ANA Response Rate Report, 2023
Connected TV, machine learning, Generative AI and ChatGPT. Never has the marketing industry undergone such a tremendous change in such a short period of time. As organizations become increasingly data-led, studies have shown that companies which have developed a comprehensive data strategy and analytics capability achieve growth at a rate higher than companies which have not. For today's B2C and B2B marketers, it has become essential to develop a deeper understanding of data and analytics to identify actionable insights that enable better decision-making and drive sustainable growth for the long term. And yet, this is an area where marketing leaders are not well-versed.
The 2023 ANA Response Rate Report is an example of how the ANA takes on the role of industry thought leader, providing the tools and benchmarking studies its members need to plan and optimize their marketing mix while forecasting future marketing impact and driving long-term sustainable growth. The 2021 and 2022 reports have been among the most downloaded reports at the ANA, with CMOs, data and analytics managers, media directors, and agency personnel all using the report for insights and guidance to optimize direct marketing investments and ROIs overall.
The primary objective of the response rate research and this report is to share objective benchmark data for media performance with the data-driven marketing community. Where possible, the data from this research study is presented in individual segments so that marketers can compare their performance against similar business types.
Overall Findings
- A significant majority of direct marketers are either using Generative AI in their direct efforts now or are planning to incorporate it over the next year.
- Social Media is poised to overtake Email for most used DM campaign medium
- Generating Revenue is the primary purpose of DM campaigns for most study participants (61%), while increasing brand awareness and communicating with current customers ranking second and third respectively
- Despite incurring 4 postal rate increases over the last two years, the highest ROI for individual media was direct mail (sent to house lists) 161%
- 35% of study participants measure performance at campaign level only, not by individual media
- The average campaign level ROI reported by study participants was +35%
- 63% of study participants plan to increase their usage of SMS in 2024, while one fourth plan to decrease their usage of direct mail
- Generative AI and QR codes are top tactics participants wish to see in future ANA studies
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Source
"ANA Response Rate Report, 2023." ANA, February 2024.