Direct mail, presidential election dark horse
Many have sung the praises of social media and other digital avenues when it comes to getting out the vote. However, don't sleep on direct mail, as the respective campaigns made ample use of address verification software by sending out staggering amounts of political mail during the election season.
According to a Washington Post article, the presidential campaigns spent a combined $170 million on direct mail advertisements - $100 million from Republican candidate Mitt Romney, whose audience is slightly older, and $70 million spent by the campaign of recently re-elected President Barack Obama. The total spent on direct mail amounted to twice the money the campaigns devoted to internet advertising, the paper said.
"The power of it is still huge because it’s reaching that age group that includes baby boomers, who are still largely more comfortable with direct mail than other, newer forms of communication," Paul Bobnak, research director for DirectMarketingIQ, a target marketing firm, told The Washington Post. "It is still a huge workhorse for political fundraising and messaging."
The campaigns also highlighted the versatility of direct mail, as pamphlets, postcards, brochures and longer mail pieces were all mailed out to rally party bases and court battleground state voters.