USPS: The Secret to Actionable, Attention-Grabbing Campaigns (2024)

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How innovative marketers create omnichannel campaigns that break through the noise and capture customer attention with direct mail

By Christopher Karpenko &nbsp August 15, 2022 5-minute read

In an ever-shifting competitive landscape, today's marketers face a multitude of challenges. Digital advertising, for one, has become complex in the growing web of state-implemented consumer privacy laws, and Google's long and winding path to circumnavigate third-party cookies is poised to drastically alter marketers' targeting opportunities. With both factors having implications for marketers' ability to track visitor activities from one site to another, it may soon be harder than ever to deliver relevant, personalized ads via digital media.

To deal with these changes, some brands have increased marketing efforts within walled gardens — closed digital ecosystems that provide opportunities for first-party targeting and personalization while retaining control over the content within them. However, the cost of doing business within these platforms is increasing with heightened demand.

Consumers have also become more wary of digital marketing in general. According to IAPP's 2023 "Privacy and Consumer Trust Report," 68 percent of global consumers reported being either somewhat or very concerned about their privacy online. In fact, 67 percent of consumers said they have decided against making an online purchase due to privacy concerns.

Even when consumers aren't concerned about digital security specifically, they may simply be tired of so much digital interaction. According to Statista, 40 percent of people in the U.S. say they are "often annoyed by advertising on the internet." Whether taking in marketing via texts, streaming services, digital billboards, emails, social media, or webpages, some people have inevitably become digitally fatigued.

To mitigate these obstacles, savvy businesses are seeking innovative, accessible ways to better set their brands apart and inspire customer action.

How Savvy Marketers Capture Attention and Inspire Action

To create eye-catching, memorable campaigns that customers will actually interact with, the savviest marketers are thinking outside the box — moving away from the digital-first playbook in favor of an omnichannel strategy that incorporates both digital and offline efforts.

Incorporating direct mail into an omnichannel strategy, in particular, can help set a brand apart — offering a unique sensory experience, a respite from the digital world, and a long-lasting shelflife:

1. Create a uniquely sensory experience.

As a tangible medium, direct mail can act as a powerful differentiator in omnichannel campaigns, encouraging physical interaction and exploration. Activating multiple senses in a way digital-only campaigns cannot, direct mail offers multiple avenues for haptic, sensory experiences.

Simple finishing touches, such as embossed lettering, shimmery metallic inks, velvety textures, and varnishes can add sophistication and help messages stand out, while more novel innovations such as scratch-and-sniff or peel-off scented elements can encourage handling and interaction. Thermochromic inks can even change color when exposed to different temperatures. All of these innovations can be used to lend a specific sensibility to campaigns, whether brands are seeking to exude a sense of luxury, playfulness, or authority.

This kind of sensory marketing can help create more memorable, meaningful campaigns. Scent, for example, is tied to both memory and emotion. Mailpieces that include scented elements may help improve brand recall and forge stronger customer connections. Studies have also shown that even the simple act of touching objects, such as postcards and other mailers, can trigger the "endowment effect" — a term used to describe how individuals place more value on items in their physical possession than items they do not own. In this way, mail can trigger a sense of ownership, and sensory elements like specialty textures and varnishes may enhance this feeling, increasing interest as well as the chances of interaction.

Direct mail can also be a differentiator thanks to its ability to blend the physical and digital realms. For example, technologies such as augmented reality (AR) can be integrated into mail campaigns to create exciting, immersive experiences. Simply by tapping a mobile device to an AR-enabled mailer, recipients can launch 3D digital experiences that superimpose over real-life surroundings. This makes it easy to connect customers to digital channels and encourages them to continue exploring.

2. Provide a respite from a digital-first world.

In the age of digital, many consumers spend a large portion of their waking hours online — whether working, socializing, dating, networking, shopping, banking, or gaming. As reported by Meltwater, a 2024 GWI study shows that internet users in the United States spend just over seven hours a day online. Offering a more human, one-to-one experience, direct mail can provide a refreshing respite from the daily barrage of digital tasks while making them feel special.

With direct mail, just a few pieces come each day, which recipients can sort through when and wherever they choose, whether that's right at the mailbox, in the comfort of their own homes, or on the weekend. Not only can the lower competition in the mailbox make for a more relaxing, singular customer experience, but it can also increase the chances of engagement.

By putting the power back in the hands of consumers, direct mail can also feel more trustworthy. Concerns over digital privacy and security are widespread: In a 2023 Statista report, 41 percent of U.S. internet users said they worry about how companies might use their online data, and 32 percent said they use a tool to block internet ads at least some of the time. On the other hand, 58 percent of consumers in a 2023 R.R. Donnelley study said they find direct mail trustworthy, and 67 percent said they find it trustworthy specifically in terms of privacy concerns.

In a busy digital world full of distractions and data concerns, even customers who are interested in a certain promotion may not respond right away. But by leveraging the tangibility of direct mail, marketers have a higher chance of getting their message across and, ultimately, achieving conversion.

3. Create campaigns with a longer shelf life.

Direct mail has a long-lasting shelf life compared to other media, potentially allowing marketers to get more from their marketing dollars. Delivered right to customers' homes or offices, mailpieces may end up on recipients' desks, refrigerators, or coffee tables, where they may be saved for later, displayed as reminders, or seen by guests and household members — and they can't get caught in an email spam filter.

This lingering effect can have a significant impact on brand recall, helping to keep marketing messages top of mind. Sending useful and attractive items worth saving — such as branded or personalized calendars, notepads, and bookmarks — can enhance this effect. Catalogs, as well, often remain in customers' homes for longer periods of time than other mailpieces and can help create more memorable campaigns. According to a separate R.R. Donnelley report, consumers keep direct mail ads they find interesting for an average of 14.5days.

For some customers, catalogs end up becoming part of a relaxing ritual — something to flip through during lunch or while watching TV. This can help infuse marketing into customers' everyday lives and daily rituals, leading them to associate brands with positive feelings of relaxation and self-care.

To make it easy for customers to respond, many companies offer an easy bridge to their digital channels on their catalogs and other mailers. Smartphone-scannable barcodes, for example, can lead customers right to the items they're viewing in a print catalog. By combining the lingering effect of physical mail and the convenience of digital, customers can be moved closer to conversion while allowing marketers to easily gather valuable digitaldata.

Key Takeaway

Today's marketers face wide-ranging challenges in getting their message across. To forge meaningful, long-lasting connections and move customers to act, brands must create innovative campaigns that stand out from the crowd.

Incorporating direct mail into omnichannel campaigns can provide customers with tactile and sensory experiences, a unique respite from an often overwhelming digital-first world, and an extended shelf life. A smart direct mail strategy can get brands noticed — and remembered.

USPS is a partner in the ANA Thought Leadership Program.

All information, content, and materials discussed in this article are for general information purposes only and do not, and are not intended to, convey, or constitute advice from USPS.

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