Mail Marketing vs E-Marketing

With the growing uncertainty of the economy in recent times, many companies are trying to cut costs left and right to ensure their continued prosperity. One way companies have been doing this is by cutting their direct mail costs. Instead, companies have tried an e-marketing approach where many coupons and advertisements are sent through e-mail or via advertisements on the internet. This arises the question of how successful e-marketing can really become.
There are certain benefits of traditional direct mail that cannot replicated with the e-marketing schemes. First, direct mail ensures the best opportunity for the reader to actually read and respond to the mailings/advertisements. It is too easy for someone to simply delete an email in their overcrowded inbox, often known as "junk" mail. These often go overlooked and essentially, do nothing. Second, companies are coming out with new creative ways to enhance their direct mail advertisements to the needs of the customer. These new methods will better relate to the customer and ensure the best possibility of them making a purchase. When you can customize an advertisement to the readers interests, it becomes very beneficial. All to often an email with a boring subject line will be deleted at moments notice, without the reader thinking twice about clicking the link.
With the increasing technology in cellphones, now comes the possibility of being able to read these bar codes with our cellphones that brings us to a direct link. This approach has some benefits and detriments of its own. First off, by being able to place these bar codes in magazines, you will be able to advertise to your precise target market. For example, a women's clothing company can place many of these ads in a fashion magazine geared at women. This is very valuable because almost everyone reading this magazine may be interested in the clothing offered by this company. However, there are also some negative features of this as well. First, only people with the required "smartphones" or those with the correct apps will be able to benefit from this feature. For those without the proper phones, this will basically be useless for them. They will still have to turn to their old, traditional ways of shopping.
I believe that direct mail is the best approach for marketing at this current time. With the uncertain economy, I believe it is important to focus mainly on your best customers and target market and influence them in the most unique, creative way possible, as seen with the more personalized mail approach. A personalized direct mail will influence the consumers better than any e-marketing approach. Some companies that can benefit from these possibilities would be those who have seen a decline in their target market. By sending a personalized mail to their house, they will begin to realize the business' new approach and new creative style, which will influence their decisions to buy this product. A personalized advertisement also shows the customer you care about them and their interests. By standing out from the competitors, this goes along way in creating a loyal group of customers in the future.
How do you think the economy plays a role in the e-marketing schemes? Even though direct mail costs more initially, the influence it has on the customers greatly outweighs that of e-marketing. How do you think the availability of smartphones plays a role in this marketing? When the economy begins to prosper again, will an increase in smartphone sales lead to a larger role in e-marketing? How do you think e-marketing will play out in the future as newer technology begins to come out? Also, do you think the direct mail approach should ever be abandoned?