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Gimmickry for the sake of gimmickry is a big no-no when it comes to direct mail. But distinctive brands need distinctive mail packs.

If a mailing can capture our attention before we even have a clue what the message or product is, then you're onto a winner.

In the B2B market, distinctive packs established a foothold long ago, facilitated by smaller prospect pools and the fact that there is often no letterbox to restrict delivery.

Harrison Troughton Wunderman recently sent a toner cartridge to 7,600 existing Xerox colour copier and printer owners to encourage them to upgrade their machines. The toner is synonymous with the category and is directly linked with the idea of "replacement".

Xerox Europe direct marketing manager Anthony Hyde accepts that size is usually not an issue when mailing big corporates. "But people still often have pigeonholes for their mail. You can decide to be deliberately too big in order to achieve standout so that it gets put on the desk, but be careful not to be annoying."

An oversized mailer sent to a small firm that relies on the letterbox could alienate the recipient. But the Xerox pack was a huge success, generating a 17 per cent response rate, which converted into sales of £1.25m - a 600 per cent return on investment.

Distinctive packs in the B2C market are also becoming more common. Volvo recently sent a metal container to 30,000 prospects to promote the new aluminium D5 diesel engine. As the can was made from aluminium as well, the material became the 'hero' of the mailing. The overall budget was limited to £1 a pack, but the creative team at EHS Brann was determined to use an aluminium can as the theme. It was therefore necessary to make the can flat-packed to fit through a letterbox.

The metal had to be tough enough to withstand the post, as a traditional outer would have taken away from its impact. "By working with Royal Mail we knew it would mail successfully," says EHS spokeswoman Nicki Mason.

"By rigorous testing, we can try different weights and sizes and then do postal samplings of each variant." Royal Mail itself recently did a series of mailings to show it could carry delicate and fresh items through the post. An egg mailing used a reinforced box and was successful.

Size matters

Like the Xerox pack, the Volvo mailer also achieved a 600 per cent return on a pack costing 26p postage per can. But Mason is concerned that future changes to postal charges could negatively affect these sorts of mailings.

"Size-based pricing would have an enormous impact. Royal Mail is fully aware of our feelings and it will no doubt limit our creative ability for packs in the future."

Mason is not alone in her concerns. WWAV Scotland has retrospectively priced postage for a series of non-standard format mailings it did for whisky brand Macallan. "The difference can be as much as 300 per cent, and that's on a mailing that was actually small and relatively light," explains group communications director Robert Mayes.

Having promoted direct mail for many years, Mayes believes that Royal Mail's size-based pricing proposal would put a tax on creativity, making it a less attractive medium.

Royal Mail's head of media solutions, Tim Rivett, accepts that the charges will affect companies, but the cost savings to Royal Mail, without any revenue implications, means it is anxious to push the plan through.

Rivett believes that if Royal Mail encourages better targeting and machineable mailings, direct mail will remain cost-effective. "Talk to us. Even if the size of a mail pack is reduced by a couple of millimetres, costs will be reduced and it may be deliverable by the postman."

Creative solutions

Rivett also cautions creatives to remember that unusual items "could appear dodgy to the public", such as the powder mailings sent in the US during the anthrax scare.

Tullo Marshall Warren did a campaign for the COI to encourage anaesthetists to join the RAF. Its gimmick was a bottle of pills in a prescription bag, so it needed Royal Mail's approval as the mailer could be mistaken for carrying real tablets, rather than the sweets it really held. The agency then had the challenge of creating a realistic prescription bag that could travel through the post.

Print specialist 3 Dimensional Print was called in to create bags with corrugated fitments inserted to stop them collapsing and losing shape. It also printed the bags to give them an authentic look.

It's crucial for agencies to talk to their suppliers at the earliest stage possible. The printer itself can be the source of inspiration and critical to finding a solution to a creative concept.

Last Christmas, Guinness targeted 300,000 customers with a Christmas tree thank-you gift that required just a little Guinness to help it grow.

TMW came up with the creative, but it needed packaging robust enough to allow the tree to be posted.

TMW turned to cardboard engineering specialist Karran Group to design and create the pack. Karran went through six stages of prototyping - testing various materials, and checking the thickness, strength and durability of board.

It then took 100 staff at The Production House in Tottenham two weeks working around the clock to complete the hand fulfilment of the pack.

Again, it was crucial that it was involved early on to make sure it had the ability to fulfil such volumes.

It seems good communication with all parties, as well as trial and error, is the best advice when choosing an unusually shaped mailing.

TOP TIPS ON ... DISTINCTIVE PACKS

1. To make sure a mailing can be delivered by the postman, do the obvious thing: "It may sound facetious, but just try putting it through a letterbox," says TMW creative director Daren Kay.

2. Send prototype mailings through the post to check their robustness. "By rigorous testing, we can try different weights and sizes and then send samples of each variant," advises EHSBrann spokeswoman Nicki Mason.

3. Talk to suppliers as early as possible. "It's vital the client speaks to us early as we have to deliver against their budget and timing. We can often suggest tweaks that give significant savings without compromising the creative," says The Production House account director Liz Stigant.

4. Get advice from Royal Mail's helpline on 08547 740740. "We can also give you advice on intangible considerations, such as consumers' concerns," says Royal Mail's head of media solutions, Tim Rivett.

5. Postage costs vary depending on the size and weight of the item. Prices for a standard tariff, 10,000 mailing sent next day delivery are as follows:

- A letter: 165x240x5mm and 100g would cost £4,200.
- A flat: 250x353x10mm and 1kg would cost £36,700.
- A packet: 460x610x460mm and 2kg would cost £72,300.
For Royal Mail's discounts visit: www.mailsorttechnical.com.