Targeted snail mail

[Harry Bloomfield]

I tend to watch the posty make his/her progress along the street, to ensure the dogs are in when he is due. I sometimes notice they don't call at many of the houses, as happened the other day, when some addressed junk mail arrived, but with no name. It was junk mail advertising the services of a national asbestos company which handles asbestos and offers to re-roof the likes of sheds and garages with such rooves.

Like all such, it goes straight in the green bin, but it got me wondering....

Yes I used to have an asbestos roof on my garage, but it was replaced some while ago, but Googleearth's photo still shows it as an asbestos roof. Are these companies perhaps using Google to help them target their mail shots?

[Jim GM4DHJ ...]

that's a good idea ......

[jgh]

I sometimes wonder if the "we'll sell your house fast!" leaflets are targetted as they don't seem to go to every letterbox in my street. Do they actually have people who wander around judging if a house is a likely sale and pop a leaflet in?

[Chris Holford]

In article <qdgebn$1ra$ [e-mail], Harry Bloomfield <harry.m1byt@N OSPAM.tiscali.co.uk> writes

A few years ago I phoned a company who advertised an asbestos roof replacement service. On giving my address they were able to give an estimate based on seeing the garage on Google Earth (or some other satellite/aerial photograph image source)

[Brian Gaff]

They don't need to as often Google can use AI to find things like that and supply the mailing list for a price. This is the power of data. The more random data they have the better the targeting. Its fine, but it does seem to me to be a great waste of paper when you boil it all down to how many may well be actually responding positively to such junk mail. Its now so discredited many will just bin it. Brian

[Brian Gaff]

Several of the properties, but not all in my street about two years ago had not only junk mail but pictures of the actual house from the road on them superimposed by the road sign. I found out later that there was a company who wanted two blocks of four houses to knock down to gain access to the rear very long gardens to put in a block of flats, well tough. It aint gonna happen. Brian

[Harry Bloomfield]

[e-mail] has brought this to us :

Thanks for reminding me, that was the other apparently targeted mailshot I received a while ago. Again I was watching the mailman and he hadn't visited every house - if it an untargeted mailshot, surely every house would get one?

[Harry Bloomfield]

The mailshot offering to buy my property, included a photo of another property just up the street, suggesting it had been bought for £xxx,000.

[Harry Bloomfield]

Sounds like the same company, it had an 0800 number to ring for a quote.

[Andy Burns]

Presumably those offering lists can let them be targetted by age, income bracket, household size etc?

[Harry Bloomfield]

Most of this which comes through my door, just goes straight into the recycling bin unopened, I just opened this one out of curiosity. I never buy anything as a result of such mailshots, never buy from door to door people. If I want something I actively seek it out.

[Harry Bloomfield]

Most of this which comes through my door, just goes straight into the recycling bin unopened, I just opened this one out of curiosity. I never buy anything as a result of such mailshots, never buy from door to door people. If I want something I actively seek it out.

[Chris J Dixon]

It is possible to opt out of unaddressed mail, but the way they implement this choice is down to the memory of the postie. If it is not the usual person, they often get it wrong.

Chris

[Andrew]

I used to get phone calls from a company about 30 miles away trying to flog solar panels 'because you have an ideal south-facing roof'. This information must have been gleaned from Google earth.

[spuorgelgoog]

Possibly not on the same day though, as it would be a lot to carry.

My untargeted mail seems to come in batches.

I wonder if they have a system as simple as house numbers ending in 1 and 2 get bulk mail on Mondays, 3 and 4 get it on Tuesdays, etc.

Owain

[Harry Bloomfield]

Chris J Dixon presented the following explanation :

That only covers the items they deliver to all the doors, this was addressed to this address it only lacked a name so they would delever it. I wouldn't opt out, the junk mail helps support the postal system. I just put it straight in the recycling.

[Steve Walker]

Also, if you opt out, you won't get unaddressed mail that you do actually need - such as the one we get telling us that for three days we would not be able to access our road while resurfacing took place and that if we wanted to use our car during that time, we'd better park it elsewhere before the work started.

SteveW