Tash Whitmey Totally Mailed It
At the heart of Tesco and Tesco Media is a deep commitment to customers. Every Little Helps isn't just our brand promise; it's our media philosophy too. Every interaction should feel relevant, useful and respectful of people's time and attention. So we never begin with the channel. We begin with what customers want and need from us, then use insight responsibly to shape the right message, offer and experience.
Every Little Helps is also our media philosophy: every interaction should feel relevant, useful and respectful of people's time and attention.
That's why my advice to any marketer considering mail is to think of it as a highly targeted, personalised customer activation channel. In a world where consumers are bombarded with messages, mail gives you the opportunity to earn real attention. Powered by good customer insight, it can drive awareness, trial, sales and even digital engagement. Use it where attention really matters: launches, acquisition, loyalty, or any moment when you want customers to genuinely engage with your message rather than simply scroll past it.
What fascinates me is that while marketing has become increasingly digital, mail has become increasingly valuable. Attention is now one of the scarcest resources in marketing, and mail consistently earns it. It's tangible, personal and trusted, and it often stays in the home for days rather than seconds.
While marketing has become increasingly digital, mail has become increasingly valuable.
Part of that is because mail arrives in your home and speaks directly to you. It isn't competing with hundreds of other messages in the same feed, so it feels curated rather than broadcast. When it's personalised properly, customers recognise that a brand has taken the time to understand them, and the aim is always to make communication more helpful, not simply more targeted. Trust follows naturally. The fact that a brand has invested in producing and posting something physical sends a signal of credibility, and it lands in the environment people trust most: their home.
That's also why mail is so powerful when you need customers to stop, read and understand something important, whether it's introducing a new product, rewarding loyalty, explaining an offer or helping customers discover something relevant to them. I've seen customers spend more time with mail, revisit it later and even share it with other members of the household. That additional engagement creates real reassurance and understanding.
Mail simply asks for attention differently. Digital advertising is often consumed while people are multitasking; mail is engaged with far more intentionally. There's a sense of anticipation that's hard to recreate digitally. You pick it up, feel the quality of the paper, open it and explore what's inside.
Textured finishes, fold-outs, scratch reveals and dimensional formats make the experience more memorable still. You can put it on the kitchen table or pin it to the fridge, come back to it later and share it. Attention isn't just about whether someone sees a message. It's about whether they spend time with it.
Digital channels are fantastic for scale and frequency, but mail plays a different role. It creates moments that customers remember. That doesn't mean choosing between physical and digital. The best media plans make them work together across a connected customer journey, with mail complementing in-store, online and digital media and acting as the anchor that turns awareness into action. And it delivers a genuine competitive advantage. Many brands can target customers digitally; far fewer can deliver a relevant, personalised message directly into a customer's home. When the value exchange is clear, we've seen direct mail drive not only sales but strong redemption rates, engagement and return on investment. Better relevance creates a better customer experience, reduces wasted communication and improves measurable outcomes for advertisers.
In my experience, that's why mail so often punches above its weight. It turns advertising into something people experience, not just something they see. And in today's attention economy, that is incredibly valuable.
It turns advertising into something people experience, not just something they see.