DVDs and Compact Discs are a preferred form of direct marketing that produces significantly higher results than print media and email according to a research study released this month by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and sponsored by DiscMail Direct, an industry coalition of manufacturers, packagers and creative services companies.
In fact, when compared to the open rates of many print direct mail and email pieces, the power of the optical disc format is startling in its power to elicit the types of consumer behaviors that marketers hope to stimulate. The report found that:
• 91% of all respondents who received a DVD/CD in the mail opened the mailer. Conventional direct mail open rates vary from 59 to 66%. Average email open rates are 22%.
• 73% actually played the discs in their computer.
• 59% of respondents thought that a DVD was more secure than an email.
• Respondents were 85% more likely to prefer receiving a DVD/CD in the mail than an email by the same advertiser.
• 89% of respondents said they would spend more time or the same amount of time with a direct mail piece if it included a DVD/CD.
While there is no doubt that digitization of information and its presence online are powerful tools for a marketer, this tactic, often driven by the desire to save money, should not be the be-all and end-all for marketers. As this study proves, a marketer can break through enormous media clutter, by utilizing cost-effective CD and DVD replication and distribution to get their message in front of consumers.
Source: Epsilon and Email Experience Council Q1 2010 North American Email Trends and Benchmarks Results.
*Source: “Because It’s Personal: A Study of Consumer Use and Preference for Envelopes,” released by the Envelope Manufacturers Association Foundation (EMAF) 2006.
**Source: Epsilon and Email Experience Council Q1 2010 North American Email Trends and Benchmarks Results.
