Of course, we all know that it never actually went away, but it’s still a nice sentiment and clearly one that resonates with consumers and marketers.

In this particular instance, the specific type of print I’m talking about is the kind that might have anonymously blanketed doormats of UK households in years gone by, but was in very real danger of going the same way as the beloved ‘pinta’ on the nation’s doorstep.

But thanks to disruptive digital technologies, the rapid growth of online retailing, the ubiquitousness of email and, well, rising mailing costs, printed mail now boasts the kind of cut-through that other forms of direct marketing can only dream about.

Not so long ago the aforementioned factors were being cited as the killers of direct mail, but as highlighted in our direct marketing league table feature, in a welcome twist of fate they combined to ensure the not so humble mail piece is ‘Back for revenge, and this time it’s personal’.

Okay, so perhaps in terms of a Hollywood blockbuster plotline, it’s unlikely to fill many a local multiplex – but when it to comes to a business case study, it would make for a pretty compelling read on how a series of seemingly insurmountable challenges ended up creating a significant opportunity.

In fact, let’s be honest, you don’t have to look too hard through the annals of industry to realise that if there’s one sector that has repeatedly made turning adversity into triumph into an art form it has to be print.

Although that’s hardly surprising, because there aren’t that many sectors whose death has been so often prematurely predicted either!