The Burn Mailer, as it was known internally, was the first mail piece to ever
be lit on fire before mailing through the United States Postal Service!
As far as I know, it may still be the only one.
And, it almost didn’t materialize beyond conceptual development.
It was hindered more by internal people (insert party-poopers) than by
the client, Fire Marshall or national-level USPS Inspectors.
There were numerous concepts and primary photos to choose from,
but when I saw the photo we ended up choosing for the cover, I said
"What if we could make this mail piece appeal to multiple senses?
I mean, we need the recipient to actually try to imagine losing ALL of their belongings – home, family photos, collectibles, clothing, etc.
REALLY get them to stop, think about it, and react to it."
"It's already a dramatic image, but what if we actually burned it,
so you could smell the burnt paper, see and feel the ash on your hands? Make a sensory and emotional connection to the recipient."
The reactions I got ranged from "you can't do that” and
"you're crazy" to "that would be so cool!"
This was about a decade before I'd heard of the strengths and effects
of neuroscience and marketing.
There's a much longer and detailed version of this story, but to cut to the chase, we burned a bunch of paper to create faux damage, created a
die-cut to control our burn, yet add authentic "burn marks" on each piece, since we didn't want the actual fire to destroy our piece (yes, i get the irony).
Knowing there were already internal critics of "doing this,
or even mentioning the possibility to the client", I planned a thorough process, tested it, AND earned permission from the
USPS and local fire marshall before ever revealing it.
Did I mention each mail piece had unique, data-driven variables
pertinent to recipient and agent, considerably heightening the challenge,
as any spoiled piece would have to be re-created.
Results:
• International DMA ECHO winner: The only marketing competition to judge the importance and effectiveness of Creativity, Innovation and Results.
• 38% of responders set up an appointment.
• Most of the recipients responding commented on how dramatic and effective it was, including the smell and "real" ash residue. Many also thought their agents actually made and burned these direct mail pieces.
• One agent in Springfield, IL only had 22 people that fit the profile of ideal candidates, and every one of them responded. Granted, his audience was a small sampling, but prior to that, I'd never heard of a 100% response rate.
