Election 2010 Direct-Mail Analysis

On the Republican side, Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio reached out to conservative voters with an "AirWeb Express" that's designed to remind a prospect of a FedEx envelope. Yes, these type of packages have been around for years, even if their look has been changed enough to avoid lawsuits. But this mailing has a twist worth mentioning. The 6-inch-by-11.5-inch outer unfolds into an 11-inch-by-16.75-inch poster, suitable for display "to help increase my campaign's momentum and my name identification," as Rubio's note explains. This technique has been used by the Ocean Conservancy and a few other nonprofits recently. For those passionate about their political leanings, it's an effective way to demonstrate support, and it's much more visible than an old standby like a photo or bumper sticker (Who's Mailing What Archive code #608-718049-1009).

There's not much to say about the self-mailers that were deployed to drive people to the voting booth. They formed the usual mix of screaming headlines, soft-sell photos and classic emotional teasers that are designed to help form or reinforce opinions about the candidates and parties. If nothing else, they are proof that the more things change, the more they really do stay the same.

Paul Bobnak is the research director of DirectMarketingIQ.

This article was originally published in the Nov. 11 edition of Inside Direct Mail Weekly.