Direct Mail on the Brain: “Using Neuroscience to Understand the Role of Direct Mail.”

Thinking of turning your direct marketing budget over to more "internet-inclined" tactics? Consider the findings of a research project and subsequent study done by leading global research agency Millward Brown, “Using Neuroscience to Understand the Role of Direct Mail.” 

The research project used fMRI brain scans to see which areas of the brain became active when participants viewed the same marketing message as a physical piece of direct mail and digitally on a computer screen- Showing that our brains process paper-based and digital marketing in different ways, and in particular that paper ads caused more emotional processing; suggesting “the brain is more emotionally engaged and is potentially reflecting more on a response” when viewing direct mail, says Graham Page, executive vice president of consumer neuroscience at Millward Brown. Also, because the brain saw mail as real, deeper memories were likely being created.

Some of the key findings of the study were:

• Tangible materials leave a deeper footprint in the brain.
•  Note: This is not just because the physical materials stimulate both sight and touch; the subtraction of brain signals from the scrambled materials accounts for this.
• Material shown on cards generated more activity within  the area of the brain associated with the integration of visual and spatial information (the left and right parietal).
• This suggests that physical material is more “real” to the brain. It has a meaning, and a place. It is better connected to memory because it engages with its spatial memory networks.
• Physical materials produced more brain responses connected with internal feelings, suggesting greater “internalization” of the ads
• The brain’s “default network” appeared to remain more active when viewing direct mail. Activity in this brain network has been associated with a greater focus on a person’s internal emotional response to outside stimuli. This suggests that the individuals were relating information to their own thoughts and feelings.

Page says the implication is clear — direct mail should still have a place in marketing strategies, even in the digital era. 

“While there are huge benefits of taking advantage of virtual media, our research suggests that we shouldn’t be forgetting more physical media like direct mail,” says Page. “Physical, ‘real’ events like receiving direct mail add an element that virtual campaigns cannot.”