Artistic Direct Mail

     When we design direct mail packages for clients, we often try to come up with something that the recipient will hold onto. We can do this through creative personalization, by including something informative or useful, or simply by coming up with a format that is so cool the person who receives it simply can't throw it away.
     A few days ago, the Queen B received a smart little package that is still sitting on her desk. Here's what it looks like:

     The outer envelope is fairly straightforward. It comes from the Tufts Art Gallery and a teaser along the bottom alerts that the package contains an invitation to a September 11th event. A quick note on the placement of the teaser: you can see that a USPS bar code is interfering with the artwork. Putting the message above or along the left hand side of the address would have avoided this. 
     However, this is a minor grievance when followed up with the abundance of colorful content we discovered inside:

     A bright yellow belly band contained four cards, each depicting the work of a particular artist featured in the gallery event.

     The backs of the cards gave quick biographical statements and, again, encouraged our attendance at the opening event. Each felt like a miniature work of art, and the overall effect was, well ... effective. Having experienced a taste of the upcoming exhibit, we were definitely intrigued to learn more.
     Best of all, four days later, the cards still haven't been thrown out. And, the event is written, in ink, on the Queen B's calendar.
     Our only other bit of constructive criticism (aside from the observation about the teaser placement on the envelope) is that the piece would have benefitted from a reply device. A simple one- or two-color additional insert could have accomplished multiple things: collected email addresses, provided a URL for additional information, served as an event reminder to slip into a wallet or pocket, offered driving directions or coordinates for a GPS.
     Overall, however, the art enthusiast b's at B Direct give this direct mail work of art a big thumbs-up!

To Fee or Not to Fee

   We clicked on an Aer Lingus banner ad this afternoon that promised us low fares to London. 

     It brought us to a web page that listed sample fares from Boston, Chicago and New York.

     The fares did look pretty good (not cheap, by any means, but easily half the going rate these days). But something else caught our eye:

In the upper right of the page, Aer Lingus was promoting its "Total Pricing" policy. It promised "No surprises" and that "Our fares now include all taxes & fees." We liked this idea! Too often, you select a fare only to find that the actual price you pay is tens or even hundreds more when airport fees and taxes are included.
     Imagine our surprise then when we scrolled down and found the following disclaimer copy:

     Since you may not be able to read the screen grab, here's what we learned:

* Terms & Conditions

Fares are per person, round-trip including carrier and government imposed fees and taxes including the September 11th Security Fee of $2.50 per enplanement originating at a U.S. airport. Fluctuations in exchange rates may affect some taxes and fees.

Additional Fees:

Fares are an additional $20 each way when traveling Friday through Sunday. There is an additional $20-$40 each way surcharge for fares purchased at an Aer Lingus airport ticket counter or through (800) IRISH-AIR.

    So, apparently their "No surprises" policy is only good four out of seven days a week. Too bad. The $2.50 fee that's included is considerably less than the $20-$40 fee that is not. Bit o' bait and switch, mate?
     If you can really (really, really, we mean really) live up to a "No Hidden Fees" policy, by all means do promote it. If you can't, then by all means ... don't. Thumbs-down from the b's at B Direct I'm afraid.

Too Too Much

     We often design oversized postcards for clients. They stand out; they provide enough real estate for branding, copy and offers. Bigger can be better, but this oversized (8.5 x 11") postcard showed up today, and it is just too much!

     Help! Where do you look first? On the so-called "art side" of this postcard, we have an image and a headline and a subhead and some copy and a subhead and a bulleted list and a subhead and some copy and a screen grab and a URL. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!
     The image of the mother and baby is compelling. But, the recipient doesn't get a moment to look at it with all the other material crying for attention.
     The back or address side of the postcard is also overcrowded:

     The coupons are a good idea, but they would be more convenient (easier to tear off) if they ran along the bottom or a side edge. The bulleted copy is the same as the bulleted copy on the front of the card.
     Clearly, the creative team, the client or both come from the school of "We're paying for the paper anyway, why waste it on white space?" Here's a few reasons: it's easier on the eye, it makes your content stand out; it helps ensure the space that isn't white gets read.
     The b's at B Direct give this big fat card a bit fat thumbs-down. Sorry. There's just too much there there.