Delta Airlines’ Direct Mail Wizardry
It’s a daily routine that most of know very well. We walk or drive to the mailbox and filter through the contents: coupons from Target, a news magazine, a lifeless flyer from a local real estate agent, a poorly designed campaign from someone wanting to cut my lawn, a politician pleading for my vote. Some of these items get no more than a cursory glance. Most mail, unless it’s a bill or a communiqué from a loved one, gets discarded without a second thought. This daily event becomes a large contribution to the local landfill.
Amazingly, 73% of customers want to receive snail mail instead of e-mail, according to a joint study by Pitney Bowes and International Communications.
On some occasions, a piece of mail leaps out and says, “Open Me!” A few days ago, a certain piece of mail from Delta Airlines voiced these very words to me.
Here it is:
I wasn’t really drawn to the headlined text: “How many miles can you earn?” It was the ‘airline windows’ that instantly painted an imaginative picture in my mind of past business travel and vacations. It was at that moment that I knew I’d be opening this mail piece (a direct marketer’s dream). I didn’t necessarily see myself walking along that beach, but I actually wanted to see what happened if I pulled that picture from ‘left to right’. Now I am part of a direct marketer’s BIG DREAM. Not only am I opening up the mail piece, but I am interacting and playing with it.
Here it is:
On the inside, Delta smartly stresses the urgency “This Offer Won’t Last Long” and aggressively mentions ‘earning’ 50,000 miles for a simple credit card sign-up. Personally, I won’t be part of this offer (I have enough credit cards), but I am thrilled with the refreshing creativity and imagery that drove me to open it. This is a cheerful departure from the drivel that usually takes up space in the mailbox.
If done correctly, direct mail can still be a very powerful part of your marketing mix. Yes, it’s easy to throw out a piece of mail without a second thought, but it’s even easier to hit the delete key in your e-mail inbox.
Personal tip: You’ll stand out from the crowd if you send an occasional piece of mail to a friend or colleague. Don’t worry that you’ll look old fashioned; you’ll be remembered.
Until next time,
Dan Naden
