Soaring on Simplicity
When the package first launched in ‘97, the outer envelope looked remarkably similar to the one AFA currently is mailing, save for black typeface and a fourth line of copy. For AFA’s initial drop, the Barrys tagged on an official-sounding blurb: Communication Inside For Addressee Only. No Other Individual Permitted To Open Or Take Possession Of These Contents!
The letter is another package element that hardly has changed since ‘97. Earlier versions of the letter featured a longer lead, but for this installment, the Barrys get right to business: It is a pleasure to announce that our popular Multi-Benefit Accident Plan now pays higher benefits than ever before!
Directly below, the Barrys present a block of personalized copy in bold typeface to grab the prospect’s attention: It pays the beneficiary of Maj Gen John Sample up to $250,000 in the event of your accidental death! ...
Personalizing the package was relatively painless to facilitate, says Rosalie, due to the nature of the product.
“If we were selling a life insurance plan, the materials would read something like: ‘Dear Captain Sample, at your present age of 45, you are eligible for $100,000 of insurance at a rate of $55 a month,’” she says. “For this package, AFA is extending a much simpler insurance product, where the rate doesn’t change based on a member’s age.”
Personalization pays off
According to Paul Barry, the cost to produce the package was quite low because the letter, order form and buckslips were lasered on the same continuous form, thereby justifying the use of personalization. The individual elements were spliced apart and inserted into the envelopes.
The first of the 33⁄4-inch-by-81⁄2- inch buckslips details the prospect’s schedule of benefit payments for three possible insurance plans. The second features a summary of features and premiums and is presented vertically, with two light-blue boxes at the top that contain recipients’ personal information.
