Snail mail may seem outdated in the digital era, but direct mail campaigns garnered a higher response rate than any digital channel in 2016. Canvas8 spoke with Charlotte Pearce, founder of Inkpact – a handwritten marketing company – to find out why the pen can be mightier than the keyboard.

Whether it’s cluttering our inboxes or littering our letterboxes, junk mail is an unavoidable irritation; Brits receive 3.2 billion pieces every year. But while it might be hateful, it’s also effective. What is it about direct mail that spurs sales even as we rip it up and chuck it out?

Despite living in the digital era – with note-taking apps offering a high-tech alternative to regular notepads – manufacturers of writing tools and planners are experiencing a boom. So what’s behind the return of pen and paper? And is this revival anything more than a hipsterish fad?

Online advertising has transformed from once-static, clickable images to targeted messages that follow people as they browse. Canvas8 spoke to Don Marti, a Mozilla strategist and Nudgestock speaker, to learn how this evolution has impacted the perception and effectiveness of digital ads.