Evaluation of a Tailored Direct-Mail Marketing Strategy for Recruiting the 19- to 23-Year-Old Market.

In a direct-mail campaign, materials tailored to the interests of 19- to 23-year-olds were distributed to subscribers of five selected automobile and motorcycle magazines with a high proportion of readership in this age group. The strategy was evaluated by comparing the number of enlistments in this group of subscribers with the number produced in a group who did not receive the materials. the direct-mail campaign did not have a significant impact on enlistment rates and was not effective in appealing to the target population of 19- to 23-year-olds. Factors considered in interpreting the lack of impact were the size of the direct-mail campaign, the type of design used to evaluate impact, the extent to which the materials appealed to target group members, and the recruiting environment in which the field test was conducted.