Reebok Women
A rare direct mail promotion has been tracked for Reebok. Entitled Reebok Women, this new catazine effort is a perfect bound, 10-1/2" x 7-3/4" book that features athletic apparel and footwear from
Reebok’s premier collection, including designs inspired by the city of Barcelona. More suggestive of high-end fashion wear, Reebok presents its apparel by collection, including "diamond," "sheer" and "urban." Merchandise offerings range from $24 for a workout tank to $199.99 for the diamond contact running shoe. As a bonus to those ordering $120 or more, popular hip-hop recording artist Missy Elliott’s latest CD is offered. Editorial in the catazine consists mostly of workout tips and interviews with "strong" women, such as television show Survivor castaway Alicia Calaway and tennis player Venus Williams. Friends can get a "hook up" for their own free issue of Reebok Women via a bind-in insert. As an incentive to visit the Reebok Women website, a sweepstakes is offered with online registration; prizes include a day trip to a spa, a mountain bike and a Reebok gym survival kit.
Arthritis Today A new mailing has been tracked for Arthritis Today, a bimonthly health/lifestyle magazine published by the Arthritis Foundation. The straightforward polywrap package allows the product to do
most of the talking with the inclusion of a free March-April 2002 issue. A simple one-page sales letter with reply form provides the only other embellishment, touting the award-winning magazine and describing the hard offer of $12.95 for 6 issues as an inexpensive subscription of "only 4 pennies a day!" Arthritis Today, available by subscription and as a benefit of Arthritis Foundation membership (most often with a $20 or $25 minimum donation), provides current information on arthritis medicine, therapies, exercise and suggestions for relieving the physical effects of the disease. It’s worth noting that the sales letter and order form for this new piece are dedicated solely to selling the magazine subscription, although insert cards inside the sample issue do promote $20 memberships to the Arthritis Foundation.
Bunalun PureSeasons The premiere issue of Bunalun PureSeasons catalog targets consumers in search of "a more soul-satisfying way of life," with furniture, decorative items for the home and loungewear hand-made
from sustainable resources. The inspiration and name for the catalog is credited to Bunalun Organic Farm in West Cork, Ireland. A few of the farm's products like marmalade, tea and salad dressing are sold, usually in sets. Other products, such as clean-lined bamboo furniture, are highlighted with special informational copy -- an inset box labeled "Why Bamboo?" lists the unfamiliar wood's benefits: high tensile strength, ability to be polished flat and smooth, and plentiful, renewable supply. Other insets profile artisans or offer conversational blurbs like "Why Support Your Local Farmer's Market?" Most items are priced at the top end of the market: organic risotto is $10 for a small jar, and a table of reclaimed barn wood costs $1,600. The success of this venture relies on the compatibility of environmental values and high-end design, a formula that has proven personally beneficial for founder Bonnie Trust Dahan. In addition to writing several books on natural living (including one sold on p. 28 of the catalog), she has held the position of Vice President, Creative for Banana Republic, Illuminations and Smith & Hawken.
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.
