The Wall Street Journal Breaks All the Direct Mail Rules
– And Still Wins …

By Grant A. Johnson, Johnson Direct

As recently reported by DIRECT Magazine, after 29 years as the lead prospecting package for The
Wall Street Journal, the "two young men" package has finally been beaten by a double-the-length
mail piece that adds full-color photography, a first in the Journal's history.

Like the original package, the new mailing is unconventional because it breaks several basic direct mail rules:
• A Four-Page Letter
• Using Fear as a Motivator
• Letter is NOT Personalized
• No Offer
What made the new piece beat the 29-year reigning champ when it had so much going against it?

About the New Package

The new package, created by Malcolm Decker Associates and referred to as the Decker package, plays on the "two young men" mail pieces by using an identical outer envelope and the same lead with a story about college classmates attending their 25th reunion who compare their achievements. Although not explicitly stated, the more successful alumnus was, presumably, a Wall Street Journal subscriber, according to Malcolm Decker Associates in Greenwich, CT.

The Decker package doubles the size of the letter to four pages and adds the color photography. The order card was designed as a voucher.

TRANSLATION: A four-page letter demonstrates that people STILL READ, especially if the content is relevant and interesting. And, the successful use of four-color is consistent with positive results Johnson Direct has experienced in tests for Harley-Davidson.

The first WSJ test results were mildly positive and a larger confirming test was made in November 2002. The full-price Decker package won by more than 20%.

TRANSLATION: The key word here is TEST. It took 29 years to beat the control. If you were the WSJ, would you still be testing? If not, you would have missed out on a 20% improvement!

At Johnson Direct, we’ll tell you that testing can mean the difference between a successful mailer and a mediocre mailer.

Take a refresher on TESTING!

About the Original Package

The original package, written by Martin Conroy, uses fear like Monet used a brush – softly, but surely – in a package that tells the story of two gents who graduated at the same time from the same school. These fellows had similar backgrounds and went on to work for the same company. On their 25th reunion, in the mailing’s letter, we discover what became of them. “…One of the men was a manager of a small department of that company. The other was its president. What Made the Difference? The difference lies in what each person knows and how he or she makes use of that knowledge.” The letter goes on to tell us how we can overcome this fear of not reaching our potential, and easily. Simply subscribe to and read The Wall Street Journal.

This is a wonderfully gentle use of fear, that great emotional driver.

It gives you something to think about rather than hitting you over the head. It sure worked subscription wonders at WSJ and that’s why this classic should be considered must reading for any direct mail novice in your building. You might want to dig it out as a refresher for the old pros in your office, too.

How could such a simple mailing – it consisted of no more than a two-page letter and a Business Reply envelope – become such a clear-cut winner for so long? It had so much going against it:

• The letter was not personalized. The salutation is “Dear Reader:”
• There was no premium offered.
• The offer was not that strong. In fact, it was no more than a guarantee of the reader’s satisfaction and not even a 100% money-back promise, but a pledge to send a refund for the unused portion of the subscription.

This mailing broke all the rules and then became a longstanding control by doing one thing very well … dramatically stirring the emotions of recipients nationwide.

Your messages can do the same.

Oh sure, your mailings must be visually appealing, and a picture may be worth a thousand words, but a few passion-stirring, need-identifying phrases can be worth much more to you. You want to grab and hold the attention of your clients and/or customers, and you’ll do that best with powerful, thought-provoking, action-demanding headlines, subheads, copy blocks and letters.

Want a strong copy platform for your next campaign? Build it using some of the proven emotional drivers . . . anger, exclusivity, fear, greed, guilt and salvation, to name the most effective.

Take a refresher course on direct mail copywriting!
The Impact of Just the Right Words
Feelings, Nothing More Than Feelings

Call 800.710.2750 today to talk with Johnson Direct about how your direct marketing efforts can improve with the right mix of testing and emotional drivers.

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