Especially Yours Parades Its Easter Apparel In a recent springtime edition, the Especially Yours catalog made a fashion statement by emphasizing its secondary product line, a selection of dressy apparel and accessories. Primarily known as a provider of wigs for women of color, Especially Yours also offers suits, dresses, separates, head bands and wide-brimmed hats. The current 48-page edition gives
Especially Yours Parades Its Easter Apparel
In a recent springtime edition, the Especially Yours catalog made a fashion statement by emphasizing its secondary product line, a selection of dressy apparel and accessories. Primarily known as a provider of wigs for women of color, Especially Yours also offers suits, dresses, separates, head bands and wide-brimmed hats. 
The current 48-page edition gives 13 back pages over completely to apparel and accessories, under the banner "Easter Specials!" The cover, while giving primary placement to a braided fall wig, also uses a bright pink circle to call attention to its Easter Suit Sale ("Save up to $60 on dozens of spring outfits!") The grandest holiday outfit is showcased on the back cover: a beaded violet three-piece Celebration Suit ($159) with a matching Celebration hat, trimmed in what looks like a voluminous feather boa ($89). Sales copy punctuates the extravagance of the ensemble: "Don't just watch the Easter parade...lead it." The pieces are among the highest priced in the apparel section; hats start at $59, two-piece outfits at $39 and suits at $99. Most apparel is marked down for the Easter Sale; only the last three pages are new, full-priced merchandise.
Five Kwacha from Bread and Water for Africa
Bread and Water for Africa, a project of Christian Relief Services, has never shied away from using traditional direct mail devices like nickel and penny packages, matching gift checks and emotionally-charged teaser to get prospects' attention. 
The organization's latest creative treatment manages the admirable feat of developing new inserts that are both intriguing and cause-related: five small black-and-white photos of the people supported by the charity, and a crisp new five Kwacha bill. A plain kraft envelope conveys only the Bread and Water for Africa name and address on the outer envelope, but a slight bulk in the unopened envelope clues recipients into additional inserts inside. An effective two-page solicitation letter lays out the group's work and needs in a convincing, familiar tone ("I love you for your generosity and compassion for the people you don't even know..."), a nuance enhanced further by the use of ruled, composition-style paper. The new photo inserts (measuring roughly 2-3/4" x 3-1/2") are given a similar personal touch, with scribbled notes on the back of each explaining how the photo illustrates the non-profit's work. The most intriguing item of all, however, is the inclusion of a beautiful five Kwacha bill (Kwacha is the currency of Zambia, one of the countries served by Christian Relief Services). Unlike most efforts that enclose U.S. coins and ask for them to be returned, Bread and Water for Africa donors are encouraged to keep the bill as a reminder of their support, much like the symbolic tokens offered in the past by Habitat for Humanity. As for expense to the mailer, the letter claims that five Kwacha is "worth just $0.14," but anyone trying to convert it to U.S. dollars will find that it is valued at only 1/10 of a penny. Bread and Water for Africa's donation ask ladder is $9/$18/$27/other, a break from prior efforts that typically started with $10, running $10/$15/$25/other.
Value Express Experiments with Catalog Format
Among catalogs, most format changes are, aesthetically speaking, relatively minor. Pages are added or removed, dimensions are altered, or perhaps a wrap is added atop the front cover. 
A recent experiment from Publishers Clearing House's general merchandise cataloger Value Express is a drastic exception to this trend, transitioning from its standard 6" x 9-3/4" loose-leaf package to a full-sized, 48-page catalog. The move by Value Express is essentially trading one popular style of promotion within the general merchandise category for another. Loose-leaf catalog offers have long been a staple of mailers such as Handsome Rewards, Signatures and Starcrest of California, while Carol Wright Gifts and Dr. Leonard's, among others, have for years relied on similar sub-50-page books brimming with products. Though the look of the promotion is different, the product selection offered and incentives promoted in the Value Express mailing remain largely unchanged from prior efforts. The book highlights a large number and variety of "As Seen on TV" items, orders of $20 or more are shipped free, plus an unspecified surprise gift is given with any transaction.
The direct mail pieces appearing in Mail Stream are tracked and analyzed by ParadyszMatera, New York, through its online competitive direct mail and e-mail tracking tool MarketRelevance(tm). Click here to visit the site: MarketRelevance.com
