Rest.com: Cramped Postcard Is Mostly Unreadable

This small postcard from rest.com merits a Fail for Content and Offer.

Can you find the call to action in 3 seconds?

It's said that the eyes convey emotion, tug at hearts and show joy. So why does the front of this small postcard have a picture of a man with no eyes and the top of his head cut off? I guess Rest decided they couldn't fit the most important part of the human face on their postcard.

The call to action (CTA) is in knock-out white text over a light-colored comforter, making it hard to see. It is in the bottom left corner, which is that the last corner a reader scans. The "HSA/FSA Eligible" message jumps, but the website name does not.

Small postcard with unreadable copy

On the address side, we see the eyeless guy with an eyeless woman. (At least the woman is conveying some emotion with her smile.) Some sales messages are rendered in a font size legally too small for financial service disclosures, yet Rest mistakenly thinks it is large enough for a consumer to read with interest. 

Below the marketing messages are some logos. The middle one is a Good Housekeeping symbol. I tried reading the others using my phone at 4x view. I think the one on the left is about health, but I don't know. Do you think a consumer would know or care?

The CTA is lost at the bottom in small type. The retail partners are listed in small knock-out white type over a mostly dark background. Five points to anyone who can name the retailer on upper right, because I can't. 

The USPS allows for a postcard to as large as 6" x 9" to qualify for the standard postcard rate. Rest chose to make it only 4" x 6". Why? The only reason I can think of is to save a few bucks on paper for an otherwise expensive direct mail campaign. This approach is penny wise and pound foolish. Most of the visual problems could be solved with adequate space for content. Plus, a postcard this small gets lost in physical clutter.

Speaking of clutter: That's part of the problem with the postcard. There are too many messages. Rest is stuffing mention of 5,000 5-star reviews and a Good Housekeeping seal and two other logos I can't identify and something about being HSA/FSA eligible and retailers other than their website and one random testimonial. The core sales proposition is lost. 

Going back to that CTA: It's simply to visit the website. There is mention of a potential 35% discount, but it is too hard to find, too hard to read and too far from the CTA. If I were to work on this postcard, I would advise Rest to include some kind of offer or value proposition next to a prominent CTA. "Enjoy up to 35% off through [date] at rest[dot]com/xxxx." The xxxx could be a URL developed specifically for this postcard, so you can at least gauge resulting traffic. But, of course, you need space to utilize this best practice.

Lessons:

1. When mailing a postcard, take advantage of the largest size available at postcard rate.
2. Avoid content with inadequate background color contrast. 
3. All your sales copy should be large enough for a typical consumer to be able to and want to read.
4. Avoid overloading your mail with too many messages.
5. Your call to action should be easy to find.
6. Your call to action should include a reason to take action now.
7. Include a means of tracking your mail's performance.
8. Depicting people without eyes is creepy.

Corcoran: Moving In With Free Pizza

This postcard from a duo of real estate brokers is a creative idea but it misses the mark in execution. Is it Mail That Fails, or just a bit too heavy on the cheese?

The front of the postcard touts "Free Pizza!*" There are over 1,800 pizzerias in New York City, because we love our pizza. I mean, if that picture isn't causing you to have a Pavlovian response, then you're not a New Yorker. 

So who doesn't want free pizza, right? Yup, the postcard can be redeemed for a free Margherita pizza at Salsa Napoletana & Street Food.

That apparently no-strings-attached free pizza is a way of introducing the Volpe | Kelly Real Estate Team from Brooklyn to Queens. See, the real estate team got its start in Brooklyn and is now covering Forest Hills. Salsa Napoletana got started in Brooklyn and recently opened a shop in the area, so why not team up, right?

(Side note: Salsa Napoletana isn't really in Forest Hills. Their location is in nearby Rego Park. But, hey, it is in Queens, so that's close enough for the metaphor to work, I guess.)

The copy on the postcard makes the Brooklyn / Forest Hills connection:

Headline:

Salsa Pizzeria came from Brooklyn. So Did I. Your Home's Buyer May Too!

