Advertising by mail has become much less effective, with fewer consume

Junk Mail


Step 1: Identify the Question

The words if true and support in the question stem indicate that this is a Strengthen the Argument question.

Step 2: Deconstruct the Argument

Mail ad à Less eff (++ junk)

Ó Target mail ads à improve resp rate

Step 3: Pause and State the Goal

On Strengthen questions, the correct answer should make the conclusion more likely to be valid. What would make it more likely that the plan to more carefully target mailed advertisements will have its intended effect of increasing response rate?

Step 4: Work from Wrong to Right

(A) The argument focuses on the effects of a particular plan: more targeted advertising to improve response rates. Whether there alternative methods to improve response rates is not relevant.

(B) If anything, this choice weakens the argument. If some companies (successful ones!) are already targeting ads but overall response rates are still declining (as the argument states), then perhaps the plan is not a good one after all.

(C) The argument already states that consumers frequently discard advertisements. This answer does not provide any additional information.

(D) This answer provides an additional means that companies could use to improve response rates: improving the quality of materials. However, this answer does not address whether the plan in the argument (more targeted advertising) will be effective on its own.

(E) CORRECT. This answer provides evidence that the plan will have its intended effect: targeted advertising does generate higher response rates.

Evaluation of a Plan

Situation
Advertising by mail has become less effective because consumers overwhelmed with the amount of junk mail they receive discard almost all of it without considering it.

Reasoning
What would most help to support the claim that making mail advertising more carefully targeted would improve response rates? The passage recommends targeted advertising, reasoning that since targeted advertising would reduce the total amount of junk mail consumers receive, it would generate higher response rates. Any additional evidence for the claim that carefully targeted advertising would improve response rates would support this recommendation.

(A) Even if targeted advertising and every other means of improving response rates were too expensive to be cost-effective, targeted advertising could still be effective for any corporation willing to pay the expense.

(B) If many corporations already mail targeted advertising, and mail advertising is nonetheless yielding declining response rates, that suggests that targeted mail is an ineffective way to increase response rates.

(C) This could be equally true for targeted and untargeted mail advertising, so it does not suggest that the former is more effective.

(D) The question under consideration is whether more carefully targeted mail advertising would in itself increase response rates, not whether higher quality advertising would do so.

(E) Correct. This provides some evidence that carefully targeted mail advertising is associated with higher response rates than untargeted mail advertising is, and therefore that targeting mail advertising more carefully would improve response rates.