Direct Mail

Direct mail is mail that targets specific audiences and constituents on a specific mailing list. Broadly used in direct marketing of products, services, and ideas, in the political arena direct mail is used by political candidates, political parties, political action committees, lobbying groups, and other organizations for four major reasons: to raise money, to amplify pressure on public officials, to recruit new members into groups, or, most commonly, to sell a product, program, candidate, or issue. The first successful national use of direct mail for political purposes was by Dwight Eisenhower in the 1952 presidential election. In 1964, Barry Goldwater's direct-mail campaign raised $4.7 million, mailed over 12 million letters, and most notably, created a list more than 200,000 strong. These lists have seen sizeable ...