Live From MeritDirect Co-op: Deals and Incentives Pull Big, and Don’t Forget the Schlock

Offers, deals and incentives all help differentiate you from your competitors, according to Sandy Clark of Clark Consulting.

The old methods still work today, said Clark, who started in direct marketing in 1958. “I was trained to do my numbers, test, use lots of creative,” he said. And although much of his background has been consumer marketing, the principles are the same as in business-to-business.

Clark gave a presentation at the MeritDirect Business Mailer’s Co-op in White Plains, NY, on Thursday.

Early in his career, he gravitated to teachers. “People said, ‘You can’t sell to teachers.’ Not true, they are consumers,” he said.

Teachers won’t buy a film or filmstrip unless they get to view it first. But, Clark’s company knew that 48% bought once the teachers reviewed it.

Targeting home economic teachers, Clark started up an early loyalty club, the Butterick #1 Club. The best customers received a business card that stated all the deals they were entitled to as #1 Club members. In addition to automatic review of film, they got free returns, no cost for shipping and handling, no obligation to purchase and press releases on new products.

What’s the best way to reach a customer? Put yourself in their shoes, Clark said.

For example, when he was at Time Inc., the publisher ran a contest each year among creatives to see who could guess which of the 13 control packages would deliver best. Every year a gay male artist among them won. It didn’t make sense, Clark said, how could this man, so different from the typical American consumer, know what control would appeal most?

Clark’s colleague let him in on the secret. He lined up all 13, with his favorite on top and the others in descending order of preference. Then he picked the one at the bottom as the winner.

“If you like something, 95% of the time you’ll be wrong,” Clark said.

Offers, deals and incentives work, Clark implored the audience, so don’t bury them. Forget about 4-point type; discover 36-point or 48-point type. Don’t bury it at the bottom of the mailing piece; make it as obvious as possible with blazing colors. And most important, use schlock.

“The crappier it looks, the better it will pull, Clark said. “Because it gets to the eyes, and if it gets to the eyes, it gets to the brain.”

An example is a wine company that featured a classy creative-a glossy, full-color brochure of glistening wine bottles and grapes. After eight or nine years, this control ran out of gas and quit delivering, Clark said.

Clark designed what he calls a “schlocky package” that included a “phony plastic best customer card,” a letter and order form and offers that included $10 off on the next purchase; free shipping on orders over $1,000; and an award for the valued customer, presented on a colorful sticker on the envelope.

The response rate was 3.36%, up from 1.75% for the control.

“The schlock beats the pretty picture every time,” Clark said.

Now Clark is trying to convince the wine marketer to offer its unsold California white wine as a premium.