New research from mail marketing experts Marketreach has shown that mail had a greater influence on voting intentions than any other marketing channel in the 2024 UK general election.
The study, conducted in partnership with Thinks Insight & Strategy, challenges the notion that 2024 was the year of the ‘digital election’, particularly for younger voters.
Mail emerged as the most influential medium, with 27% of respondents citing it as ‘most influential’ in their decision-making process, compared with 24% for TV and 18% for social media. It also achieved the highest level of engagement at 70%, meaning it was most likely to be read, shared, or discussed.
Broadcaster Andrew Marr said: Elections are national, sometimes even global, events. But in our Parliamentary system, they are first of all local ones. We want a direct, emotional connection between ourselves, the candidates and ultimately the MP.
“It’s about intimate space – mail arrives at an actual address not an IP address; a physical postcode, not a digital identifier; something I can hold in my hand, not something only held, briefly, in the mind’s eye. And something that I can trust. This report is a welcome dose of reality, a happy corrective.”
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Voters regarded mail as almost twice as trustworthy as other channels on average. Only 20% of respondents associated mail with misleading or inaccurate information, compared with 34% for social media.
Contrary to expectations, younger age groups demonstrated the highest levels of engagement with mail. Some 81% of 18 to 24-year-olds engaged with mail during the election run-up, surpassing social media (72%), posters (67%) and online advertising (64%).
“Everyone thought reaching voters in this election was going to be about digital channels,” said Amanda Griffiths, head of planning and insight at Marketreach, “it wasn’t. In fact, mail proved to be the most effective way for political parties to communicate – according to the voters themselves.”
