The July 2011 issue of our ‘Sample of the Month’ case study newsletter features our client Wildlife Conservation Society and their successful test of live, low-denomination stamps on their outers. Ballantine handled the printing and mailing of this campaign.

CLICK HERE to enlarge the image to the right.

 
Quick Summary

This spring, the Wildlife Conservation Society had a last-minute change in one of their fundraising direct mail campaigns which effectively nixed a package test they had planned for an appeal to help them establish a new national park in Africa protecting gorillas. This sudden change gave them an opportunity to test something they had always been thinking about — live, low-denomination stamps on their outers.

The test was simple — the control would be their standard, closed-faced #10 outer with a presorted mail stamp affixed to it, but for the test, they would include two real $0.01 Tiffany lamp stamps next to the presorted mail stamp.

Ballantine also added a faux cancellation graphic that made it look even more like the piece was just a normal letter coming through the mail and not a pre-packaged, bulk mailing. Everything inside the package (letter, reply form, photo card and BRE) was exactly the same for both versions.

 
Test Strategy

Wildlife Conservation Society knows they have about 1.3 seconds to persuade someone to open their mail piece, and they figured anything they could do to make it look more like a personal piece of mail rather than a mass-market communication would give them an advantage in capturing the recipient’s attention.

 
Test Results

The additional stamps definitely gave them the edge they were seeking. Their response rate and average gift amount both jumped 20% versus the control, and the revenue generated by the test panel was 45% greater than the control.

On the expense side, this test cost them virtually nothing additional. Since the value of the live $0.01 stamps was applied to the postage due for the mail piece, the only real added expense was a very small stamp-affixing charge. With such a big bang for little buck, they’ll be rolling out with the extra stamps on future appeals.

If you would like to support the Wildlife Conservation Society, please donate here.

The May 2011 issue of our ‘Sample of the Month’ case study newsletter features our client Issues in Science and Technology and their successful mailing of a #10 package redesign.

Ballantine handled the creative, printing and mailing of this campaign. CLICK HERE to enlarge the image to the right.

Quick Summary

ISSUES is a quarterly policy journal of the University of Texas at Dallas. They mail one large campaign annually to acquire new subscribers. Their previous #10 package contained a 2-page letter, 2-page excerpt letter, reply card and BRE. The package was 2-color with very little graphics.

Their results were getting stale so they turned to Ballantine for a creative makeover including format, copy and design. We redesigned the package with more 4-color personality and slimmed it down a bit to lower costs. The new #10 package included a 1-page letter, folded buckslip, reply card and BRE. Both offers were the same.

Campaign Results

Ballantine’s new design and aggressive pricing enabled ISSUES to mail 36% more packages for the same price they were paying for previous campaigns. And the redesign increased the number of orders they received by 21%.

Happy Client

According to the ISSUES’ Circulation Director, “It pays to go with a company that has so much experience with direct mail. It was wonderful working with the staff at Ballantine on this campaign. The job was completed quickly, professionally, and with great results. We saved money and have a much better looking and performing piece.”

The March 2011 issue of our ‘Sample of the Month’ case study newsletter features our client Stanford Social Innovation Review and their successful test of a triple postcard with a tipped in BRE.

Ballantine handled the printing and mailing of this campaign and Next Steps Marketing handled the creative and strategy.

Summary

SSIR mailed out a triple postcard with a tipped in BRE to acquire subs for their publication. The offer was for a 1 year print and digital subscription plus premium online access for $39.95. CLICK HERE for a sample of the direct mail piece.

For this case study we asked Mike Popalardo, a Principal at Next Steps Marketing who worked on the project, the following 5 questions:

1. What was the triple postcard tested against?

Since this was a small mailing and the publication had been out of the mail for over a year we didn’t conduct a head-to-head test. In the past we tried a variety of formats including the well-used voucher format.  We were hopeful that given the overall consumer acceptance for the voucher format that it would work well for this title, as well, but it didn’t.

2. What was the strategy behind the TPC?

SSIR serves the information needs of professionals who work in the nonprofit sector. We wanted to see if we could successfully introduce a package that speaks more specifically to these individuals.  We also felt the format would work for the promotion of the subscription package  (print, digital edition, gated online access) and that “9 Powerful Ideas for Your NonProfit” as a freemium would induce the prospect to open the package.

3. How did the TPC perform?

We saw a 9% lift in gross and a tremendous increase in the net response – 53% – this is partly due to how well the format works in getting cash with order.

4. What surprised you the most about this campaign?

No real surprises, I’m encouraged by the response. While it is a bit costly to test, in rollout it definitely compares favorably to other packages.

5. What are your future plans for SSIR based on this mailing?

We’re using the package this Spring and will be testing a letter as the primary inside copy versus the “tips” format. We’re also re-formatting the tips to be more like mini case studies.