3 Personally Meaningful Direct Mail Pieces

TV may be the most powerful communication medium yet created, but there have been times when direct mail has been just as meaningful to me. The other day, my colleague Ginger Conlon tweeted a link to Adweek’s latest “Best Ads Ever” video feature. Here, industry execs and thought leaders discuss their 3 favorite TV ads. In this one, Susan Credle, FCB’s Global Chief Creative Officer, reveals her picks. One of them was the classic “Share the Fantasy”commercial for Chanel No. 5, directed by Ridley Scott. It was a surrealistic masterpiece, and I remember it well. So the first thing I thought about after her choices were some of mine. That list will have to wait for another day. But what sparked this post was when Credle was talking about “the power of what we do” in creating ads. Of the Chanel ad: “That piece of communication is still driving the purchase power of that brand for me today.” I thought about all of the great direct mail work I’ve seen over the years. Some of these packages are what we at Who's Mailing What! call the “Grand Controls.” They’re the box office champs that have been in the mail for 3 years or more … about 1,600, give or take a few. Quite a lot of the direct mail efforts that I thought about though, never got that far. They just worked on some level in making me take sit up straight, carefully look at them again, and then take action. I got to about 30 on my list of the most meaningful before I stopped. Here are my quick takes on 3 of them. 1. GEICO When I was buying a new car in 2005, I knew I wanted a new insurance company, instead of the small local agency I was with. The gecko was just starting to show up in GEICO’s mail. But what really got me was the simple but specific value proposition on the front of the envelope. Still works for me today. 2. Ocean Conservancy I was shocked and angry the first time I saw this poster back in 2010. It was mailed as the outer for the group’s membership appeal, and performed OK for them. A sea lion tangled in a fishing net is a powerful image. In vivid color, it perfectly illustrates Ocean Conservancy’s mission. And it made me give instantly then, and still does. 3. Penzeys Spices These people make a great catalog, one chock full of interesting and useful content. Surprisingly, I don’t have some of the oldest one that made me an instant fan. But this image gives you some idea of how their combination of information, recipes, and stories gets people to buy ... which I do, often, at their local brick-and-mortar store, So, marketers, what are your most personally memorable direct mail pieces, and why?

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3 Personally Meaningful Direct Mail Pieces

Paul Bobnak

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Paul Bobnak