Royal Mail has announced the UK’s first-ever ‘DM sale’ to help advertisers who use direct mail to try new campaign tactics and encourage those who don’t to discover its benefits.

A discount of 20 per cent will be available on new or additional mailings in March and April 2010. The initiative is designed to encourage advertisers who don’t use direct mail to test it as a stand-alone activity or as part of an integrated campaign as well as enabling existing DM users to try different campaign tactics during the two-month period and maximise the use of their data.

The announcement follows recent research carried out by media agency group OMG, on behalf of Royal Mail, that showed direct mail’s ability to improve the performance of other marketing activities, with digital campaigns seeing a 62 per cent increase in payback when combined with direct mail. The study also revealed direct mail as the only advertising channel to show an increase in response rates in the first half of 2009.

Mark Thomson, media director at Royal Mail, said: “Advertisers and agencies alike are under pressure to deliver more for less. Most media channels are being underpinned with incentives including short-term price deals, value-added offers and shared risk opportunities and this initiative is a new approach for Royal Mail.

“We want advertisers who do not use direct mail to discover for themselves the benefits of a mail campaign either on its own or in combination with other marketing activities. The DM sale will also enable existing direct mail users to make the most of their data and reach a wider audience than they would ordinarily target.”

The sale will offer a 20 per cent discount on new or additional Mailsort 3 letter volumes. It is also available for Royal Mail’s Sustainable Mail product.

Advertisers wishing to take advantage of the mail sale will be required to complete their application by March 19 2010. The offer applies to any organisation willing to increase direct mail volumes above normal levels for March and April 2010 compared to previous years. Applications can be made via www.royalmail.com/rmsale now.