Most direct mail campaigns fail because of operations, not bad creative

People tend to blame the design, messaging, or offer when a campaign underperforms, but operational issues are often the real problem. Bad address data, delayed delivery, poor targeting, disconnected vendors, or mail arriving too late can ruin an otherwise strong campaign.

A beautifully designed piece of mail won't matter if it reaches someone after they've already made a decision.

What's the biggest operational failure you've seen sink an otherwise solid campaign?