Direct Mail: 3 Trends to Watch

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Junk mail: We all receive it. But do we all “get” it?

As a marketing professional, you need to know what will prompt people to open your envelope while tossing out others. You need to understand how to reach people in a way that sets your efforts apart from mere “junk.”

To see what’s currently working, check out the following creative trends:

* The blind outer. There are two schools of thought when it comes to outer envelope design: Make it official-looking or make it clearly advertising. The last few months have brought a number of mailers opting for an official look, including ones that traditionally have gone for a more commercial appearance. Perhaps they’re taking advantage of the steady decline of First Class mail, but mailers such as Zurich, PHH Mortgage, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Forbes, Salesian Missions, International Campaign for Tibet and American Jewish Committee all have been in the mail with very plain, blind outer envelopes. It’s not surprising to see such mailings from financial services and insurance mailers, but Sprint, Comcast and DIRECTV also have dipped into this trend, replacing more commercial self-mailers with plain-Jane envelopes. It’s also interesting to note that many of these blind outers are using either meters or indicias designed to look like meters as postage, though the nonprofits tend to stick with live postage.

* Paper stocks. Veering away from the standard 80 lb white paper stock, some mailers are making an impression with unusual papers. For example, Capital One and American Express both have used linen stock to create the appearance of an upscale effort for their higher-end credit card and loan offers, while Washington Mutual and Omaha Steaks are have used glossy papers to make colors that pop. A surprising trend that has sprung up a number of times is vellum outers; AccuData, Zazzle, National Republican Congressional Committee, Wegmans Food Markets and Ross Products are some of the mailers that have used semi-opaque envelopes in recent months.

* Standard sizes. Use of custom envelope sizes so far in 2006 is down about 6.3 percent from 2005, suggesting that some mailers may be looking for cost-savings by using stock envelopes rather than custom ones. The #10 envelope is, by far, the most dominant mailing size. Accounting for 41.9 percent of envelope efforts in the first half of 2006, the #10 is enjoying slightly heavier use this year than in 2005, which ended at just under 40 percent. The 6″ x 9″ envelope was the second most-popular standard size, at 8.4 percent, while the #7-3/4, or Monarch, and 9″x 12″ are the other standard sizes to make a splash so far this year, at 2.3 percent and 3.3 percent respectively. This is a trend that may see an upswing, as paper prices continue to rise and new postal rates go into effect in mid 2007.

Which should you try? That depends on your offer, budget and marketing goal. For companies that want to impress an air of authority, try the blind outer. For creative offers, a novel paper stock or size (or both!) for your envelope would be a great attention-grabber.

Whichever you decide, though, make sure it stays consistent with your brand identity. And please remember to use recycled paper and/or make it recyclable: if anything else, the effort will earn you brownie points from both the recipient and the planet!

Trends excerpted from Tracy A. Gill, editor, Inside Direct Mail; senior writer, Target Marketing