Studies

Consumers

90 % of the population at least occasionally reads printed brochures.¹

33.3 % of the population surveyed appreciate advertising mail, especially on account of the special offers.²

75 % think the “no advertising” stickers are sufficient to prevent them from receiving unsolicited advertising mail.²

84 % of the population will read junk mail at least occasionally, and 58 % will read it one or more times a week.³

The 50+ generation (37.41 million people in Germany) particularly enjoys reading advertising mail. 30 % frequently, 15 % always to very frequently.²

Advertisers

Brochures are the most frequently used information channel on products and prices.¹

50 % particularly value being able to control regional offers and the fact that they are easy to reach for prospects.²

59 % of the total population base their purchases to some extent or a great extent on promotions they have previously seen in brochures.³

96 % of those with a great deal of interest in shopping ideas base their decisions on printed leaflets and brochures.³

55 % of the population use leaflets to plan their shopping.¹

80 % of the population is aware of offers through printed leaflets.¹

70 % of the marketing managers surveyed consider leaflets to be essential.⁴

Civil Services

25 % of advertisers use door drops for charitable purposes – for example, for education, sports, church, politics and culture.¹

55 % of door drop readers are happy to receive information about events, 32 % are pleased to receive information about local initiatives and events.²

Digital advertising channels

85 % of respondents believe digital formats (e.g., on smartphones) are no alternative to paper brochures.²

57 % of bargain hunters find the shopping tips in printed flyers and brochures in their letterbox, only 13 % in apps.³

50 % of the 30+ generation want shopping tips in printed brochures, only 8 % via apps or digital brochures.³

43 % of those seeking information use print when making purchasing decisions in the supermarket, compared to only 21 % online.¹

72 % of respondents say digital advertising could not replace printed door drops for them.²

A simple email without an attachment emits an average of 10 grams of CO2 – the equivalent of a plastic bag. Attachments increase the value significantly. For 2021, technology market research firm The Radicati Group estimates that around 319 billion emails were sent and received every day.⁴

Use of resources

All printed products produced in this country leave less than 1 percent of Germany’s carbon footprint. Unaddressed advertising mail accounts for 0.05 percent.¹

Paper production and printing of advertising mail requires 44 KWh per household per year, equivalent to around 4.5 litres of heating oil.²

Advertising leaflets are mainly printed on recycled paper. This means that no forests are cleared. Healthy trees go into house and furniture production. For high-quality paper made from virgin fibres, mainly thinning wood and sawmill waste are used.³

Germany’s waste paper cycle is world-class, mainly because waste separation works so well. Already during print production, the use of materials (e.g. paper, cardboard, inks, varnishes, adhesives) is carefully considered to ensure that they either do not hinder the recycling process or that they can be recycled.⁴

Paper fibres can be reused up to ten times, providing a good resource for new recycled paper until it eventually becomes sanitary paper.⁵

Water is recycled in the paper production process, i.e. 90 % is recycled and finally returned to nature as clean water.⁶

Forests in Europe are not shrinking. As more forests are continuously being reforested than deforested, the forests are becoming increasingly larger – by 1,500 soccer fields every day.⁷

No rainforest is being cut down for print products. The European Timber Regulation (EUTR) strictly oversees the import of timber into Europe. This means that illegally logged timber and timber products cannot be marketed in the EU. All traders selling timber or timber products, including paper, for the first time in the EU must comply with the due diligence requirements of the EUTR.⁸

WWF recommends looking for the FSC seal, for example, when buying wood and paper products.⁹

Social value

Non-profit organisations such as churches, clubs, and educational institutions rely on informational and promotional door drops. After all, they often lack the financial resources to draw attention to themselves and their activities using digital channels.²

Today, city centres have already declined, stores are closing, and service providers are leaving. Depriving towns of their only form of direct customer contact will accelerate this process.¹

People who are unable or unwilling to access information online using apps, newsletters, or websites are being cut off from information and promotional offers.³

Any restriction of advertising and information doordrops would affect all companies and organisations that do not have databases with personal data of the addressees, those who are not allowed to work with them for data protection reasons, and/or those who cannot afford the postage.²

Workforce and labour market

Overall, several thousand predominantly small and medium-sized companies with around half a million employees are involved in the economic process of advertising and information door drops.

• Printing industry: approx. 7,100 companies with around 115,000 employees
• Advertising industry, media planners, and designers: approx. 160,000 employees
• Paper manufacturing: approx. 40,000 jobs
• Ink production: approx. 25,000 employees
• Door drop delivery: approx. 200,000 employees*.
• Direct distribution: more than 100,000 deliverers

* of which approx. 150,000 are part-time employees, of these approx. ¼ are retirees.¹