Getting noticed amid the chaos of an email inbox is harder than ever for marketers. They’re looking for less-crowded routes to reach their audiences, and many are finding one in an old, familiar place: direct mail. 

More than half of consumers will read print advertisements they receive in the mail from trusted sources, according to a 2022 article in Harvard Business Review. Traditional media—including print—“outperform digital channels in terms of reach, attention, and engagement relative to costs,” noted the business and marketing professors who authored “Why Marketers Are Returning to Traditional Advertising.” 

Education marketers and advancement communicators have taken note, and many are jumping on the direct mail bandwagon. 

“Being able to have something that’s tangible and tactile really does make a difference,” says Anne Marino, Art Director, Advancement Communications at Phillips Academy Andover in Massachusetts, U.S. 

But if an institution wants a return on its investment in direct mail, it’ll need to get more creative than sending a form letter in a #10 envelope. Marketers must give audiences meaningful, memorable experiences, and the 2024 Circle of Excellence award-winning entries for direct mail did just that. Currents spoke with five of the recognized teams about the stories behind their mailers and what lessons they’d share with others looking to create their own successful campaigns.