What Bill C-27 Means for Your Marketing

While it's a comprehensive piece of legislation, the key takeaway for marketers is its emphasis on transparency, consent, and accountability. It's composed of three main parts:

• The Consumer Privacy Protection Act (CPPA): This is the core of the bill, strengthening the rules around how businesses collect, use, and disclose personal information. It gives individuals more control over their data, including the right to have it deleted.
• The Personal Information and Data Protection Tribunal Act: This act establishes a new tribunal with the power to impose hefty fines on non-compliant organizations.
• The Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA): This part focuses on regulating high-impact AI systems to mitigate potential harms.

How does this affect direct mail? Since direct mail relies on physical addresses rather than the digital tracking cookies that are a key focus of the new laws, it’s a channel that's inherently more privacy-friendly. But that doesn't mean you can ignore the new rules. The legislation still requires you to have a solid privacy management program and to be transparent about how you handle customer data, even if it’s just for physical mail. The good news is, by using first-party data, you're already ahead of the curve.

Why First-Party Data is Direct Mail's Best Friend 🤝

First-party data is the information you collect directly from your customers through your own channels—things like their names, addresses, purchase history, and website interactions. It's the most valuable data you can have because it's accurate, relevant, and you own it. It's the foundation of a privacy-first marketing strategy.

When you use first-party data for direct mail, you're not just sending generic flyers. You're creating personalized, targeted campaigns that feel personal and trustworthy. This is where direct mail shines in the age of privacy. Instead of relying on third-party data that's becoming increasingly regulated, you can build meaningful relationships with the customers who have already shown interest in your brand.

For example, a retailer can send a personalized catalogue with special offers based on a customer’s past purchases. A real-life example is an automotive company that used direct mail to reconnect with past customers. By analyzing their first-party data, they sent a personalized message with a special service offer to individuals whose vehicle was nearing its service anniversary. The result? A significant increase in service appointments and customer loyalty, all while respecting privacy by using data they had collected directly.

Direct Mail is Delivering Results in 2025 📈

Despite the rise of digital marketing, direct mail continues to be a top-performing channel, and the data proves it.

• Trust and Engagement: Studies show that direct mail is highly trusted. In fact, 82% of people trust direct mail marketing, and 70% of customers find direct mail more personal than digital communications. The average direct mail engagement rate is a staggering 95%, with pieces being interacted with an average of four times at home.
• Higher ROI: Direct mail has consistently delivered a higher median return on investment (ROI) than other marketing channels, with an average ROI of 112%. This outperforms email (93%), paid search (88%), and social media advertising (81%).
• Personalization Power: Thanks to advances in technology like AI-powered personalization, direct mail is more effective than ever. Personalized direct mail campaigns can drive up to 135% higher response rates compared to non-personalized campaigns.
• Omnichannel Synergy: Direct mail doesn't exist in a vacuum. When coordinated with digital channels, it can boost response rates by 63% and increase website visits by 68%. Including a QR code on a mailer, for instance, seamlessly bridges the physical and digital worlds, driving online conversions.

A great example of this is a Canadian financial institution that combined a personalized direct mail piece with a follow-up email campaign. The mailer, which highlighted a new mortgage product, included a QR code linking to a personalized landing page. This coordinated approach led to a 53% increase in qualified leads, demonstrating the power of a holistic, privacy-conscious strategy that combines direct mail and digital into a highly powerful marketing mix. 

Ready to Power Up Your Campaign? 🚀

The future of marketing is all about building trust and delivering value. Bill C-27 isn't a roadblock; it's an opportunity. By leveraging the privacy-friendly nature of direct mail and the power of your first-party data, you can create campaigns that are not only compliant but also incredibly effective.

Contact DRMG today to learn more and start your next direct mail campaign. Let's work together to connect with your customers in a meaningful, responsible, and data-driven way.