Copy:

In the last decade, sales of homes like yours have increased by nearly $400,000 [sic]. It's no surprise buyers from Brooklyn are craving to live in Forest Hills. As a longtime Brooklyn real estate expert and resident of Forest Hills, I'm excited to team up with Salsa Pizzeria - a beloved Brooklyn pie shop now open on Woodhaven Blvd.

Whether you're hungry for a new home or a classic slice, we've got you covered. Call today to discuss your options.

For those of you who don't know New York City, we have five boroughs, and there are reasons people choose to live in the borough of Queens. Generally speaking, Brooklyn is artsy, urban, hipster and expensive, while Queens is diverse, multicultural, family-friendly and (slightly) more affordable. Folks in Forest Hills don't want the Brooklyn lifestyle and they may not want to relate to people who tout that Brooklyn lifestyle. So, I'm not sure I'd want to tout the Brooklyn connection too much as a RTB (reason to believe) Mr. Volpe is the right broker for Forest Hills. On the other hand, Brooklyn and pizza does make for an interesting message hook.

The postcard's messaging and call to action could be strengthened. The broker could communicate not just location, but success. Potential rewrite:

Headline:

Salsa Pizzeria is successful in Brooklyn. So am I. See what we can do for you in Forest Hills.

Copy:

When Salsa Pizzeria opened in Brooklyn, it was the talk of the neighborhood. Their Neapolitan pizza was created with passion and flavor that brings people back for more. Now, their pizza is available near your home. 

When I got my professional start in Brooklyn, I brought that same passion to real estate, helping connect sellers and buyers with homes they'll live in and love. 

I live in Forest Hills, so whether you're hungry for a new home or a classic slice, I've got you covered. Call me today at xxx-xxx-xxxx to discuss how I can help you. 

 What's behind the edits:

• Credibility Build. Expertise may be nice, but a broker with passion is someone people want to interact with.
• Avoiding Misguided Quantification. The original copy confused sales with value, and offered a figure that would align with actual home value increases only coincidentally.
• Including the phone number in the call to action. If someone is interested in calling you, don't make them hunt for a means to reach you. 
• Personalizing the call to action. By asking someone to "call me", the experience of expressing interest is personalized, which reduces tension.

I'd also suggest:

• Adding a bit more urgency on the pizza offer. "While supplies last" is good, but perhaps consider, "Limited to 100 pies" and/or "Available only through xx/xx/xx" to motivate people to get that pizza.
• Making the QR code jump out. In only black and tan, it gets lost in the current location and it looks like the outline of a pizza. Add some contrasting spot color or render the call to action in boldface.
• If not already done, ensure that that the pizzeria has brochures and other information about the real estate firm. Get a pizza, get a handout, call Mr. Volpe. Everyone wins.
• Consider who this postcard is from. It isn't fully clear if this postcard is about Eric Volpe, about the Volpe | Kelly Team, or about The Corcoran Group. While The Corcoran Group has a positive brand identity in the Big Apple, Volpe | Kelly is what is touted on the pizza side of the postcard. And, who is that woman next to Eric's name on the bottom of the address side? Is she Kelly?

So, is this Mail That Fails? Not quite, but Content could be improved.

Lessons:

1. When engaging in local messaging, be sure you're appealing to the local audience with local flavor.
2. Give customers a reason to believe in you.
3. Don't let your call to action get lost.
4. Be consistent in self-identification.
5. It's hard to go wrong with pizza in New York City.

HomeServe: Needs Better Cobranding

The first direct mail campaign I managed was an offer for The Practical Blue Hen, an informal guidebook I wrote for new students at the University of Delaware. At the time, I was a student there and partnered with a student organization to obtain a list incoming freshmen. I composed a solicitation letter, had a local printer print it, and offered pizza to anyone in the dorm who would help me stuff them in envelopes printed with the University of Delaware and Resident Student Association logos. I figured that every incoming freshman and their parent would open mail when their college is in the return address, and many of them would buy the guidebook. 

I was right -- the mailing had a 40% response rate! 

WorryFree Example

That entrepreneurial experience taught me more lessons than any college course. One of those lessons: Never underestimate the value of cobranding.

