Mr. Postman...Bring Me a Dream

Two trends increasingly observed in direct mail from merchandise firms are the greater use of personalization and sweepstakes. From trips to cars to cash prizes, merchandise marketers are upping the ante on their offers to add another layer of intrigue to mail packages. There has also been a return to more standard-size envelope formats. In the past, this group has opted for odd-sized envelopes in more than 70 percent of its efforts. There has also been a resurgence in the use of sweepstakes and contests to drive responses.

Open, Says Me

Even a little research can go far in learning what traditionally has worked for a market sector, and possible changes being made to improve response rates. It indicates knowledge and interest and can help distributors capture future business opportunities with customers. In addition to the USPS’s Web site, information can be found at www.whosmailingwhat.com. Visitors can even order copies of direct mail packages from the more than 150,000 mailings and catalogs in nearly 200 categories housed in the Who’s Mailing What! mail archives.