Make it matter: Putting brands into willing hands

A new direct mail marketing concept from the UK’s Royal Mail is helping to put targeted advertising material into homes without it going straight into the recycling bin. The Matter box is a letterbox-sized package containing a selection of brand samples sent to households by Royal Mail – getting advertising material from marketers, who pay to use the service, into the hands of the consumer.

Individuals sign up on the Matter website to receive the limited-edition boxes sporadically throughout the year, rather like a magazine. Because recipients have to actively subscribe to receive a Matter box, advertisers can be sure that their products arrive in ready, willing hands. Matter Media, on behalf of the Royal Mail, has already received a large number of requests for subscriptions to the Matter box, demonstrating the opportunities that abound when advertisers give consumers the choice of whether they are to be targeted with promotional material – another example of the Freesumerism trend.