E is for Envelope
The envelope is obviously one of the most important components of any direct mail pack because it is the first element where you start explaining "setting the scene for the campaign" for the recipient.
There seems to be a great deal of discussion in the marketing press about whether or not you should put marketing messages on envelopes, or if it is more successful to keep them plain so people don't know who the communication is from until they open it.
I am firmly in the camp of using envelopes to make it quite clear what you are doing. There has been extensive research done on people's habits when it comes to opening their post, and the vast majority of direct mail is opened. We need to understand that these days we are talking to a sophisticated audience that knows they are being sold to.
By developing a mailpack where all components work as a "team", with the envelope as the opening batsman, we can ensure that we put our target audience in the right frame of mind.
A good example of this is a recent Guinness campaign which promoted the concept of drinking Guinness at home. The envelope takes the strong visual imagery of the brand to make it obvious who the mailing is from (even with a postmark in the shape of a Guinness pint glass with the customary black body and white head) and asks "What are you coming home to tonight?" on the front of the envelope. On the reverse there is a front door which also reflects the image of a pint of Guinness and states, "Now there's a thought".
When targeted at known Guinness drinkers, the use of strong branding on the outside is going to be much more effective when it comes to ensuring that mailing gets opened. Recipients know exactly what to expect before they have even read the letter copy, and with the whole pack working together the message becomes much stronger and more coherent.
F is for Features and Benefits
I've talked about these before but I can't stress enough the importance of using them in the right way.
G is for Gold
The "gold" I'm talking about here is a legend in the direct marketing industry. It is the letter copy for Amex Gold card, which ran for years unchanged and was incredibly successful. Any copywriter who is asked to write for a credit card will be given a copy of this letter as inspiration.
While it uses AIDA (see A is for AIDA), it changes round the order. The first paragraphs warm the recipient up and put the desire for having such an exclusive product upfront -- you aren't even told exactly what the product is until the fourth paragraph. The reason that this letter works so well is because it makes you feel special -- one of the chosen few who will have people falling at your feet when you get your card out. Flattery will get you everywhere.
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