Perfectionist that I am, I use this space from time to time to single out examples of less-than-perfect direct mail pieces. If something drops through the mail slot and screams at me with a typo, for example, you may read about it on a Monday. I tend to protect the source: I'm here to offer advice and education, not to demean and point fingers.

Last month, a mailing of a different sort arrived. I noticed it immediately because of its size (5 7/8" X 11 1/8" folded in half, lengthwise).

It was a tall drink of water that stood out like a natural blonde at my Pagano family reunion. There's a little picture of it with this column.

I spent time looking it over carefully and found myself reading everything - everything - in this smart-looking little piece.

How impressed was I? So impressed that I called up the company - The Mailworks, located in Albany NY. I'd not heard of them before.

This piece is an example of VDP (variable data printing), as you can tell by my company's name at the top center. This campaign, "The Mailworks Postips," is a quarterly campaign, and here are the reasons why I think it works so well:

1. The size stands out. Nifty.

2. The design is very clean (uncluttered) and professional. I find it very attractive.

3. The typefaces work well with one another; there's plenty of white space; I like the images throughout. It is contemporary.

4. It is very well written (and you know how picky I am about that). Not a typo or ill-crafted sentence to be found anywhere.

5. The length of this piece is, like the Baby Bear's chair, "just right."

6. There's a bit of levity inside. A fun word jumble related to St. Patrick's Day takes up a quarter of an inside page. Don't know about you, but I am mad for word puzzles.

7. All of the content is informational - not promotional. It's actually the primary reason why I give this piece an A+. Either they hired one sharp marketing team for this campaign or there's a natural-born marketing writer on staff. The copy is all steak and no fat. It's exactly as it should be, and what I've been encouraging graphic arts services firms to do for over a decade.

This piece was designed to tell prospects about the company's SmartMail Program, and this was a piece of very smart mail. Well done!

Their web site is www.themailworks.com. Look under The Direct Mail Tab for information on SmartMail (it should be more prominent on this site, methinks).

I can't wait to get the next issue.

©2009 Margie Dana. All rights reserved. You're free to forward this email to friends and colleagues: please do! However, no part of this column may be reprinted without permission from the author.

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