Comments on: Is it junk mail if you say it ain’t so? http://www.directcreative.com/blog/is-it-junk-mail-if-you-say-it-aint-so Dean Rieck on Copywriting & Direct Marketing Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:10:32 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: Janice C Cartier http://www.directcreative.com/blog/is-it-junk-mail-if-you-say-it-aint-so/comment-page-1#comment-4023 Janice C Cartier Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:06:06 +0000 http://www.directcreative.com/blog/?p=89#comment-4023 Dean et al- Orange, big for marketing books this year. I did the informal count and some snooping around on Sunday... 2/20 current business books on display-vivid orange or orange and blue, the money books were blue and green. Fully fifty per cent of these twenty books were white with orange or red text titles. Tim Ferris had gold and white to himself. On other displays, same thing, except maroons were used on serious executive skills titles....just saying. It could be a zig or a zag, but somebody in marketing publishing likes orange. Dean et al- Orange, big for marketing books this year. I did the informal count and some snooping around on Sunday…
2/20 current business books on display-vivid orange or orange and blue, the money books were blue and green. Fully fifty per cent of these twenty books were white with orange or red text titles.
Tim Ferris had gold and white to himself.

On other displays, same thing, except maroons were used on serious executive skills titles….just saying. It could be a zig or a zag, but somebody in marketing publishing likes orange.

]]> By: Janice C Cartier http://www.directcreative.com/blog/is-it-junk-mail-if-you-say-it-aint-so/comment-page-1#comment-3758 Janice C Cartier Thu, 21 Aug 2008 01:25:16 +0000 http://www.directcreative.com/blog/?p=89#comment-3758 LOL. :-) With pleasure. I have been using the neighborhood B and N as my Sunday alternative office. I'll get back to you on that count. LOL. :-)

With pleasure. I have been using the neighborhood B and N as my Sunday alternative office. I’ll get back to you on that count.

]]> By: Dean Rieck http://www.directcreative.com/blog/is-it-junk-mail-if-you-say-it-aint-so/comment-page-1#comment-3757 Dean Rieck Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:53:50 +0000 http://www.directcreative.com/blog/?p=89#comment-3757 Janice: Ahem. Of course Dean is right. You even have to ask? :) Hey, let us know what you find out about book colors. This is a fascinating topic. I'll have to do a post on it sometime. Janice: Ahem. Of course Dean is right. You even have to ask? :)

Hey, let us know what you find out about book colors. This is a fascinating topic. I’ll have to do a post on it sometime.

]]> By: Janice C Cartier http://www.directcreative.com/blog/is-it-junk-mail-if-you-say-it-aint-so/comment-page-1#comment-3755 Janice C Cartier Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:43:22 +0000 http://www.directcreative.com/blog/?p=89#comment-3755 Bob- Phew! Good to know. But I am looking this envelope...what are those five things, maybe I DO need to know them...and it is such a nice color. Do direct marketers know more about me than I do? Made to stick grabbed me away from all the trashy novels I was considering. So far the content is good ( I cannot wait to see if the guys get the girl)...but this invasion of orange...and , uh, utilitarian design...could Dean be right? Could it not be about pretty at all...but ...function? Next time I am at the bookstore I am counting colors of covers in the marketing section. Bob- Phew! Good to know. But I am looking this envelope…what are those five things, maybe I DO need to know them…and it is such a nice color. Do direct marketers know more about me than I do?

Made to stick grabbed me away from all the trashy novels I was considering. So far the content is good ( I cannot wait to see if the guys get the girl)…but this invasion of orange…and , uh, utilitarian design…could Dean be right? Could it not be about pretty at all…but …function?

Next time I am at the bookstore I am counting colors of covers in the marketing section.

]]> By: Bob Firestone http://www.directcreative.com/blog/is-it-junk-mail-if-you-say-it-aint-so/comment-page-1#comment-3751 Bob Firestone Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:51:25 +0000 http://www.directcreative.com/blog/?p=89#comment-3751 Janice, don't feel alone. I hear great and I would totally have opened the envelope. And to top it off I just started reading made to stick. Janice, don’t feel alone. I hear great and I would totally have opened the envelope. And to top it off I just started reading made to stick.

