Mail Stream: A Report on Incoming Direct Mail

Mason Shoe

It looks like women (and their feet) may be getting a lot more attention from the Mason Shoe Comfort Footwear catalog from now on. After 95 years of selling a variety of mostly men's footwear,women's shoes have gained equal billing in the pages of the legendary cataloger. In fact, for only the second time since MarketRelevance began tracking Mason's books, a female shoe shares the front cover with its male counterpart. The clever Spring 2003 cover features a Caribbean blue pump paired with a men's dress loafer in the foreground, seeming to celebrate the new marriage of Mason's product line. The rest of the scene features an image of a man and a woman sharing a romantic dinner. As the introductory letter from Mason Shoe's chairman states, the 56-page catalog also brings a new look to its customers, offering a cleaner layout. The company believes the change in the presentation will make it easier than ever to shop. While some things have changed, others remain the same. Mason still offers an Easy-Pay monthly payment plan with no down payment, and the company continues to pride itself on selling an expanded range of shoe sizes.

The American Prospect
The liberal political publication The American Prospect uses humor in the form of a comic strip from the nationally syndicated political cartoonist Tom Tomorrow to lure new subscribers. The 6" x 11"stretch package is an illustrative departure from previous American Prospect efforts that relied on provocative teaser copy to generate interest (e.g. "How can we make America a safe place without sacrificing our own liberties?"). The new eye-catching cartoon depicts President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney hatching up ideas to deceptively rename politically unpopular policies to engender greater popular support. The joke continues on every page of the four-page sales letter with a cartoon panel extrapolating the Bush/Cheney conversation with greater absurdity. The letter also makes it clear that recipients will get more of this brand of humor if they subscribe, as Tom Tomorrow's comic strip is an exclusive feature of the magazine. The "Charter Subscription" soft offer of $19.95 for 10 issues (1 free) is noticeably different from previous mailings, which used an offer of $14.95 for 22 issues (1 free). This change in term reflects the shift in the magazine's frequency from a biweekly to its present monthly structure.

Hello Direct
Telecommunications cataloger Hello Direct has recently been tracked using electronic gadget premiums to boost sales and generate leads for its wireless line of products. Two very similar versions of its Winter 2003 catalog mailed in early January, and each sent potential customers to page 55 with a bright red call-out in the upper left corner reading, "FREE! Cellular headset." The cover displayed the Jabra FreeSpeak wireless cell headset plus a range of other hands-free devices for more desk-bound phone users. Of the two catalog versions, one gave the headset additional play on the inside cover. The most unusual aspect of the offer is that no purchase was required; a simple visit to given web address prompted visitors to swap some personal information, including their cell phone model and address, for the free gift. Opting-in for special offers via email is part of the deal. Hello Direct is not only generating leads with the incentive, but is also qualifying those leads by brand and model of phone-a potentially useful bit of information in shaping future offers.

The direct mail pieces appearing in Mail Stream are tracked and analyzed by ParadyszMatera, New York, through its online competitive direct mail and e-mail tracking tool MarketRelevance(tm). Click here to visit the site: MarketRelevance.com