A Survival Guide for Marketers
Here we are again. Amid the anxiety and uncertainty as the UK once again goes into a national lockdown, there is also a feeling of déjà vu.
When the first lockdown was announced in March, we all had to adjust to new sets of rules and ways of getting things done. What did we learn about consumer behaviour that can help marketers as the situation evolves?
Crunch time
Commercially, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Stricter measures have been put in place right in the run-up to the festive season. The vaccine is here, but even in a best-case scenario, full roll-out is still a way off. With many businesses still struggling after months of disruption, the next few months could be make-or-break.
Last year, MarketReach commissioned research into the way people interacted with – and felt about – media. They also looked at the latest data from (JICMAIL), which included the period of the spring lockdown. The aim was to explore the impact of the pandemic among both consumers and business decision makers, and work out what it means for the way brands communicate.
The results from the research make compelling reading and have recently been published in a report, ‘Mail matters more than ever’.
In-home and online
There were two obvious but profound changes to our behaviour during the initial lockdown. Our homes became even more central to our lives. With our focus on our surroundings, there was more opportunity to notice and engage with what arrived through the letterbox.
Even so, the numbers in the report are stark. 88%(1) of people said they paid the same or more attention to mail during lockdown. Nearly all physical mail, 96%(2), was engaged with, the highest figure ever recorded by JICMAIL. And on average people engaged with an item of mail four-and-a-half times(2).
The appeal of mail wasn’t limited to a particular age-group, either. Indeed, the biggest rise in engagement was among the 18-34(1) age-group.
Screen burnout
After spending all day on a laptop or getting our kitchen tables Zoom-ready, most of us will sympathise with the two in five people(1) who reported suffering digital burnout. The tangibility of mail makes it a welcome relief from the screen, and the research revealed 44%(1) of people actually looked forward to receiving mail during lockdown.
Evolving strategies
One thing for sure is that there has been a huge shift to online and MarketReach’s report reveals mail’s pivotal role in driving digital behaviours. 70%(2) year-on-year boost in online traffic driven by mail.
A recent Gartner report also found that the Covid crisis has shifted CMOs’ focus to retention and loyalty, with 60% of marketers regarding these as priority areas(3). Direct mail remains a great medium for telling your story at a time when many people have more time at home than ever.
Mail has endured during these extremely uncertain times. Now is the time for brands to embrace its crucial role within the media mix.
To download the MarketReach report ‘Mail matters more than ever’, visit:
www.marketreach.co.uk/resources/mail-matters-more-than-ever
Source:
1 Royal Mail MarketReach, Coronavirus Research,Trinity McQueen 2020
2 JICMAIL, Q2 2018 – Q2 2020
3 Gartner Annual CMO Spend Survey 2020
