Consumer Reports® Free Standing Insert

Should Be Studied by All Direct Marketers

Last week The Daily Journal that serves Vineland and Millville, NJ carried an 18-page FSI that should be reviewed by both tyro and seasoned direct marketers. It’s a fine example of many of the things that make direct marketing work.

The right audience: All 17,700 subscribers, plus newsstand and pass-along readers use products and services covered by Consumer Reports Magazine.

The right offer(s): “Do’s and don’ts to make you a much, much smarter shopper,” is the big promise, but it’s the specifics that grab attention: “Do invest in market beating funds.” “Do save 14% on gas.” “Do make your house pay off.” “Do lose weight without feeling hungry.” “We’ll tell you the best new car we tested.” “What the beef ads might not tell you.” “We’ll tell you the best digital camera buys.” “See page 16 for your FREE Buying Guide.” All this is offered right up front on the cover page.

Branding: The insert’s cover looks like a copy of Consumer Reports Magazine. What better way to capitalize on brand recognition and establish immediate credibility?

But these folks are just getting warmed up. Page two offers two reference books that cost $21.94 absolutely FREE: Buying Guide 2007 and How to Clean Practically Anything.

A letter”From the Desk of Jamie Darnow,” director of publishing grabs readers with questions such “Did anyone ever tell you…Or warn you… Or clue you... Or tip you off, etc.”. and humanizes the copy with his picture. Then, the letter continues as a prominent part of most pages right through to page 14 where the offer of a FREE issue of Consumer Reports and the two FREE books is repeated.

The tear-off Business Reply Card on pages 17 and 18 repeats the offer for the umpteenth time for the skimmers who may have missed it.

And a final nice touch, albeit in very small type: “Please allow 4 to 8 weeks for delivery of Free books and issue.” This may assuage the impatient (if they read it), but it’s also and opportunity to deliver sooner than expected and earn some bonus points.

My only question is why they didn’t include a time limit on the offer. Maybe they’ve already tested it with a time limit and found keeping the offer evergreen works better.

Tip for the little guys: Insert media gets attention. Maybe you can’t afford free standing newspaper inserts, but there’s an insert program for every budget. You’ll find a nice piece titled "Insert Media 101" at: http://www.allmediainc.com.