Eye on Envelopes: 5 Trends to Watch
August 2006
By Tracy A. Gill
multipage
* Paper stocks. Veering away from the standard 80 lb white paper stock, some mailers are making an impression with unusual papers. For example, Capital One and American Express both have used linen stock to create the appearance of an upscale effort for their higher-end credit card and loan offers, while Washington Mutual and Omaha Steaks are have used glossy papers to make colors that pop. A surprising trend that has sprung up a number of times is vellum outers; AccuData, Zazzle, National Republican Congressional Committee, Wegmans Food Markets and Ross Products are some of the mailers that have used semi-opaque envelopes in recent months.
* Priority mail, or the appearance thereof. Popular a few years ago, faux Priority and AirMail efforts seem to be making a slight comeback, as Fisher Investments, NARAL, Chase, World Congress Jewish Foundation, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and publisher Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins all have used a variation of this format. The most popular iteration seems to be the inclusion of a fake “Priority Handling” or “Priority Notification” sticker featuring tracking codes and, often, an authorizing signature.
* Standard sizes. Use of custom envelope sizes so far in 2006 is down about 6.3 percent from 2005, suggesting that some mailers may be looking for cost-savings by using stock envelopes rather than custom ones. The #10 envelope is, by far, the most dominant mailing size. Accounting for 41.9 percent of envelope efforts in the first half of 2006, the #10 is enjoying slightly heavier use this year than in 2005, which ended at just under 40 percent. The 6˝ x 9˝ envelope was the second most-popular standard size, at 8.4 percent, while the #7-3/4, or Monarch, and 9˝ x 12˝ are the other standard sizes to make a splash so far this year, at 2.3 percent and 3.3 percent respectively. This is a trend that may see an upswing, as paper prices continue to rise and new postal rates go into effect in mid 2007.
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