Margie Dana

I came really close to throwing out this piece of mail that came to the house. I totally thought it was junk mail, and had I not hesitated at a snippet of copy on the bottom, it would’ve been trashed – and maybe our son would’ve lost all opportunity to have his picture in his high school yearbook.

To me, it had “junk” written all over it. It’s a 6” x 9” envelope with a couple of windows. The artwork on the envelope was particularly uninspiring: top-to-bottom photos of strangers. It didn’t look like a solicitation for a high school yearbook photo. It looked like a solicitation for singles seeking romance. Addressed to our son, the about-to-be high school senior, it didn’t impress me as personal, urgent or 1^st class. Au contraire.

But that little bit of copy across the bottom stopped me after I’d opened the cabinet that houses our trash can and was within seconds of depositing it there: Your Official Yearbook Appointment from Brookline High School.

Oops. Saved from certain death.

Here’s the sort of direct mail I open first and/or pay immediate attention to:

[list style=”bullet” color=”pink”]

Hand addressed
Hand stamped
Checks I’m expecting (and every now and then, those I’m not!)
Bills (reluctantly, I admit)
Packages I’m expecting
Packages I’m not (there’s something about packages)
Something from someone I know well (family, friends, personal acquaintances)
Magazines that publish something I’ve written
Special offers from publications I love but haven’t subscribed to. Yet.
Obvious gifts

[/list]

I’m 110% influenced by the design and message on a piece of mail (the way I’m getting more particular about the look of an email: some I never open; some I always read). Gorgeous paper, an elegant and/or edgy design, smart use of space, clever copy, one terrific offer, wonderful typography, a sense of urgency – all of these elements work together to get me to open a piece of mail.

This piece was neither elegant nor intriguing. Evidently, many other parents of seniors had the same reaction, because about a week after receiving this envelope, I got an email from the high school. All parents of seniors did. It basically said something like this: Yes, it was an official mailing by the company contracted to take your child’s yearbook photo. Yes, you can reschedule if you missed the date indicated inside the packet, or send in your own photos.

And I think the school missed the boat. They should have let us parents know ahead of time to expect this mailing in early August.

What do you think? Is it just me, or would you have (nearly) tossed this envelope? What makes you open a piece of direct mail?

dante mazzocco

August 25, 2012 at 5:55 pm

Margie interesting story although I don’t think I would have tossed the piece right away. Being in the business and involved with direct mail for many years I generally look over all mail I receive, and open most of it just to keep current with what others are doing, get new or fresh ideas or simply look for new leads. In the end most of it gets tossed but there are always a few keepers!

Sean Collins

August 27, 2012 at 11:10 am

Being addressed to your son, they were apparently going for the “cool” factor. They probably should have addressed it to the parents with a much more professional design and a clear message. I would have tossed it too if it were addressed to me, but I would have been pissed if my mom threw out my mail.

Margie Dana

August 27, 2012 at 11:48 am

good point – it should have been more professional and the message should’ve been clearly stated — something about “Official” business for the incoming senior class, etc. I love keeping my eye out for the mail Jacob gets these days. Colleges are stepping up their game – they’re sending Beautifully designed stuff to get him interested! PS: He is not that interested in the mailed materials. He does all of his research, etc., online. Sigh.

Kim Kailey

August 31, 2012 at 5:10 pm

I’d hope the high school would realize that funding for most items at this stage are coming from the parents, and thus design the mail piece to catch the attention of the parent. I’ve received a few pieces recently “To the parents of(insert student name).” This allows me to view the mail piece and then discuss with my daughter. She too researches online.

When Real Mail Looks Like Junk

When Real Mail Looks Like Junk

Margie Dana