What is the True Reach of Printed Advertising?

What is the True Reach of Print Advertising?

What are the best media channels for new customer acquisition? This is the ultimate question for businesses. But any marketing professional worth their salt will know this differs depending on what you are advertising.

Media planners can also tell you that it is rare for a single media type to be the sole driver of new business - additional channels will almost always support as part of an integrated campaign.

So, where do print adverts sit in the marketing mix, and do they have any real reach? Posthub, part of the Whistl group and partnered with JICMAIL, examines the reach and frequency of direct mail to understand the true power of print marketing better.

Advertising mail is the third-largest media channel in the UK, worth an estimated £1.1 billion annually.

The Reach of Print Advertising

Reach refers to the number of people exposed to a mail item in a household. When a mail item has been delivered, it is automatically assigned a reach of one, assuming that the household coordinator will be exposed to that item while sorting through the mail.

The reach for print marketing is 1.14. This means that for every 100 mail items delivered, another 14 will see it, effectively increasing your reach for free.
The Frequency of Print Advertising

Frequency is the number of times a mail item has been interacted with, based on the following:

• Opening it
• Reading it / looking at it
• Displaying it (e.g. on the fridge or noticeboard)
• Passing it on / leaving it out for the addressee
• Putting it aside to look at later
• Throwing it away / recycling it
• Taking it out of the house (e.g. to work)
• Using/doing something with the information
• Putting it in the usual place

The frequency of print marketing is 4.18. This means that for every 100 mail items delivered, your items will register an additional 418 impressions.

What Happens to a Print Advert When it is Delivered?

Using reach and frequency data, we can determine the average number of people who interact with print advertising and the frequency of these interactions.

Approximately 70% of all delivered print adverts are opened (if they are enclosed within an envelope). 63% are opened immediately, while 18% are opened later.

Does Print Advertising’s Reach and Frequency Change for Different Industries?

As with most channels, the results differ between industries. Interestingly, while we see a fairly consistent reach for print adverts across all sectors, there is a greater difference in frequency across the board.

Does Print Advertising’s Reach and Frequency Change for Different Social Grades?

Social grades range from A (higher household income) to DE (lower household income). Understanding the difference in reach and frequency for print marketing within these households will improve your campaign planning.

Reach does not differ much across social grades, but is highest for C2 (skilled manual workers). There is also no significant variation in frequency, although people classified as C2DE (manual workers, casual workers, those on state benefits and the unemployed) appear more likely to interact with a print advert.

Who are JICMAIL?,

The Joint Industry Committee for Mail (JICMAIL), was established in 2018 by a collection of industry bodies, including the IPA, ISBA, DMA and Royal Mail. It provides media metrics for mail, which planners use to help organise media campaigns, as well as industry-standard audience measurement data for print advertising and door drops. The research presented in this article is based on JICMAIL Mail Media Metrics.

Download the full report and read more insights on their website.