Stefanie Szabo-HalfarMedienwirkungsrelevante Determinanten der Direct Mail-Nutzung

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Consumers’ usage of direct mail (Direct Mail Usage) is a necessary condition for successful Direct Mail communication. A well designed promotional message will only be effective where Direct Mail is used, i.e. opened and read. Furthermore, Direct Mail Usage helps reaching important pre-economical communication goals (increase of level of awareness, image building, etc.) due to “mere-exposure-effects”. Direct Mail Usage is a relevant construct that is worth in-depth investigation. However, response-focused research and practice have not sufficiently addressed this concept so far. The thesis examines the role of Direct Mail Usage in the Direct Mail communication process. The identification of central consumer motifs for using Direct Mail serves as a basis for deriving fundamental drivers of Direct Mail Usage.

The present study provides a link between two different areas of research: economical marketing communication and journalistic oriented media effects research. For the purposes of this specific research, a new approach is used, transferring for the first time insights from media effects research to the field of Direct Mail.

The journalistic oriented approach contributed to the following basic insight: Direct Mail Usage is determined by consumers’ cognitive utility evaluation of the medium Direct Mail. The evaluation is based on four different utility aspects of Direct Mail (perceived (1) Direct Mail -Information Value, (2) Direct Mail -Entertainment Value, (3) Direct Mail -Interaction Value and (4) Direct Mail -Credibility) – each of them of different relevance for Direct Mail Usage.

The results offer clear recommendations for Direct Mail practice: To achieve high levels of Direct Mail Usage Direct Mail necessarily has to provide amusing features. The entertainment value must already be perceptive before Direct Mail is opened. Informative elements are also to be included – they should be integrated into an overall concept of entertainment.

The study sheds further light into the “black box” of the Direct Mail recipient revealing why consumers use Direct Mail as a result of cognitive processing. The thesis proves that an interdisciplinary approach yields interesting and relevant findings – even though, or especially when, the areas of research have diverse origins and objectives.