IF THE ENVELOPE says “Free,” any consumer is guaranteed to open it, right?
Actually, only about 60% of those who received a Val-Pak envelope boasting “A $100 Check May Be Inside!” have torn it open and cashed their free checks, but results from the $100 Instant Winner promotion are still coming in, says Edward Neel, director of network promotions at Val-Pak Direct Marketing Systems Inc., Largo, FL.
The coupon co-op company sent out $100,000 in $100 checks to random recipients in the 43-million-piece spring mailing that ended in May.
Response rates were not dipping, insists director of marketing Sherry Peterson. “The whole point was to get recipients to open the envelope…then the greater chance they have of checking out the coupons.”
There are other reasons that are making Val-Pak executives call the promotion a success. For one, the novelty of the idea drew local retailers to advertise in the envelope.
Plus, trade and local press jumped on the story-a vital component. But winners were skeptical. Some “80% of the people said they didn’t believe it,” says Neel, who set up an 800 line to persuade winners their checks were real.
Follow-up letters to those who cashed their checks asked: “What did you think when you found $100 in your Val-Pak envelope?” A typical response: “I thought it was a joke. What did I really have to do to win $100?”
Once winners learned their checks were genuine, their answer to the next question- “Do you always open your Val-Pak envelope?”-seemed to pay off big for Val-Pak. Testimonials such as “Now I do!” are being collected for future promotions.
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