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Vote of confidence

Direct mail remains effective political tool, experts say

Direct mail remains valuable for political candidates, top strategists say.

Direct mail remains a valuable method for political candidates to reach voters, even in the age of emails and texting, top strategists say.

“In a world with so much other distraction, direct mail is becoming more effective not less,” consultant Andy Yates writes in a new essay for the Campaigns & Elections news site.

Yates quotes Postal Service research that shows 79 percent of households at least scan their direct mail daily, while 55 percent read it daily — up from 47 percent in 1987.

“Even millennials still trust and read direct mail,” Yates writes, referring to people in their 20s and 30s. He cites industry research that shows 90 percent of millennials find direct mail to be reliable, and 87 percent enjoy getting information from retailers in the mail.

Another veteran strategist, Mo Elleithee, recently told Politico direct mail will likely play an important role in the 2016 presidential campaign.

“Direct mail is still an important arrow in your quiver. It’s a way to get much more targeted and specific in your messaging than television ads. It’s an effective way to target a message to a specific household or individual,” Elleithee said.

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