LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

ASK A PROFESSIONAL

I had to laugh at December's Curmudgeon-at-Large column, “Expedia Isn't All That Expedient.” Herschell Gordon Lewis may be an expert on direct mail, but he's certainly no genius on travel planning. Our clients know that our company can handle all the air reservations Mr. Lewis' poor spouse tried to manage smoothly, professionally and at a far better price than they can get online.

The Internet usually works well for uncomplicated domestic ticketing. However, for specialized touring and international air ticketing, especially with a number of stops within any country, it's crucial to get a professional to be your advocate for the best price and schedule, as well as seat assignments and frequent flier credits.

If something goes wrong — if the schedule changes or flights get canceled — clients who have an agent don't panic. They know the tag line of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) is true: “Without a travel agent, you're on your own.”

Next time, Mr. Lewis should write about what he knows. If Direct needs somebody to write about travel, an ASTA professional would be happy to oblige.
Eleanor Flagler Hardy
President
The Society of International
Railway Travelers
Louisville, KY

OLD SCHOOL'S OK

Richard H. Levey's comments on direct mail are dead-on (Loose Cannon, Oct. 1). I don't know how many credit card applications I threw away this summer, but I do know they're in the hundreds.

I am marketing director of a manufacturing company in Colorado. Even though I don't market to a consumer base, I still use direct mail in a business-to-business atmosphere. I'm always looking for a different way to get my word across.

This summer we had a new product release that I decided to get a little creative with. The industry I work in — electrical equipment manufacturing — isn't very exciting, but I tried to have some fun. A piece was developed with the theme of having a cold beer on a hot day. The tag was “It's hard to believe that it can get better than this…but it can.” On the inside of the self-mailer we glued a custom-printed beer coaster and had all the facts and figures for the machine, weaving in the beer theme. It's gotten some attention and everyone seemed to like it.

Yes, it's an old-school technique, with something inside that even the child in me would open to see what it was. But it works.

So some of us are still doing the “99% perspiration.”
Amy Frey
Marketing Director
Baker Instrument Co.
Fort Collins, CO

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