Cover Story: Political Direct Marketing 2004

“Dear [FIRST NAME]: I don’t want to believe you’ve abandoned the Republican Party, but I have to ask … have you given up?”

For Kerry’s mail, the campaign opted for a straightforward approach, abandoning — for the most part — oversized packages brimming with decals, bumper stickers and photographs (although the splashy 9-inch-by-12-inch with “urgent response” verbiage is a staple in every direct-response political-fundraising campaign) and sticking with plain No. 10s. Kerry’s most widely used effort, according to the Archive, features a one-line teaser on the outer: “Let’s go for it!”

The package includes just a one-page letter, donor card (with a small-dollar ask string) and BRE. (Pictured on Page 56.) The lead paragraph of the letter reads:

“We’re going for it! … People all across the country are lining up to support our campaign, committing their time, energy and financial support to helping end the Bush presidency.”

According to Eiring, the Kerry campaign consistently has pulled about a 15 percent response rate from acquisition packages — those efforts mailed to members of the DNC, liberal and progressive organizations, women’s organizations, environmental groups and democratic-voter files. The swelled coffers of both candidates can be attributed to their decisions to skip public financing and the spending limits that come with it — as well as the unparalleled response from contributors — large and small.