Expert: Travel next up for programmatic direct

Kristina: What trends are you seeing In Programmatic Direct Mail?

Jim Price, VP of Sales - Travel Sector, PebblePost: In a word: Acceleration. By that, I mean the rapid increase in the number of digital advertisers and thei increasing budgets from those advertisers that are using the PebblePost Programmatic Direct Mail® platform since its launch a year ago. This is a testament to the intuitiveness and elegance of this new channel we invented. PebblePost's solution is best compared to Display Retargeting (Note: I spent 6+ years at Criteo launching and building their Travel sector business in the U.S.) with an important difference being that the intercept point (or output) is tangible collateral delivered to a consumer's home, rather than the ephemeral and all-too-often nature of a display ad.

Kristina: Is this traditional direct mail?

Jim: This is not "direct mail" in its traditional sense -- it is the successful synthesis of real-time online interest and intent data with dynamic, personalized brand messages a consumer can hold in their hands -- fully employing the best aspects of both mediums. Further, the digital marketers employing the PebblePost platform cross many spectrums: from SMBs to enterprise, from pure-play online to multi-channel, from household goods to upscale luxury items. The next frontier is the Travel sector.

Kristina: Travel is your next challenge - what makes the travel vertical a good fit for Programmatic Direct Mail?

Jim: Travel planning and booking is, for the vast majority of people, a very considered and relatively costly purchase. Consequently, most travelers will start planning and shopping weeks in advance and will search in 7+ travel sites before they make a booking. As a Travel marketer, a great challenge is to be heard through all that "noise" and to remain top of mind for that consumer through that process. The PebblePost solution solves that challenge in a unique fashion; transforming the online shopping conversation into a physical card or mini-Catalog that serves as a tangible reminder (sitting on a desk or counter or pinned to a bulletin board) of where your dream vacation can be booked. Further, the performance of a PebblePost campaign will impress even the most experienced Travel marketer. What makes this a very appealing option is the powerful combination of using first-party online intent signals to dynamically produce the highly relevant tangible media, with the inherent effectiveness of a mailed piece, and zero of the pain points of digital (i.e., viewability, ad fraud, disruption of the user experience, and overserving to name a few.).

Tags: direct mail trends, email marketng, PebblePost, programmatic direct mail