The Art of Eating
The quarterly culinary journal, The Art of Eating was tracked with a new promotion recently. More literary than counterparts like 
Gourmet and Saveur, the ad-free Art of Eating sells itself with quotes such as " So intelligent, so passionate" from the New York Times Book Review in its 11" x 5-3/4" self-mailer. Sprinkled liberally with other praise from notable culinary pundits, the mailing allows the quarterly to speak for itself with mouthwatering excerpts of past articles such as " A Dry-Aged Steak" and " The Caves of Roquefort." Subscription is rather expensive--$39/$69 for 1/2 years, further supporting the journal's highbrow reputation. The cash offer is further enhanced with a special offer of an additional free copy per year (five issues for the price of four or 10 issues for the price of eight). The premium of a half dozen " Art of Eating postcards" is also promised with the first issue.
Hammacher Schlemmer Continuing its tradition of offering "the Best, the Only and the Unexpected," Hammacher Schlemmer recently presented the "Latest 
in Electronic Vehicles from Lee Iacocca." The former Chrysler Corp. chairman and current transportation pioneer is pictured with his new invention, the electric Lido vehicle. "The Luxury Neighborhood Electric Vehicle," is street legal and sells for $9,999.95. It is capable of running 40 miles per charge and has a maximum speed of 25 mph. Iacocca is quoted as committed to helping move the light electronic vehicle industry from theory to reality. And, as a matter of fact, this new featured product follows Hammacher Schlemmer's Last Chance Holiday 2001 cover, which featured Iacocca's folding mini-bike. This is, however, the first catalog tracked that pictures Mr. Iacocca himself on the front cover.
Blissout The Blissout catalog recently filed its "Spring Beauty Report," or in other words, its March 2002 catalog, replacing its usually playful 
cover with clean merchandising and testimonials from average shoppers. While the reportage angle is not new, never before has it been taken so literally. The redesigned cover echoes that of a newsletter offering beauty tips with such headlines as "Color: What to Wear? (pp. 16-21)." Next to the high-end cosmetics, six "recent reader raves" are listed in a column. Past covers have mostly featured the cartoon girlfriend-in-the-know Miss Bliss, sometimes known as Blissgirl. While she's off the cover for now, the real Miss Bliss, Marcia Kilgore, adds a personal touch by signing a company letter on the inside front cover. Perhaps owing to camera shyness, a small inset of her animated alter-ego is used, leveraging in a small way the winking approach for which Bliss has become known.
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.
