Taking Control: KCET Staying Top of Mind — and Mail Pile

KCET also wanted to see if it could do away with the Post-it note and coupon, decreasing the costs of the mailing and reducing the clutter factor.

“We took a totally different approach to the mailing,” says Jodi Scheib, vice president of fundraising for DMW Worldwide. “A simple, clean, concise package without inserts, without Post-it notes, without any sort of up-front premium. We did decide to go in a totally different direction as a cost factor. Why spend additional money if these inserts don’t boost the response rate?”

The action-needed piece — created by DMW designer David Goff and copywriter Tom Hurley — also is enclosed in a 4-inch-by-91⁄2-inch outer. But unlike the control it beat, the address label is on the left side of the envelope and is larger. It includes the following copy above the addressee information: “To: KCET Viewers, Re: Program decisions being made now. We need you to determine our direction. Action needed by March 31st!”

To the right of the address window is the urgent message, “Action Needed!”

The yellow, 81⁄2-inch-by-14-inch letter with perf-off reply is visible through the address window and is the lone element in the mailing, save for the BRE.

Emphasizing action
The overall offer — a $29 membership — is the same for both mailings, but there are some key design and copy differences that Newman and Scheib agree help the action-needed package pull better response.

In terms of copy, while the letter in the prior control talked about the tangible, cost-saving benefits of membership with KCET, the action-needed letter talks about what KCET offers TV viewers and the need for support to keep that programming going.

“[The letter] is not convoluted or confusing,” Scheib says. “It’s simple and to the point, and really demonstrates the mission of KCET and the need and importance of viewer support. It directly translates their support into the benefit of public television.”