Google certainly could have reached out to me via e-mail or via paid search advertisements. For all I know they could have been trying to reach out to me by e-mail, only to have them go into my junk e-mail folder along with the 250 other e-mails that are deposited there on a daily basis. The direct mailer that I received was done in typical Google fashion, lots of white space and focused on copy. While it gave me directions as to how to respond via the web, it also provided instructions for a call in number. Kudos to Google for realizing that giving the intended recipient ways to respond beyond the web can pay dividends.

For those that may wonder if direct mail should play a part in your next campaign, I think that you only need to look at Google. They are a company whose primary source of revenue is from electronic advertising, yet even they see the value in using direct mail to reach the intended target.