Going ‘New School’: Harvard Medical School Leaves its Stuffy Reputation in the Dust

Becoming the control
In 2004, the mailing was sent out, and the results were staggering. The prior control had faced many a test in its 12-year run, and each time, it won easily. Not this time. The test garnered a 60 percent lift in response.

“We were totally stunned,” DeWitt says.

So stunned, in fact, that Harvard decided to stray from the norm yet again.

“Usually, when we test a package, we then send out an expansion test,” DeWitt shares, “but the results were so phenomenal we took a chance and said, ‘The heck with the expansion test, it’s the new control.’”

It was the biggest boost in response over a control in DeWitt’s time working with Harvard. The provocative test became the control at the end of 2004, and it hasn’t been topped since.

The not-so-secret weapon
When asked why this package has been so successful, Scheck proclaims, without hesitation, “The outer envelope. That’s it. It’s the outer envelope.”

To elaborate, Scheck says the outer was so successful because of its relevance. It really grabbed the audience’s attention because supplements are very popular, and the readers want and need to know if the supplements they are taking are safe. His research — thoroughly reading the newsletter as well as scouring the news — allowed Scheck to engage readers with topics that are important to them.

It also helps to have the Harvard name backing his copy, Scheck freely admits. He continues, “The most important thing about writing copy is arousing interest. Make people think, ‘Hey, I need to know what this is going to tell me,’ and then convince them further on in the letter that you’re telling them about a source. I use the word source rather than magazine or newsletter because people think, ‘I already have too many magazines; I have too many publications … I don’t need another thing to read.’