Wine Enthusiast Mails Slim Jim Catalog
In the holiday spirit, wine accessory retailer Wine Enthusiast mailed a slim-jim Holiday 2008 catalog featuring Blitzen Family Bottle Stoppers ($19.95 each) on the cover. The cover introduces the products inspired by one of Santa’s reindeer with copy that reads “Blitzen, The Life of the Party!” The humorous stoppers portray Blitzen after enjoying perhaps one too many glasses of wine. Inside, the catalog touts the stoppers as “Our #1 Stocking Stuffer.” Wine Enthusiast introduced a new premium offer with this promotion, giving customers a 15%/20% discount with $95/$195+ orders. Previous catalogs were full-size and employed discounts and free shipping incentives on specific merchandise, most notably wine cellars, refrigerators and other large merchandise such as the EuroCave. Throughout the catalog, the retailer offers various gift suggestions, including the “Gift of the Year,” EuroCave SoWine Home Wine Bar ($395) and “The Gift that Turns Wine Lovers into Experts,” The Complete Wine Taste and Aroma Kit ($79.95 - $199.95). Every other page throughout the book contains the web address plus the suggested search term to use at the site in order to find the items on that page, such as “wine refrigerators” and “wine gifts.” As with previous promotions, the catalog offers various wine cellar options, including build-your-own and custom designs. Buyers of wine cellars, refrigerators, or cooling systems receive a bonus one-year subscription to Wine Enthusiast magazine. Bound into the middle of the catalog is an insert that features deals on wine gift baskets and cases, as well as information on wine clubs and “Wine of the Day” email alerts. Orders can be made by phone or online at WineEnthusiast.com.
USO Seeks Holiday Cheer for Troops
The United Service Organization (USO) utilized a package insert promotion asking recipients to spread some holiday cheer to the troops overseas. The three-panel insert shows an American soldier with his head down, holding a letter from home. Across the image reads “The Loneliest Time…The Holidays.” On the backside, a tote bag premium is offered with donations of $10 or more. Inside the fold, all of the elements normally seen in a standalone direct mailer from the organization are present, including a detachable reply form and business reply envelope. A paragraph tells recipients to “imagine spending your Holiday Season on a cold, barren mountainside, or patrolling a grimy, desert city,” as over 170,000 American troops will be spending their holidays away from home. The note goes on to detail what a tax-deductible gift will go toward, including morale-boosting celebrity entertainment tours, care packages, and pre-paid phone cards. The reply form presents the standard $10/$15/$25/$50/$100/other ask ladder as seen in direct mail pieces. A checkbox offers the option to decline the tote bag premium and use the full donation to support the troops. Previous direct mail donation appeals have utilized other premiums, including an American flag. The insert was tracked in packages from Brookstone and Cheaper Than Dirt.
FAO Schwarz Turns Santa Green
FAO Schwarz mailed its Holiday 2008 catalog featuring a selection of “green” toys. The cover of the book features an illustrated picture of Santa with a globe, taken from the children’s book “When Santa Turned Green,” by Victoria Perla. A red dot whack offers free shipping on $120+ orders and refers recipients to the back cover. Also promoted on the front is an online sweepstakes to win a $1,000 shopping spree at FAO Schwarz. Just inside, an assortment of “Green Santa” toys and gifts are presented, along with the book. The book tells the story of how Santa rallies the world’s children to take action when he learns about climate change. The catalog offers an introduction to the line, stating that Santa’s story “inspires us to act well, by designing these toys from fabric made of soy-fibers with fruit and vegetable-based dyes, and recycled paper and soy-based inks.” The goal of these toys is to “spark discussions around the dinner table and encourage parents and children to think about how they can have a positive impact on the world around them.” These products include the “Little Changes” Hat ($15), which reads “Lots of little changes can make a world of difference,” Nesting Blocks ($25), which feature five illustrations from the book, and the Green Ideas for Santa Stocking ($35). A large “Earth Friendly” logo designates environmentally-conscious items throughout. In addition, the catalog itself has the Forest Stewardship Council seal on the back cover to show that it was printed on paper derived from sustainable sources. The remainder of the 100-page catalog is organized in sections such as “Gifts $20 and Under,” “Pretend,” and “Crafts.” A page in the book notifies recipients of special FAO boutiques in select Macy’s stores, detailed at FAO.com/Macys. A separate Holiday 2008 catalog from the company promoted the new Universal picture “The Tale of Despereaux” on the cover, using the same horizontal format that has been tracked since the fall. Orders can be placed by phone, fax, or online.
The direct mail promotions appearing in Mail Stream are tracked and written up by ParadyszMatera, a media brokerage services company, through its MarketRelevance(tm) Promotion Library. Click here to visit their site: ParadyszMatera.com.
