Traditional communication still matters

by Mark Horne, Guest Writer

Robert Bly is one of the most well known copywriters in the business.  Like many veterans of “traditional media,” he now has a blog.  Somewhat ironically, he occasionally uses it to strike a blow for the reputation of traditional media over against those who deride it in favor of social media on the Internet.  He writes against the opinion of new media advocates who claim intrusion advertising is dead.

If social media and other forms of electronic two-way communication are making traditional “dead tree” media obsolete, why hasn’t direct mail — perhaps the most intrusive of the paper-based marketing media — disappeared?

According to the Winterberry Group, total U.S. direct mail spending in 2007 was $58.4 billion, an increase of 18.2% over the $49.4 billion spent in 2004.

What gives? If “no one reads direct mail anymore” as one blogging consultant told me recently, why are advertisers spending more than $58 billion a year on it?

 

Obviously, we like new media or we wouldn’t be writing this post in it.  But Bly’s point is irrefutable.  Even with the popularity of “social media” people still read paper.  And they also still use their phones.  There is no evidence that will change anytime soon.

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