The January 2010 issue of our ‘Sample of the Month’ direct mail case study features our client American Craft Council and their test of new outer envelope creative for their #10 control package.

American Craft Council worked with ProCirc, their circulation management partner, to execute this test with Ballantine handling the printing and mailing portion of the project. Sage Communications handled the copy & design.

Both #10 packages (control and test) contained the same exact 5 components: 2-page letter with perfed reply card, 2-panel brochure, buckslip and BRE. The offer for both was a 1-year subscription to American Craft magazine for $20.

   CLICK HERE for pictures of the #10 control and test.

Test Summary

American Craft Council’s control package was a #10 package with a plain, double-window outer envelope. One window carried the address block and the other window showed a personalized membership card.

In January of 2009, they tested this against a #10 package with the same exact components, but a completely different outer.

The OE had the address block imaged on the back and only one window on the front. This one window showed the personalized membership card and blended in with the creative. View pictures here.

Test Strategy

The strategy with the test was to add more impact to the outer envelope’s design and, more specifically, to make the OE creative work together with the window placement for greater effect. The design was created so it looks like two hands are giving the membership card to the recipient.

Test Results

The small initial test panel included in the January 2009 campaign had a 64% increase over the control verification panel! American Craft Council rolled out to the new package in their next campaign six months later. With the much larger rollout quantity, it still captured an impressive 36% increase in net response over the previous control. The “two hands” package is now the current control and Ballantine just mailed a 3rd campaign one week ago.

Questions & Comments

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Testing is the name of the game when it comes to direct marketing. And with direct mail specifically, there are MANY variables to test including the type of window you use when mailing an envelope package.

Click the play button below to watch a 3 minute video that contains 10 possible window test ideas.

Standard size sheets were not created for the envelope industry. As a result, many envelope vendors use sheeters (a machine) to convert rolls of paper into the most efficient sheet size possible.

For paper that does not come in rolls, ask your vendor if a larger size envelope may run on a standard size sheet more efficiently.

For example, a 6” x 9” envelope will run 6 out on a 28” x 40” sheet with roughly 6 inches of waste. For the same amount of paper, you can fit 6 up of a 6” x 11.5” envelope with minimal additional charges.

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