Postcard decks redux

I've written about postcard deck advertising before. Attracted the attention of a fellow launching a new product who asked me to recommend some decks. My market is different than his, but I did write this back to him.

But some advice I will give you is that it is best to pick card decks associated with a trade publication if at all possible. They have certified their circulation list via a BPA audit. There are a lot of secondary card decks out there using less credible, but maybe viable, lists. One I get mailings from is www.venturedirect.com. They seem large enough to be trustworthy.

Since my post last year, I've become even less likely to run card decks. They are good for getting attention, but less valuable for brand building. Plus my marketing interests are shifting. One thing I will tell you to not expect many cards to actually be returned. Most that are will be from prisoners.

I expect that the card deck is a dying breed anyway. Two publications I know of are sending emails instead of, or in conjunction with their snail-mailing. To that end, you might consider sponsoring a third-party newsletter, perhaps for an online site, or a trade publication. Then it becomes branding.