Control Packages

I’ve written and designed various types of control packages throughout my career.  While some creative professionals would prefer to work on something more “creative”, I really enjoy the beat-the-control challenge.  You get to sharpen your direct marketing skills as you consider the Pavlovian effects that copy and layout have on consumers as they scan the pile of mail they get every day. Here’s a look at three of them:

FLEET SMALL BUSINESS CREDIT EXPRESS

We stumbled upon an interesting insight one day while crunching the numbers on responders: the majority of applicants chose to fax the application back instead of using the BRE. So we created an application that posed as a fax cover sheet. Also, we shortened the letter to bullet points so it read as instructional: “… we know you’re time is valuable… simply fill out the application and fax it back to us and we’ll process it immediately…”.

Later on we added a yellow lift note highlighting rate information which boosted response.

 MCI ACQUISITION MAILING

I suppose after using the telephone for a while, consumers get how it works. Local calls are in your area, long distance is far away, it always works unless there’s a big storm, etc. Still, phone companies mail these lush, voluminous, over-priced packages with bad stock photos of people on the phone – including a foreign-looking person on the other line to help you understand what long distance means. The only difference about MCI’s assignment here was that they were offering a $25 Blockbuster gift card. So we proposed a package that said what it had to say, and made it the size of the gift card. So small, it stood out big time in the daily pile of mail and got MCI a big time response.

FLEET CREDIT CARD

This wasn’t suppose to happen.  But at the last minute, the bank announced more competitive pricing, and the client asked if we could mail something fast.  Jokingly, I said “Sure – we can just take an existing package, cross out the word INTRO and write in FIXED. Bam! You’re done.”  A couple of years went by before something else beat it.  Anomalies stand out in the mailbox.  I’ve learned from this mailing that it’s a bad idea to treat direct mail like a work of art.  Sometimes agencies (and clients) will impose designer qualifications upon DM assignments when they should be focusing on what WORKS.