As budgets tighten and digital performance gets increasingly competitive, Direct Mail is stepping into a new role: the measurable, data rich engine for customer growth. On Thursday, October 16, we gathered an invite-only group of brand and growth leaders at the Virgin Hotel in New York City for the first-ever DMX Summit—an afternoon built for practical ideas, peer exchange, and 2026 planning. The goal: get real about what’s working in Direct Mail (DM) now, how it integrates with digital and streaming, and where budgets should shift next year.
Setting the Stage for 2026
We kicked off with Bruce Biegel of Winterberry Group, who shared an early look at 2026 spend and trend lines, covering macro headwinds, creative and data investment shifts, and DM’s evolving role in omnichannel growth. That set the tone for a lively panel featuring leaders from TruGreen, HelloFresh, and FanDuel, who discussed how DM continues to drive measurable ROI alongside email, paid social, CTV, and search—plus the internal hurdles that come with maximizing channel investment.
"Direct Mail is the workhorse for customer
acquisition. Email, social, and display
performance are all fueled by what’s on the
kitchen counter.”
-Janice Haggerty, FanDuel
Practical Wins and Modern Frameworks
From there, we dove into fast-paced sessions spotlighting segmentation success stories, winning DM formats, and frameworks for measuring performance impact. The unifying thread: when audience development is grounded in real, actionable customer signals, and when creative and landing experiences are tuned for conversion, direct mail outperforms—solidifying its position as one of marketing’s most reliable and profitable growth levers.
The day wrapped with The 2025 Direct Marketer’s Mindset, a data-driven look at best practices, integration lessons, and innovation priorities for the year ahead. The conversations were candid, the energy high—and attendees left with notebooks full of new test ideas to implement immediately.
“I learned a ton about creative, testing strategy,
and attribution. I have a bulleted list of things
we want to try immediately.”
Dale Sperling, CMO, Trust & Will
5 Key Takeaways
- Budget with 2026 in mind now. Align your creative, data, and testing roadmaps to 2026 spend trends and focus DM experiments on your highest-leverage growth themes.
- Segmentation beats spray and pray. Durable wins come from precise audience design tied to lifecycle triggers, not just higher volume.
- Formats matter (and so does the destination). Today’s top-performing DM formats pair with friction-free digital paths, QR codes that load fast, present clear offers, and simplify conversions.
- Prove incrementality, not just response. Treat DM as a testable system. Use holdouts, matched-market tests, and MMM/MTA hybrids to credibly claim impact and protect budgets.
- Make integration the default. DM performs best when it’s built to coexist with email, CTV, and paid media sharing creative cues, behavioral data, and measurement plans.
"It’s clear that integration is key—especially
connecting behavioral data across your mail
program and all other channels.”
-Dana Foster, USPS
Looking Ahead
Special thanks to our speakers, partners, and attendees for an afternoon of straight talk, sharp insights, and bold ideas. Hosting at Virgin Hotel NYC gave us the perfect backdrop for a day that was equal parts practical and high-energy. Couldn’t make it? Stay tuned. We’ll be publishing deeper dives on creative formats, segmentation strategies, and measurement in the weeks ahead.
Would you like hear more about any aspect of the event? Please reach out. We'd love to share learnings if they can support your next Direct Mail program. hello@liftagency.co
Mike Fogarty
Managing Partner
