Direct-Mail Spending Down in 2008 and Still Falling

NEW YORK, March 3, 2009, (Advertising Age) — Rising postage rates and fewer solicitations from banks and credit-card companies have conspired to drive down direct mail in 2008.

A new white paper from the Winterberry Group, a strategic-consulting firm, found that direct-mail spending dropped 3% last year, and the falloff will accelerate to 9% in 2009. The drop is even steeper in key categories: Winterberry, citing data from Mintel Comperemedia, said mail volume slid 12.1% last year in industries including telecommunications, insurance, banking, investments, travel/leisure, automotive, technology, credit cards and mortgage and loans.