Boy Scouts of America

What is it about the postal service that stirs such passion? Direct mail is an essential channel for many marketers. Perhaps though, too, it brings up some of the fond memories Chet Dalzell, a Target Marketing blogger, recalls for readers. "In Ogallala, NE, we actually had a 'city style' single-residence black mailbox with a top lid and two parallel curling hooks underneath for [fliers] and my Boys Life magazine (my first piece of regular mail, that I can recall), attached to the house by the front door," he writes in "The Mailboxes of My Memory."

In my life, I've had a lot of mailboxes. My current box (New York, N.Y.) is part of an apartment building cluster box—and one that proudly holds about four to five days' worth of mail, including magazines and catalogs. I can run off for a day or two and the incoming mail safely, securely collects there without my having to fill out a "hold mail" card at the local Murray Hill post office

Amidst the market turbulence in October, a number of mailings stopped offering free reviews of finances and investments. Instead, they are providing services to reassure prospects and help alleviate any financial stress.

By Kate Mason They're extraordinarily wealthy, highly educated, and have a penchant for purchasing high-priced items. Who are they? They're American antique collectors … and possibly a direct marketer's most desired target demographic group. ANTIQUERS' SPENDING HABITS "They're a dream demographic," says Patricia Hoffman, marketing and promotional manager for Arts & Antiques magazine, a publication that boasts a list of nearly 180,000 active subscribers with a median yearly income of $164,000. "These people are passionate about their hobby, and their purchasing percentages continue to rise." Apparently, the country's slumping economy hasn't rained on this group's purchasing parade: "On average, our readers spent $5,990 on