There are various direct-response advertising rules always quoted as Gospel: never use humor when you're talking about money; the letter is always the most important component in direct mail; make sure your envelope teaser copy delivers the most important benefit. This compact direct mail package, offering a Visa card from Valley National Bank of Arizona, broke each and every one of them.
No letter, just a small brochure; no benefit mentioned on the envelope (not even a hint of the product); and quirky humor not seen before on a credit card solicitation. This package, mailed to bank customers and targeted prospects living in the tri-state area served by Valley Bank, generated an unheard-of 9% response rate: over four times the industry average. Let me repeat: a 9% response. Might have been due to unusually heavy sunspot activity, or the well-documented fact that a large number of Arizona residents are pushovers for fairy tales. That, or the other well-documented fact that sometimes, taking wild creative risks can pay off handsomely....
