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Case Study - Proving the Value of Direct Mail for Marketing

Royal Mail wanted to re-establish direct mail as a vital and effective marketing medium in an increasingly digital world. While many brands had shifted their marketing budgets toward email and online campaigns, Royal Mail faced skepticism about the value of physical mail in driving customer engagement and ROI.The key question was: Could direct mail prove itself as more than a fleeting medium and demonstrate long-term value in influencing customer behavior? Royal Mail needed compelling evidence to show that direct mail could deliver tangible results over time.
Royal Mail Case Study Curious Blue Fish Offer -1

Our Methodology

 

Royal Mail partnered with Curious Blue Fish to uncover actionable insights into how recipients interact with direct mail and its impact on long-term customer engagement. Using a mix of behavioural analysis and innovative tracking methods, the project set out to demonstrate the hidden value of physical mail.

 

Key Steps:

 

  • Audience Segmentation: We analyzed campaign data to identify different customer behavior patterns, focusing on how individuals engaged with direct mail over time. A key segment emerged: a group of recipients who kept the mail for future reference. These individuals—dubbed “mantlepiece storers”—proved to be critical to the success of direct mail campaigns.


  • Behavioural Insights: By studying recipient habits, we discovered that mantlepiece storers retained and revisited direct mail pieces, often keeping them in visible, accessible locations such as on a mantelpiece, fridge, or desk. These repeated interactions extended the lifespan of the message and increased its influence on decision-making.

  • Measuring Long-Term Impact: Tracking the response rates of different audience segments over an extended period, we demonstrated that mantlepiece storers delivered significantly higher response rates, in comparison with other media channels and were  able to quantify the value this group would deliver  to advertisers over the disparate audiences of other media types. Their retention of the material also led to prolonged engagement, with responses often coming weeks or even months after receiving the direct mail.

  • Tactile Appeal: Qualitative research  highlighted the importance of the tactile and visual nature of direct mail. 

The Outcome

 

The findings from this project transformed perceptions of direct mail’s effectiveness and provided Royal Mail with powerful evidence to support its value proposition:

  • Higher Response Rates: Direct mail targeting mantlepiece storers delivered response rates that were 35% higher on average than other marketing channels, including email.

  • Extended Engagement Period: Unlike digital campaigns, which often see rapid drop-offs in engagement, mantlepiece storers drove responses over a much longer time frame, with significant activity still occurring up to 12 weeks after delivery.

  • Tangible ROI: The campaign delivered a demonstrable ROI, proving that direct mail campaigns can outperform digital-only campaigns in driving meaningful customer action.

  • Actionable Segmentation: Curious Blue Fish’s research provided Royal Mail with a clear segmentation strategy. By identifying and targeting mantlepiece storers, future campaigns could focus on the most responsive and profitable audience segments relevant to particular advertisers.

  • Renewed Confidence in Direct Mail: The success of this initiative gave Royal Mail a strong foundation to reposition direct mail as an essential component of any integrated marketing strategy, particularly for brands seeking sustained engagement and long-term results.


Curious Blue Fish helped Royal Mail prove that direct mail isn’t just a fleeting moment of engagement—it’s a marketing medium with staying power. The mantlepiece storer segment demonstrated how physical interaction with a marketing piece can drive higher response rates over time, validating the unique value of direct mail in today’s digital age.