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     "Huh? What?? How did I get this thing in the mail? It looks like someone was doodling. But it’s about retirement planning. Let me see what it says. Oh!, the poor guy can’t retire. No wonder his smile-face is crying. I’d feel like that, too, if I was in such a pickle!

     Hey! Look at his figures! He’s got more money than I do, but he’s still in trouble? What does that mean for me? I better open this and find out what the heck it’s about!"

     Marketing & Publishing Associates, a financial newsletter publisher, had a problem. Our winning formula was fatiguing. So we started testing.

     This unusual test envelope, which played on fear and greed, was wrapped around our control for a $995 options investing newsletter.

  • It tied the control on front-end break-even.

  • But it produced more orders.

  • How could it tie on break-even but produce more orders? Here’s the answer.

  • Most orders from this package were for credit-card billing‘til forbid. The subscriber pays for 3 months up-front, instead of a full year.

  • These orders have lower front-end value, but much higher lifetime value.

  • And unlike the full-payment-with-order responses the control brought in, we didn’t have to fight like hell for renewals after one year. We just billed their credit cards every quarter unless they cancelled.

     Notice something very interesting here. The control and the test package were identical except for the outer envelope. They both had the exact same offers. But they got very different types of responses.

     This suggests that each envelope appeals to a different market segment. The control’s market segment pays in full, most often by check. The test’s market segment prefers continuing partial payment by credit card.

     Wouldn’t it make sense to alternate the controls so you can use the same basic package to appeal to two different market segments? We thought so!

     In addition, to broadening your appeal, a successful new outer envelope combats package fatigue and universe saturation. Recipients don’t recognize it, especially if you change your style dramatically, as we did.

     And here’s the best part! The cost of an envelope test is peanuts! Creative for a test envelope is a fraction of the cost of a complete new package. If you use the same ink colors and paper stock, you can tag it onto the end of your control envelope’s press run. You’ll pay about $300 for a press wash-up and get the same low per-unit cost you pay for your control.

     But at Marketing & Publishing Associates, we got more than a low-cost test. We found a new winning formula. Talk about a bargain!

     This envelope won the Gold Award -- Best of Show at the 1997 Jillies.

     Now let’s move on to our next example of pushing the envelope.

     

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