Direct mail, also called advertising mail by the organizations that send it and sometimes junk mail by the people who receive it, is advertising material delivered to homes and businesses through the postal service. It makes up a significant share both of overall direct marketing activity and of postal service revenue in many countries, and it encompasses a wide range of material, including circulars, catalogs, coupon envelopes, credit card offers and other merchandising items. Direct mail may be addressed to specific, targeted individuals selected from a mailing list, or it may be distributed without a specific name attached to every household in a chosen neighborhood, a method sometimes called a letterbox drop. Because of its volume and its environmental footprint, direct mail has also drawn concern from environmental and consumer advocacy organizations, which have set up opt out registries and services intended to help people reduce the amount of unwanted mail they receive.
Facts
Origin YearThe Welsh entrepreneur Pryce Pryce-Jones set up the first modern mail order operation in 1861 in Newtown, Wales, distributing catalogs so customers could order goods by post. OriginModern mail order and direct mail trace to Pryce Pryce-Jones, who distributed catalogs of his wares across the country from 1861 so customers could choose and order items by post. 1 Place of OriginNewtown, Wales, United Kingdom 1 Primary FormatDirect mail includes advertising circulars, catalogs, free trial offers, pre-approved credit card applications and other unsolicited merchandising invitations delivered by mail. 1 Typical DistributionDirect mail is sent to targeted customers based on criteria such as age, income, location, profession and buying pattern. 1 Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationDirect marketing, History section
The Welsh entrepreneur Pryce Pryce-Jones set up the first modern mail order in 1861.
Pryce Pryce-Jones, biography, Royal Welsh Warehouse
He named it the Royal Welsh Warehouse in 1859, the year the railway came to Newtown.
Direct marketing, History section, catalogs distributed
He distributed catalogs of his wares across the country, allowing people to choose the items they wished and order them via post.
Direct marketing, Direct mail section, targeting
Direct mail is sent to customers based on criteria such as age, income, location, profession, buying pattern, etc.
View the Source Advertising mail (Wikipedia)
Lead sectionQuote, Lead section
Advertising mail includes advertising circulars, plastic mailers, coupon envelopes (Money Mailer, Valpak), catalogs, CDs, "pre-approved" credit card applications, and other commercial merchandising materials delivered to homes and businesses.
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