News
 Why New Move Mailing Lists Work: Part 1
By David Bancroft Avrick, president of Avrick Direct, Inc.
One of the major mailing list categories is
Change-of-Address (CHADS) or
"New Move" lists. There
are currently over 900 New Move lists on the
marketplace - and each one has a number of mailers
using the list. In the United States, close to 25%
of the households move every year.
Approximately 43 million people move every year.
When we examine "why" New Move lists work - several
things are obvious:
A New Location Requires New Stuff.
When I move, I am faced with new needs. My curtains
and rugs no longer fit. I may need a new bank loan
or even a new pool service. I need a wide variety of
goods and services for my new location.
I may have left my parents' home - and moved into
the first place of my own. If that's the case, I
need just about everything (there's even a good
chance Mom and Dad have kept my bedroom furniture
and converted my old bedroom into a guest room).
With 50% of Americans getting divorced, there are a
plethora of people starting over. One partner
usually gets to keep most of the "stuff" - the other
has to start from scratch. Often the newly divided
couple have to scale down economically - so the king
size bed doesn't work for either person.
If I've received a job promotion and I'm moving "up"
- I may no longer want my chain-store living room,
dining room or bedroom furniture. While I'm trading
in my Honda for a Lexus, I'm also trading in my
stainless steel cutlery for silver plate.
If I moved because of a marriage or new child I will
certainly want all kinds of "stuff" for my new
household or for the child's nursery. And, with my
new responsibilities I will probably also feel a
need for insurance, and will probably want, and
need, additional credit cards to handle my new
expenses.
Long Distance Moves Translate To A New Persona.
When you relocate over a long distance you truly
leave your old "life" behind. You leave your old
friends and neighbors, your old hangouts, you leave
your old lifestyle. Now that you're in a new house,
or apartment, in a different part of the country -
you want to surround yourself with new "stuff" that
reflects your new self-image. You're no longer your
parent's child, your spouse's partner, or the person
who used to live on Main Street. You're a new person
and you not only want new stuff - you want different
stuff.
If, all of your life you've lived in New York
surrounded by earth tones, now that you've relocated
to Colorado you're throwing away your browns and
ochre, and replacing them with greens and blues. If
you just moved near the water you're a prospect for
swimwear and beach totes. Move to Texas, and before
you know it, you're strutting around in boots. If
you move to a golfing area, your entire wardrobe
changes.
You're a new you - and you want to surround yourself
with things that remind you of that and reflect your
new persona. This is a time of reevaluation of your
personal preferences, and the exploration of new
lifestyle options. The oak table is gone - glass and
chrome are in. The wall-to-wall carpet is gone
-polished hard wood with area rugs is in. The suits
and ties are gone - khakis are in.
Long distance moves force you to look at yourself -
and your "stuff.” You look at that oak table and
ask, "do I really want to move this table 1,300
miles.” There's a good chance the answer is "no" -
you're moving on to a new life.
The long distance move also translates to a new
barber, grocery store, hairdresser, dentist,
optician, bank - you name it. If it's a product or
service you use - you need a new supplier.
Most People Who Profitably Mail New Move Lists
Are NOT Selling New Stuff Or Selling Products Or
Services That Help Reflect Your New Self-Image.
Most new moves are made within the same ZIP Code™.
The people that are moving keep the same job at the
same company, they continue to shop at the same
stores, their kids attend the same schools, they
belong to the same clubs, and they keep their same
friends (although they do change neighbors).
So, why are these people responsive to direct mail
offers? What makes these local New Move names
"work?” In order to understand why, you must take
one step backwards. It's NOT the fact that the
person has just moved - it's the REASON BEHIND WHY
THEY MOVED.
The best way to look at this is to examine who is
profitably mailing
New Move lists. The most
significant user categories are magazines, music
clubs and credit card or financial solicitations.
Between these three categories a BILLION New Move
names are mailed annually. That's a lot of mail.
That translates to over $400,000,000 in annual
direct mail expense for lists, computerization,
printing, mailing and postage. That's over a million
dollars a day.
Why do New Move names respond?
The answer lies in the understanding of the reasons
that precipitated the new-move in the subconscious
psychological factors at work. The consumer, who
receives and responds to the direct mail, is
generally unaware of these factors.
The factors that create a new move are also the
variables of life stress. These are the epochs of
life. They include leaving home, graduation,
co-habitation, marriage, divorce, having a child,
empty nest, new job or promotion, loss of job,
divorce, sickness or widowhood, newfound wealth or
personal economic downturn, etc. These are the most
stressful events of our lives.
Many of these changes symbolize increased autonomy
and experimentation. Perhaps for the first time the
individual can decide on his own, without the
approval or influence of others. This is expressed
in making decisions to subscribe to magazines of
your liking, or signing up for a music club that
offers your personal kind of music, or accepting a
credit card solicitation for your own card. All of
these actions are an expression of your freedom and
independence, a confirmation of your right to make
decisions for yourself, a fulfillment of your
personal yearnings and desires.
These life changes often compel an individual to
gain a semblance of control by deciding what to
receive and what to reject.
Stay tuned for Part II—and the final four reasons
why New Movers lists work—in next month’s List
Advisor.
---Source: David Bancroft Avrick, president of Avrick Direct, Inc (www.avrickdirect.com). With contributions from Ralph M. Daniel, Ph.D., Jerry P. Martin, M.D., and Lizbeth J. Martin, Ph.D.
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