Direct Mail, Then and Now

1905: Almost-instant messaging
Came across an odd news item from Norwalk, CT the other day. The Norwalk museum had received the gift of a locally-made product from the early years of the 20th century, a Postal Typewriter.

A what? A Postal Typewriter. For its day, it was leading edge technology:

“In the early 1900s, when the phone was not ubiquitous and telegraphs were inconveniently located outside the home, the mail, or the post, was convenient because messages were delivered three times a day. . . . With a Postal Typewriter, people could write a quick letter -- a post card -- and have it delivered by the day's end. . . .”

The Postal Typewriter didn't last. Telephones, an even more quick and convenient form of communication, made same-day messaging old hat.

It's an old story. New technology drives out the old. Or does it? Often new technology develops problems of its own.

In its heyday, the mid-20th century, telephone service was so universl and reliable you could call the White House and speak with a member of the staff. You could call company presidents and arrange appointments, usually via their secretaries but sometimes with the chief honcho himself.

Today, the wired, household telephone is old tech. Outgoing calls get tangled in a jungle of phone trees. Incoming calls are generally an annoyance.

2006: There's no comparison
How did most communication media turn into such a pain? E-mail comes in a hopeless flood. TV commercials beg to be zapped. And those phone calls.

As a result, The New York Times reports, good old direct mail is making a comeback.

"I would rather get a catalogue over a call during dinner 10 times over,” [Ginger] Stickel, a mother of two young children in Greenwich, Conn., said. “I always open those letters, and sometimes they’re useful.”

Remember when the Internet and online marketing were going to spell the end of the direct mail business? Well, it hasn’t exactly worked out that way.

Turns out that even junk mail is easier to sort through and jettison than e-mail spam. And higher-class direct mail (dare we mention the classy financial newsletters prepared by The Merrill Anderson Co.?) can seem almost luxurious.

“As the world becomes more digital, there is a need for tangible experiences,” says Rob Bagot, executive creative director at McCann Worldgroup San Francisco. “And there’s nothing like a piece of paper.”