]]> By: Janice C Cartier http://www.directcreative.com/blog/is-it-junk-mail-if-you-say-it-aint-so/comment-page-1#comment-3732 Janice C Cartier Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:58:29 +0000 http://www.directcreative.com/blog/?p=89#comment-3732 Ahh, that makes sense. I bought Made to Stick Sunday. ORANGE. With duct tape on the cover. James Chartrand reviewed a book on branding this morning. It had a very ugly TIDE- like cover, but great content he said. I am tempted. And now this envelope, I wanted to open it even though I do not even need the services... I feel like a Pavlov dog. ;-) Ahh, that makes sense.

I bought Made to Stick Sunday. ORANGE. With duct tape on the cover. James Chartrand reviewed a book on branding this morning. It had a very ugly TIDE- like cover, but great content he said. I am tempted. And now this envelope, I wanted to open it even though I do not even need the services…

I feel like a Pavlov dog. ;-)

]]> By: Dean Rieck http://www.directcreative.com/blog/is-it-junk-mail-if-you-say-it-aint-so/comment-page-1#comment-3731 Dean Rieck Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:46:13 +0000 http://www.directcreative.com/blog/?p=89#comment-3731 Janice: Good observation on the color. Yes, orange is a "high visibility" color. It's not good for headlines or type because it's not legible on white paper, but it's excellent for backgrounds to draw the eye. Yellow is even more visible, but hard on the eyes, so its use must be limited. Black type on yellow is one of the highest contrast combinations for getting attention. It's used on a lot of "warning" road signs for this reason. I don't have specific numbers, but yes to color affecting response. It's not that there are magic colors. It's about using the right color at the right time. For example, I could use a bright yellow mailer for a high-end business mailing, but it would look like junk mail and probably wouldn't make it to an executive's desk. Blue would be a more businesslike color and more likely to get delivered even if it's not as attention-grabbing. For lower end consumer mailings, the warmer or more garish colors wouldn't hurt image as much and could draw attention. Janice: Good observation on the color. Yes, orange is a “high visibility” color. It’s not good for headlines or type because it’s not legible on white paper, but it’s excellent for backgrounds to draw the eye.

Yellow is even more visible, but hard on the eyes, so its use must be limited. Black type on yellow is one of the highest contrast combinations for getting attention. It’s used on a lot of “warning” road signs for this reason.

I don’t have specific numbers, but yes to color affecting response. It’s not that there are magic colors. It’s about using the right color at the right time.

For example, I could use a bright yellow mailer for a high-end business mailing, but it would look like junk mail and probably wouldn’t make it to an executive’s desk. Blue would be a more businesslike color and more likely to get delivered even if it’s not as attention-grabbing.

For lower end consumer mailings, the warmer or more garish colors wouldn’t hurt image as much and could draw attention.

]]> By: Janice C Cartier http://www.directcreative.com/blog/is-it-junk-mail-if-you-say-it-aint-so/comment-page-1#comment-3727 Janice C Cartier Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:24:15 +0000 http://www.directcreative.com/blog/?p=89#comment-3727 It's like a politician saying may we be honest here...what? You mean we weren't before? or, is it this mail doesth protest too much? Either way, it looks MORE like junk mail than it would without it. IMHO. Dean is there a thing with marketing and the color orange? I know it is one of the most visible colors on the spectrum, but does it actually get more results? I am tempted by this envelope in part because of its color. It’s like a politician saying may we be honest here…what? You mean we weren’t before?

or, is it this mail doesth protest too much?

Either way, it looks MORE like junk mail than it would without it. IMHO.

Dean is there a thing with marketing and the color orange? I know it is one of the most visible colors on the spectrum, but does it actually get more results? I am tempted by this envelope in part because of its color.

]]> By: Suzanne Obermire http://www.directcreative.com/blog/is-it-junk-mail-if-you-say-it-aint-so/comment-page-1#comment-3697 Suzanne Obermire Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:16:48 +0000 http://www.directcreative.com/blog/?p=89#comment-3697 Interesting! I agree with you 100%. And, the audience here is probably a group of seniors--traditionally pretty responsive to direct mail offers. Unlike a lot of direct marketers, I have no problems calling true 'junk mail' junk. In this case, however, there was no reason to do so--especially on the envelope! Suzanne Interesting! I agree with you 100%. And, the audience here is probably a group of seniors–traditionally pretty responsive to direct mail offers.

Unlike a lot of direct marketers, I have no problems calling true ‘junk mail’ junk. In this case, however, there was no reason to do so–especially on the envelope!
Suzanne

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