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With a new year underway, let's take a look at how the changing marketing landscape is shaping insert programs along with marketers' approach to these direct response and branding media.
Package insert and ride-along programs continue to remain the popular mainstays due to the hotline buyer aspect with blow-in, statement and shared mail programs also accounting for a significant portion of mailers’ budgets due to their sizeable volumes. During the past year, package insert, ride-along, blow-in and statement insert programs accounted for 80 percent of the total new programs launched in the United States.
In this ever-growing field, new types of insert media programs are continually being developed and created including: social media, transpromo and product box advertising. Plus, more program owners, depending upon production capabilities and logistics, are benefiting from the added revenue stream provided by including product samples, overweight and oversized inserts into their outbound mailings.
Insert Media Programs
Insert media has become mainstream and incorporates a wide range of vehicles, each with its own substantial universe. For those marketers who are new to insert media, or even in need of a refresher, here is a breakdown of the predominant types of programs:
• Package insert programs are one of the most popular and prevalent forms of insert media. Reaching a true hotline buyer, this type of program involves placing image-compatible, noncompetitive inserts into outbound order packages, either by hand inserting or collating into a specially designed envelope.
• Blow-in/bind-in programs offer mailers the ability to reach large volumes in short spans of time with relative exclusivity. Typically, just one to two inserts are placed into outbound catalogs or magazines and mailed all in one day, often to millions of customers.
• Ride-alongs involve placing inserts with monthly/quarterly product offerings sent to a proven customer base. These programs often offer large annual volumes and typically mail over the course of just days or one to two weeks.
• Statement insert programs involve placing just one to two inserts into outbound statements, offering advertisers relative exclusivity. Plus, you are reaching the customer at the time of payment when payment forms such as credit cards and checks are readily available. In addition, transpromotional ads also may be featured directly on the statement.
• Web inserts offer marketers the opportunity to feature ads on another marketer's Web site thank-you or order confirmation page, homepage, e-mail newsletter, or online statement for maximum brand exposure.
Additional insert media vehicles include: co-ops and shared mailings; free standing inserts; sampling programs; take ones; card decks; coupon magazines; door hangers; and space, envelope and product box advertising.
Challenges and Solutions
Managers and brokers must continue to be creative in monetizing all customer touchpoints by creating new programs and developing ads for new products and services. Our No. 1 advice to marketers is to test, test, test! For best results, we recommend marketers create multiple formats to fit the varied program mix; feature dollars or percentage off, premiums, free or flat-rate shipping and handling; test offer/creative against control; and offer several ways to order including: phone, Web and mail.
Response rates will vary significantly depending upon variables such as:
- program type
- product type and price
- type of offer (one-step, two-step)
- size and type of insert/ad (postcard, trifold, banner, etc.)
- number of products featured per ad
- key code tracking mechanisms
- number of other inserts/ads in the program
- program distribution/ad dates
Barbara Henry is executive vice president and Jody Smith is vice president of Leon Henry Inc., a Hartsdale, N.Y.-based insert media company. Reach Henry at barbarah@leonhenryinc.com and Smith at jodys@leonhenryinc.com.
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