Nielsen What's hot in direct mail - February 2010

A local door drop for a national lifeboat charity beat the ubiquitous Tesco Clubcard mailing to top spot this month. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) made ‘a special appeal to the people of Devon’ in its fundraising door drop, and used true stories of how the charity had helped save the lives of people off the Devon coast to add weight to its message.

The Tesco Clubcard mailing celebrating its 15th birthday with double points for members had to settle for second place, while the grey pound proved popular, putting the RIAS over 50s Home Insurance direct mailer in third place and Healthspan Direct’s vitamins prospect mailer in fifth.

However, the main concern of cost-conscious consumers is food – and how to get the best deals. This explains why four food retailers all offering special deals appear this month. Co-operative Food is particularly active, with two door drops promoting discounts and its 'Feed4 for £4' TV campaign.

The door drop is also back in fashion – there are five in February's top 10 – which proves that this traditional medium still has consumer appeal.

Check out the rest of Nielsen's top 10 in direct mail: