Marketing research comparing direct mail sent with a label vs. a typed or handwritten envelope?

Answer 1

I didn't do any research but I am on an incredible number of junk-mailing lists.

If I get a letter with a label then I am sure that they are not really thinking about just me - it is a well-organized bulk activity. It might be worth a look.

If I get a typed envelope I check how it is addressed. If it has my name with a weird spelling or an initial that isn't mine (a way that I spot junk mail resulting from getting onto a specific store's mailing list) I think of it as instant junk. if it looks OK it might be worth a look.

If it looks handwritten but I don't recognize the name or the handwriting I know it is a bulk mail intending to deceive me and I never open it (because if they lie on the envelope they will lie in the contents too.)

Answer 2

You may have noticed the junk mail, in preprinted envelopes made to LOOK like handwriting.

It doesn't fool anyone for more than a few moments, but that may be all it takes to get someone to open the envelope. And that may be the entire point.

As one person has already responded, one gets to recognize most bulk mail pieces by many visual cues. A company or organization I never heard of, a misspelled name (I use a different form of my name when surfing the net. When that form shows up on an envelope, I know that the source came from a website of some kind), window envelopes, an envelope printed with "important information inside", and of course, "you may have already won!"

Besides, mail merge progams have begun to have the sophistication to be able to "type" names and addresses directly on the envelope, without the label. If anything, a label may come across as "cheaply done." Still, if the visual cues tell me it's "junk mail," it is likely to be tossed in my shredding pile.

So, the point is to get someone to open the envelope.

Here is a statistic, used as a kind of rule of thumb. If only 1% open the envelope, and only 1% of THOSE make any kind of contact, then the campaign is considered a success.

Also remember, the AD does not sell the product. It only generates interest/awareness.

Answer 3

Envelope can be a key factor here.I think handwritten mail is not a practical solution for business.I think custom made envelope with the right company name can be a greater open rate.