Direct Mail: The Latest Bells and Whistles

Reprinted from Inside Direct Mail, July, 2007

The Latest Bells & Whistles. Compiled by Ethan Boldt.

Once de rigueur in sweepstakes packages, bells and whistles have since migrated to other efforts, often in interesting ways.

They're trying to get your attention. Can't you hear them? See, in case you're not already, they want you to get involved. We're talking about bells and whistles (B&Ws), involvement devices that direct mailers have relied on for well over a decade in order to increase total response.

In the search for a thorough breakdown of the latest generation of B&Ws, as well as an understanding of their overall purpose in the first place, we decided to turn to the most logical group within the direct mail industry: copywriters and designers. To capture the honest expression and precise type -- including ALL CAPS and the occasional exclamation marks! -- of these creative professionals, we conducted a series of e-mail interviews. Here's what they had to say.

IDM: How would you describe "bells and whistles?"
Elaine Tyson, president of Tyson Associates, Inc. in Brookfield, Conn.: They are those exciting little things that help involve prospects in a mailing and push them to the mailbox.
Ruth Sheldon, president of New York-based Ruth K. Sheldon & Associates: B&Ws are some element in a mailing that makes it stand out so a prospect will say to himself, "Wow, this is different. I'll take a look," instead of "It's just ANOTHER AD," before chucking it in the wastebasket.
Heidi Wells, freelance copywriter based in Chicago: This attention-getting device could be as simple as a peel-off sticker or as elaborate as a personalized, handwritten Post-it note tipped on the outer.
Debra Jason, owner of The Write Direction in Hanalei, Hawaii: They include stickers/stamps, three-dimensional mailings and are something that catches [a prospect's] attention and keeps them involved with the piece longer. It could even be a referral to a Web site where they play a game or enter a contest.

IDM: What are their overall purpose?
Jason: They are involvement devices; those things direct marketers test in an attempt to boost responses (and keep our clients happy).
Tyson: They purpose is to add some excitement and sizzle to the package. The more involved in the mailing your prospect becomes -- the longer he or she keeps reading -- the better chance you have to make a sale.
Wells: The only purpose of B&Ws is to boost response.

IDM: Are there intangibles of B&Ws that copywriters may accidentally neglect?
Jason: The one bell and whistle I think is very important is EMOTION. Emotion may not physically get someone involved in a mailing piece, but if you "push the right buttons," you get your customers/prospects involved emotionally and that [can get] responses.
The best thing to do is your homework. Research the audience, the product, the likes/dislikes, public awareness, etc. Knowing that helps you unleash those things that push their buttons.
Karen Weinstein, owner of Karen Weinstein Design in New York: When I'm designing any package, I have to be as aware as the copywriter about the B&Ws. It's all about the target audience, the history of the magazine, the offer, what's been done and what hasn't worked. The bells and whistles have to stand out in a way that doesn't take the reader's attention away from the target. It's got to be there to enhance, rather than to make it so important that it robs Peter to pay Paul.

IDM: What are some recent examples of B&Ws in direct mail that you've found particularly effective?
Tyson: The B&Ws that are most effective have been around for some time and continue to be effective in the mail -- things like stickers, premiums, respond-by dates, multiple enclosures in a package and use of the word "FREE."
"Free" is not as powerful as it once was, but it remains a pretty good attention-getter. Offers that give people a choice -- Yes/No/Maybe -- certainly fall into this category.
Wells: I've specialized in publishing for the past 25 years, so I can't help but notice the evolution of the "voucher" package. One of my clients has had success by jazzing up the Statement of Benefits with color.
Doug King, member of the USPS Sales Strategy Group: One of the fastest growing techniques is the use of a personalized URL, or pURL, as a response device as well as [a] qualification tool for marketers. These pURLs always contain the name of the targeted individual, which make sit hard to resist going to the site, and [they] are populated with demographic or psychographic data to match the recipient, as well as the ubiquitous greeting by name. Originally pioneered as e-mail links, they are now increasingly finding uses like beefing up the inexpensive postcard, or even personalized letters.

IDM: How did one of your packages harness the power of B&Ws?
Sheldon: The more effective B&Ws seem to come in the form of dimensional mailings. In a three-pronged campaign I created for the St. Regis Hotel, which was targeted to corporate secretaries, I used a 6" butler in the first mailing to highlight the fact that 'A butler on every floor' differentiated the St. Regis from other hotels.
The second mailing used a head pillow that accompanied the sales letter and it stated that 'You can rest easy' when you book your next meeting at the St. Regis. The third effort contained a glassine envelope with down feathers to show the elaborate detail the hotel would go to -- including the guest's preferred 'down comforter feather weight' -- to ensure the ultimate comfort of its guests. (BTW: This campaign increased hotel revenue by 68 percent!)
I'm currently working on a project for a news magazine where the outer envelope is replaced by a sphere that shows a map of the world on the inside. This serves to highlight the scope of the magazine's coverage. It also provides a value-added element for prospects in the form of a usable map.

IDM: How would you improve upon an existing mailing's B&Ws?
Jason: In my mail the other day, there were approximately seven different credit card offers and at least five of them said the same thing on the OE: 0 percent interest APR. I was always taught (and teach it myself in marketing classes), don't give features -- give benefits. So, to capture an audience's attention, put that together with emotion and then tell me how 0 percent interest does something good for me.
Wells: The New York magazine voucher could make better use of the second window on the outer. Instead of 'NEW YORK' showing through, why not use a personalized reply-by date, which has been shown to boost response?
Sheldon: Mailings are so expensive these days that any promotion that doesn't pull its own weight or at least make money on the back end is just that -- a waste of money.

IDM: What's the future of B&Ws?
Jason: It is an ongoing challenge to get that envelope open so it's possible more outrageous B&Ws (i.e. three-dimensional ones or pop-ups -- something that takes a reader by surprise) will come into the limelight. However, with postage costs constantly rising, I'm not sure just how outrageous a company can be unless they have lots of money behind them.
Wells: With the new postal increase, we'll all have to come up with creative ways to mail cheaper and smarter.
Sheldon: I think the use of B&Ws will probably decrease in the future. However, if the B&Ws are clever, relate specifically to the offer, are effectively targeted and generate enough interest, anything is possible.
Tyson: Smart marketers will continue to use as many B&Ws in every package as cost will permit and some of them cost very little, such as respond-by dates. Too many subscription marketers have opted out of testing the use of involvement devices, premiums and other techniques known to improve response. But the companies who have never abandoned direct mail and put their testing dollars in the budget every year continue to prosper. That won't change.
I don't see anything outrageous on the horizon for magazine publishers as cost is a big factor for them and the audit bureaus and/or USPS would surely prevent it. No one can afford to mail First Class to avoid postal restrictions and there are limits on offers for magazines that are audited. It's not anything goes in direct mail. Yet, you need to keep an open mind and test ideas that you may need to adapt first to make them work for you and your budget.

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