How to get reader’s attention before they have a chance to turn away!

The Marketing Challenge:

EPM Communications is a publisher of research data for marketing professionals. The company does not conduct research, but compiles it from various reliable sources. Their directories are very expensive, averaging near $1,000.

The objective of this project was to introduce a new product, the “Marketing to Teens & Tweens” directory. Data gathering to aid decision making until then had been performed by searching the Internet and magazines, buying narrow-focus research reports, and just “winging it.” The challenge, then, was to convince marketing professionals that this one source was both more thorough and more cost-effective than any other data-gathering method. A secondary objective was to convince those who did no research at all that this research was a valuable tool.

The Creative Solution:

Craig Huey recommended an attention-getting 8-1/2 x 11” six-panel self-mailer with perforated BRC. The piece would feature all of the important benefits on the two outside panels. This would attract the marketing manager or assistant before they had a chance to just toss it in the trash.

The self-mailer was copy-intensive, with “mouth-watering” selections taken from the Directory and listed with their page numbers so that readers would want more information—and know where to find it. Also, a page of the table of contents was shown, with call-outs explaining some of the features, to show just how thorough the report was.

The Results:

Despite the anthrax scare and a recession, the directory was proven to be a valuable product.