It seems to make sense that online advertising would be better for your company's bottom line than more traditional methods due to the lower cost. But does it really translate? A study done by MIT Sloan Assistant Professor Alessandro Bonatti doesn't think so.

"The same search and other technology that enabled advertisers to target particular audiences is also creating greater online competition for the same audience, thus reducing the profitability of advertising on any targeted website, " says Bonatti. He also writes that it doesn't follow that online advertisers will make more money than traditional ones.

I don't know about you, but I tend to gloss over the clutter of advertisements on the web sites that I visit, while a direct mail piece that catches my eye in the mailbox will almost certainly get a lookover. Direct mail can be printed and addressed quickly and in full color on equipment like RISO's full color inkjet printers. New media is great but sometimes the tested and true methods are still the best!