Using Mail to Build Brands

Two previous studies by the OIG pointed to physical advertising’s strength in leaving a lasting impression and its ability to make an emotional connection with consumers. This time, we extended our research to examine how physical advertising compares with digital advertising for branding purposes. Partnering with the Center for Neural Decision Making at Temple University, we found that physical ads outperformed digital ads in several brand marketing measures, such as brand name recall and brand association. Altogether, our findings demonstrate the power of physical ads for many brand advertising objectives and can help the Postal Service guide advertisers in designing mailpieces that support their brand.