How’s this for a miscalculation? Per Annum, a small firm specializing in corporate gifts, eliminated its annual direct mailing last year, and suffered a 25% drop in orders.

“We realized we had made a huge mistake,” Alicia Settle, president of the New York firm, told the Wall Street Journal. The firm has since restored its hand-signed letters program, and is pleased with the results.

That change of heart was one of several uncovered by the Journal in an article titled, “Firms Hold Fast to Snail Mail Marketing.” As the headline implies, the Journal found that “some entrepreneurs who were quick to write off direct mail as too pricey or passé are finding it’s not so easy to dismiss.”

Another was Peter Taffae, founder of ExecutivePerils, a wholesale insurance broker. Customers missed the firm’s colorful postcards based on satirical movie themes—and they let Taffae know it. He, too, has returned to the mails.

How sweet—a positive story about direct mail after months of negative coverage. We’ve seen pieces on everything from state do-not-mail bills to studies showing the medium is dead. And that’s only in the last couple of weeks.

And we’re not the only ones who feel this way. Browsing around the Internet for reaction, we saw quotes like these:

“Emotional industry attachments aside, I really do believe well crafted, targeted DM print combined with a little web and email delivers astounding results.” Click here for more.

“Sure businesses do need to evolve but to what extent is completely dependent on what kind of business it is, what their existing customers are used to and how new customers can be attracted to the offerings.” Click here for more.

“This news might inspire small business owners to change up their marketing strategies for the year, as Marketing Profs says that just 20 percent of SMBs plan to increase direct mail marketing this year.” Click here for more.

We agree that direct mail works best with like email and the Web in a multi-channel campaign, one utilizing the direct mail lists and email marketing lists. Thanks to the Wall Street Journal for the fine article.