Sophie Devonshire Totally Mailed It

I started my career at Procter and Gamble as an assistant brand manager. So, direct mail was an important part of how P&G communicated with people, from reaching them at home on brands like Ariel in a very targeted way to reaching teenagers with Always. From P&G, I was then at Coca Cola, which both have brands that live inside people's houses. They're everyday so the connection with the audience must feel very real.
 

“I think with brands now there is the need for quality reassurance, and one of the things I love about mail is, it's so real.”

I think with brands now there is the need for quality reassurance, and one of the things I love about mail is, it's so real. It's tangible and touchable, and there's something amazing about it. It’s an interesting medium because there's so much more you can do to make the brand feel more luxury versus digital. 

When a brand isn't as physical or real for somebody, mail deepens the connection. It's a reminder. It's a way of cutting through. And now I think we are noticing the brands who are reaching us inside the home.

I love the world right now because I think technology is incredibly exciting. What we've been doing digitally in the last 20 years is going to accelerate what happens in business. However, the digital and tech world can dehumanize a lot of brands. And brands do some brilliant work in making their digital experiences as human, warm and welcoming as possible. But I think the direct mail that appears in your hands and in your house is that step more human and stands out in a world when we are screen-dominated. 

One interesting thing within The Marketing Society, is we bring marketing leaders together to celebrate and champion what great marketing can do, but also showcase the stories of great marketing leaders behind big organisations. And actually, telling the story of the marketing leader humanises the organisation brand. Direct mail has that ability to share and uncover something that's more friendly when connecting with people.

There's also something trustworthy about mail appearing in your own home. It feels like it's building that connection, and a lot of the trust is in the execution. Like anything in marketing, it's not just the channel itself that is the strength. It's using it smartly, using it brilliantly. And the best stories I've seen are of people using it with creativity, with care, with thought, with targeting and curating it perfectly.
 

“It is an art and a science, and you can get it so right by working out what people want.”

It is an art and a science, and you can get it so right by working out what people want. And again, like anything in marketing, it only works if you understand your consumer, if you understand your audience, if you know what they want to hear, what they want to have, how you're going to help them. So, there’s a skill to getting the marketing right, but it's beautiful when you do.

Lots of our Marketing Society members have some great case studies of where direct mail has driven actionable, clear results that they've been able to measure. And I really like smart examples of where people consider; What are the trigger points? When are you going to need it?
 

“I, like many people, love post, especially when there’s something different.”

I, like many people, love post, especially when there’s something different. If you think about the behavioural science side of it, people's pain and pleasure receptors, there is often an expectation of pain still associated with post – ‘not another bill or speeding fine’. So, if that post is a gift or if it's giving you something that's going to help you, it's vouchers or a story. And if it's done in a way which brings the brand into your hands, into your life and it feels like it fits with what you're seeing elsewhere. I mean, that's how you build trust, through consistency and how the different mediums are used together. I think there's something powerful in there. 

I think there is an opportunity to do something that can build a deeper connection with people. Mail is tangible, touchable, and it reaches people at a unique moment. It gives people a moment to connect - something you don't get with every single medium. One of the reasons it works well at the moment is not everybody is doing it. So, seize that moment to be different, and see what happens.