The Cost Per Impression Era Is Over featuring Prof. Jonathan Zhang
From Nerd Marketing by Nerd Marketing
October 7, 2025 · 40 min · Episode 98
About this episode
Harvard marketing professor Jonathan Zhang discusses the advantages of direct mail over digital channels in terms of customer acquisition cost and lifetime value.
Harvard-published marketing professor Jonathan Zhang joins Drew and Mike to unpack research showing how direct mail drives lower CAC and higher lifetime value than digital channels. They dig into the psychology of touch, why Gen Z actually loves mail, and how brands like Amazon and Warby Parker proved it first. A data-driven roadmap for the next five years of marketing.
People in this episode
Hosts: Drew, Mike
Guest: Jonathan Zhang
Topics covered
- direct mail
- customer acquisition cost
- lifetime value
- Gen Z
- marketing psychology
- digital channels
Keywords
- direct mail
- customer acquisition cost
- lifetime value
- Gen Z
- marketing
- digital channels
- psychology of touch
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Harvard, Amazon, Warby Parker
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