Haband
Haband, the mail-order seller best known for its low-priced dress slacks, recently mailed a new drill bit premium designed to attract those who are handy around the house. The mailer’s beige package proclaims “Free! 305-Piece Drill Shop” alongside graphic renderings of drill bits and screws. Cleverly, the envelope flap even appears “drilled”
shut. The loose-leaf cataloger offers a broad range of apparel and home items, but puts its main push behind dress slacks at $12 per pair for three or more pairs (an enclosed fabric swatch illustrates the quality of fabric used in the slacks). Over the years, Haband has been no stranger to promotional incentives and premiums, and the drill-shop is just one of several enticements. An insert advertises a fast-50 contest for $100, and the outer envelope works hard to get opened by announcing that a “$1000 Check May Be Enclosed!”
BoomerangGames.com A new e-mail promotion has been tracked for the online video game rental service BoomerangGames.com. Structured like the online DVD rental service offered by Netflix, BoomerangGames.com caters to gaming enthusiasts who have the latest and most popular gaming systems like XBOX, GameCube, Playstation and
Playstation2. For a monthly fee, subscribers are sent two game rentals to be used for an unlimited time. Subscribers also select and store a list of future games they would like to receive on the BoomerangGames.com Web site. When the subscriber returns a previously rented game, the next game available on their personal “Game List” is automatically shipped to them. There are no additional shipping charges or late fees; everything is covered in the monthly charge. The click-through on this new email promotion, which offers a two-week free trial, alludes to a fee “as low as $19.99 a month,” although other sections of the BoomerangGames.com Web site advertise $24.75.
Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence The latest #10 package from the anti-gun organization formerly known as Handgun Control is the first to promote the fundraiser under its new moniker, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. It’s also the first piece to connect the events of Sept. 11 with the need for tougher gun legislation. Much of this new mailing borrows from a campaign
received last year, including a letter signed by U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy that describes the bitter irony of how his brother Robert Kennedy was assassinated -- with a pistol purchased by a local gun dealer –- after giving a speech supporting efforts to end gun violence. In the newest incarnation, the letter is updated to include information on what Senator Kennedy considers the present irony of the “gun buyer’s exception to the war on terrorism.” Adding urgency to the Senator’s outrage is a quote from a “jihad training manual” that describes how ordinary U.S. citizens can legally purchase assault rifles in some states. The letter then urges support for the organization’s effort to close the “Gun Show Loophole” of the Brady Law, which is “being exploited by terrorists and other criminals.” Most other aspects of this mailing remain from its previous version, including an encouragement card to Jim Brady (“We Love You, Jim!”) for prospects to sign and return with their contribution. The donation ask ladder is $20/$35/$75/$100/other.
The direct mail pieces appearing in Mail Stream are tracked and analyzed by Paradysz Matera, New York, through its online competitive direct mail and e-mail tracking tool MarketRelevance located at http://www.MarketRelevance.com/newsletter.cfm.
