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Keep it simple

05-Aug-2010 03:37 PM

Dave Bell
Australia Post Priority Magazine, Winter 2010

Surprisingly, one of the biggest mistakes people still make when planning and creating a direct-mail campaign is forgetting the basics.

If what you are selling isn't relevant, if your offer isn't worthwhile and if your creative approach doesn't connect with your customers, then chances are your campaign will fail.

"People have a tendency to complicate things," says Bell, who has collected more than 50 Australian and international awards during his 20 years in advertising. "l like to keep it simple wherever possible."

But, he says, this doesn't mean you can "bore" people into responding to your campaign. "Because the digital world is so cluttered, only solid ideas will stand out," he explains. "When clients are wavering over a concept with a strong idea, I often like to remind them that strong ideas are their last legal means of an unfair competitive advantage."

Bell says the proposition – the unique selling point – is the main component of the marketing brief that the creative team will be working to and that the work will be judged against.

"The proposition is the single most important and compelling piece of reasoning that can be used in the campaign to get the customer to respond in the way you want and to achieve the best results," he says. "Everything in the brief must be shaped around the proposition so that the message is always clear and relevant to the customer."

And, adds Bell, the proposition must always be able to be proven.

"It might be the fact that the product is the fastest way to do something or the cheapest or the most environmentally friendly way," he explains. "But it must be inherently true or else it's a complete waste of time creating an argument around it. It should be unique and come from an insight into the brand and into the audience that you're going to be talking to."

When working on a brief, Bell gets the members of his creative teams to pin the proposition on the wall in front of them. "When you're kicking around ideas, you should always refer back to the proposition. As a result, it should stand you in good stead for creating ideas that are on brief."

For the creative side of a direct-mail campaign, Bell and his teams at MercerBell usually prepare three concepts for the client because, he says, there's rarely one perfect solution. "Often we will do one concept that is right on brief. Then we'll do one that pushes the proposition harder. And finally one that is from left field which makes the client think about whether they want something that's a bit more 'out there'."

Research can be a vital ingredient of a successful direct-mail campaign, says Bell, particularly research into the needs and wants of the target market. Bell has sat through market research sessions on every direct-mail angle imaginable, including one to find out exactly how recipients go about opening their mail.

"We tested how people open envelopes because we really wanted to know how they read the messaging inside," he says. "This particular mail pack contained a small note plus a formal letter and only really made sense if they read the note first and the letter second. We wanted to make sure recipients would do it in that order. It was all about making sure we got the client's messaging right and that we delivered it in a way that got the very best results."

Bell adds that good creative people always put themselves in the shoes of the customer. The brand managers and account service people will provide a brief, proposition and so on for a particular campaign but, when all is said and done, it's what's really in it for the customer that is most important. This was a recurring theme among all of our experts.

Finally, when the mail pack has gone out to the market and responses begin flowing back, Bell says it's vital to continue testing. "Experiment with different offers, mailing lists and types of mail packs, and monitor their success rates," he says. "Constantly refine what it is that you're doing in order to continually improve response rates.

"That's the beauty of mail – it allows you to communicate effectively with your customers in many, many different ways, so test them all."

David Bell's top three tips for direct-mail success

If you can afford to, employ an agency that has the right level of expertise (including data planning, account service, art direction and copywriting) to make sure the campaign works hard for you.

If you must do it yourself, keep it simple. Often a well-written letter containing a clear offer will out-perform a full-on marketing pack.

Use the direct-mail tools and resources available at auspost.com.au/mailmarketing and www.openuptomail.com.au, especially if you don't have an agency. The Australian Direct Marketing Association also offers great courses.