading it when at home, (approximately two thirds) rather than in the office (around two per cent to five percent).

Although people in London were marginally more likely to read direct mail in the office than others in the rest of the country - around eight per cent as opposed to an average of three per cent elsewhere.

Men were more anti-direct marketing than women, with around 10 per cent more, over one third, saying they purposefully never read any direct mail.

In addition almost 50 per cent of people in Scotland said they also never found any direct marketing literature of interest.

Offers, invitations and freebies were by far the biggest incentive to people.

Colour, for young people (18-29 year-olds) really increased their interest in direct communications with 55 per cent believing they would be more likely to read something if it was in colour rather than black and white.

The research found that they were also the most likely age group to be influenced by pictures of people similar to themselves - showing similar lifestyles and ages - with nearly one third expressing that this would make them more interested in the mailing piece.

Wheeler commented: "These findings highlight the need for all of us to be more focused in our approach within the print industry.

We need to work closely with our partners in both the spheres of marketing and print to understand what really drives the end consumer, or recipient, so that we can provide something of greater value and relevance to them.".

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