Loose Cannon: The Envelope, Please

I truly hate awards shows. Oscars, Grammys, Tonys, Obies, the Golden Globes, the People's Choice – for me, watching three to four hours of any of these borders on being physically painful.

So when I chide advertising firms for not sending every junior copywriter on their rosters to last week's 29^th Annual John Caples International Awards, one might suspect I was doing so out of sadistic tendencies. Not so! (This time.)

For industry young 'uns caught up in the glamour of electronic advertising, seeing the winners in each category may provide a needed swift kick in the pants. Because, consistently, the most noteworthy work came from the direct mail entrants, and not the sexier interactive or television mediums.

Below, I've highlighted three examples that caught my biased, arbitrary eye. In addition to all being first-place winners, the three entries share two other distinctions. First, they use or refer to relatively low-tech elements, including a manual typewriter, carbon paper, and a pencil and eraser.

To appreciate the second distinction, one needs to know that in Caples judging, direct mail categories are split based on the amount spent. For instance, consumer efforts costing under $400/M were judged separately from those costing more than $400/M.

All three examples below came from lower-cost divisions.

What gave the edge to this year's best in show winner was a combination of the creative and the delivery method. De TIJD, a Belgian business newspaper, designed a retirement planning brochure. The paper then retained Belgian agency I Do, which created "Cyriel (84) Needs a Job" to sell its brochure to human resources directors. (In addition to best in show, the piece won first place in the business-to-business mail under $500/M category.)

During the campaign's duration, any HR director who ran a "help wanted" ad in De TIJD received the direct mail package. The package consisted of a handwritten letter, ostensibly from 84-year-old Cyriel Van Steenbergen, along with a resume that was apparently typed on a manual typewriter. "Cyriel" even included a passport photo of himself for extra empathy.

There was a small wink in the package: Under references, Cyriel wrote, "Unfortunately, all persons who can testify about my competences have already passed away." But the kicker was the last page of the "application," which consisted of a flier titled "Would you like to prevent your employees from having to earn an extra income after retirement like Cyriel?" The page offered more information about De TIJD's brochure, and an order form.

In the consumer non-profit direct mail under $400/M category, Arc Worldwide/Leo Burnett Advertising of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia took top honors for a piece it created for the Women's Aid Organisation. Had I been a judge, I would have lobbied for the package to share best-of-show honors. It is one of the most disquieting efforts I've ever seen.

Recipients were urged, before they opened the envelope, to write the most hurtful thing they had ever said in a large box on the envelope's back. (The Caples entry featured the phrase "You useless BITCH!")

Turns out the inner envelope had a carbon paper layer, and whatever the recipient wrote transferred through – right across a photo of a young woman's face. The piece's copy explained "Hurtful words uttered in a moment of fury can scar someone for life. If you know of anyone who is a victim of emotional or physical violence, speak up. Silence the abuser by signing this petition [for government support of an anti-abuse program]."

In the business-to-business under $500/M category, Belgian agency I Do, which also created "Cyriel (84) Needs a Job", took first place for the last low-tech-high-wow entry I'm highlighting (it must be something in the water. Or the beer.)

I Do touted Staedtler's line of premium erasers by means of a simple, handwritten letter composed in pencil. The company invited recipients – principals and art school supply managers – to test the product's quality by erasing the entire letter with an enclosed sample (the sample had all necessary contact information printed on it.)

There are dozens more examples in the Caples program book. I don't know whether Caples management is making the book available to non-attendees – or what price it is asking for one, if it is. Doesn't matter. Spend whatever it takes to get copies into the hands of your junior creative staff by next Friday. Quiz 'em on it on Monday. Fire those that don't react as if they've just been electrified as a result of their weekend reading.

Your firm's direct mail efforts will be the better for it.

To respond to the opinions in this column, please contact richard.levey@penton.com