junk mail that works

I’ve seen several marketing pieces that stand out as direct mail – by specific market leaders like Aquent and Idea Champions.

What worked well was either the “surprise and delight” factor, or the value of the content itself. By “surprise and delight,” I mean the wow-factor of designing something that tapped my emotion (like a PDF that could be made into a game or chotcke somehow).

These included “mirror” cards, “fuzzy” cards, pizza boxes, pizza fridge magnets, “scratch” cards, refrigerator poetry and a snow globe, to name a few.

And by content-specific factor, I mean the information designed into the PDF was so valuable as a reference guide, it was something you had to keep around, reminding you that _____ company was a thought leader and to consider them when you needed______ (like web-safe color guide, or the top-10 questions to ask YOUR clients).

In both cases, I kept the PDF and/or posted it in my desk area for inspiration or reference. The design was simple, fun and smart regarding the use of space.