It wasn't long ago that the standard of printed matter in our letterboxes was of such high quality that a new term was coined. "Unaddressed Advertising Material" was the new "Junk Mail."


It wasn't just to keep those in advertising feeling good about what they did all day, although that would not be a first, the catalogues being produced were the perfect mix of branding and selling. 


Stunning photography and captivating copy was in. UAM was the slinky, new, black number and Junk Mail was the old track suit. 


People used catalogues like coffee table books, impressing visitors with their discerning taste. In the case of my parent's house, the true litmus test of a good catalogue was if it made it onto the magazine rack in "the reading room", the toilet.


So what happened?


Homes all still have letterboxes and those letter boxes are still full of printed matter from retailers vying for our dollar. 


Why these days are we bombarded with product and price, percentage off, buy one get one free, sale, Sale, SALE! etc?When I check my mailbox lately all see is red, literally. 


Junk mail is back! Now with added starbursts and the overuse of exclamation marks!!!


Why are retailers who advertise via the letterbox assuming everyone shops based on price? I have a letterbox, so does my neighbour, my rich uncle has one too, as do my young hipster friends. We all live in the same suburb and check our mailboxes daily, yet only one of us is a "bargain only" shopper.


My wife no longer takes me to the mall with her by the way.


Is the Internet to blame? Is it distribution costs? Is it the cyclical return of the in-house art department? Is it all of these factors combined and more?


Why then is there no longer anything making it from the letterbox to my parents toilet?


From what I can tell, standing out from the crowd in the current batch of letterbox catalogues would be like shooting fish in a barrel. 


When you are already spending that much on print and distribution, it's the creative that makes the difference.