Someone at American Water Resources (AWR) also learned that lesson. They partnered with the New York City water board to sell water and sewer line protection services. That partnership allows them to use the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP) logo -- familiar familiar to New Yorkers. NYC DEP collects trash and recyclables, manages some of the local utilities, and bills homes for water use. Someone who gets a letter from the NYC DEP is going to at least pay attention to it.

Sometimes their mailers include logos from both AWR and NYC DEP, and sometimes only NYC DEP. 

AWR Examples

Recently, I recently received a solicitation from HomeServe that tries to copy the AWR approach but merits Fails for Targeting and Content. The return address leverages a logo from PSEG, a utility that most New Yorkers would not know. PSEG serves New Jersey, not New York. In some parts of Long Island and a small part of Queens, they operate under the name of PSEG Long Island. But PSEG by itself -- nah, in mainland Queens, we haven't heard of them. The cobranding effort is wasted.

In contrast, AWR mailers effectively leverage their partnership by giving a a bit of an official feeling to the envelopes. They include a call to action with a respond-by date, giving some urgency. They also include mention of an incentive right on the envelope. Smart -- who doesn't want a $50 credit? But WorryFree doesn't do that. Their lead-in is, "A message from PSEG," which seems pretty soft. No color, no message, no urgency. I'd love to run an A/B test comparing AWR's envelope style to WorryFree's, but if I couldn't, I'd go with AWR's. It motivates action.

Lessons:

1. Cobranding can be highly effective when the cobrand is relevant to your target audience.
2. Cobranding and compelling messages on an envelope can get past mailbox clutter and motivate action.

Catera Investors: You Gotta Know the Territory

I received this self-mailer from Cetera Investors.

It looks like one of the typical acquisition lead generation mailers for an independent financial services firm. The offer is typical: nice dinner, lessons on making the most of one's wealth, presentation about services the firm can provide. There would likely be some selling, maybe soft sell, maybe hard sell -- that depends on the firm. Nothing out of the ordinary here.

Dinner Event in Bellmore, NY

But the dinner was located in Bellmore, NY. From my home in Forest Hills, that's 28 miles as the crow flies and 45 - 100 minutes in weekday afternoon traffic. One cannot reasonably expect a potential customer to travel that far and long for a dinner presentation, which is why I consider this a Fail for Targeting.

My first thought when I read through this was a song from The Music Man, "You Gotta Know the Territory." Maybe the wealth managers were from out of the area? But no, they work in the Westbury office so they should know that New Yorkers hate to shlep and we love location convenience. If they want business from people in Queens, they need to feed people in Queens. We have plenty of great Italian restaurants here that would gladly host an event. 

Mr. Roth, the wealth manager from the mailing, likely worked with a third party to obtain the mailing list and send the mailer. I hope he selects a tighter geographic radius next time so he can preserve his wealth.

Also, of concern: The self-mailer is addressed to "Mr. Marc Davis Jr." I'm not a junior and I don't have a son. Minor Fail for Targeting.

Lessons:

1. Geographic targeting should be tightly aligned to your location and how far people are willing to travel.
2. Name hygiene is important. Don't use name suffixes unless you're sure they are accurate.

Venmo: Reminds Me of My Mother

My mother meant well. When I was a college freshman, she meant to send me a care package. But life was so busy for Mom, working full time while taking care of two younger children. No worries for me, though -- if I wanted snacks, my dorm was just a short walk from 7-11.

When I was a sophomore, then a junior, still no care packages. Somehow, I got by on healthy cafeteria food.

Then, senior year -- the day before final exams -- a small box showed up at my apartment door. It was filled with assorted snacks and a note from my mother. I called her up to thank her and asked why she’d sent it during my last week of my last year of school. She replied, “I didn’t want you to say I never sent you a care package.” Aw, Mom, so sweet -- but a bit late.

Did you know that April was Financial Literacy Month? Even though it’s been recognized in the United States for over 20 years, apparently Venmo remembered it just in the nick of time: It was the theme of an email they sent me 40 minutes before the end of the month.

I suppose they didn't want me to think they'd forgotten to share some financial money tips during Financial Literacy Month. Or maybe the content managers had planned to send this content earlier in the month but were too busy? Fail for Timing.

Lesson: 
Be relevant early, not late.