To response rates and drive traffic to its website was reluctant to use direct mail. After the campaign generated so-so results in numerous online channels, however, a direct mail test produced the highest response rates and the most stickiness of any medium they used—even for the coveted new-media generation of 18- to 35-year-olds.

The moral: “Sometimes you find a role for print in the areas you least expect it,” says Matthew Downey , vice president, Anderson Direct Marketing, agency to the aforementioned Internet information company.

Many marketers still have high expectations for printed direct mail. The Winterberry Group projects spending on direct mail to increase 5.8 percent in 2011 to $47 billion dollars, more than any other direct or digital advertising category. This would be the second consecutive year of growth, following three years of decline.