Direct Mail - Grazie Mille from Pagliacci

Truth be told, I had trouble thinking of a good example of either of these, but chose to go with a piece of direct mail marketing that arrived in my mailbox this week from Pagliaccia Pizza (see below). Direct mail is a tricky thing to do well – it is hard to standout amongst the seemingly endless supply of grocery store sales flyers, credit card offers and the like. And while I think this one was better than most, I’ll go ahead and also discuss what I think could be improved upon. 

 

This postcard sized mailer states “Grazie Mille!” (A Thousand Thanks) and includes a magnet with their phone number and website, ostensibly to make it easier for me to order next time. I believe it’s the first thank you card I have received from any company with whom I have done less than $20 in business, which was surprising in a good way. This fact, combined with a simple, but eye catching design saved this piece of marketing from the fate of most predecessors – a direct trip to the recycling bin. So, at least for me, this direct mail marketing was effective in getting me take notice, and think about Pagliacci Pizza again, long after the leftovers were gone. 

While this was somewhat effective, I don’t know that it has increased the odds of a future order, which is obviously the goal. There are a few things they could have done to increase its “stickiness”. First of all, the magnet, while literally sticky, is one of those super flat, doesn’t actually hold anything to your fridge type of magnets, likely due to the cost of both producing and mailing anything more substantial. However, I would be more likely to actually use a magnet that can do more than just take up space on my fridge. If I don’t use it, then they have failed to keep themselves in the forefront of my mind each time I open the fridge. In addition, a coupon of some sort would increase the odds of future orders, and would also allow Pagliacci to track the effectiveness of this campaign. In short, better than most, but still room for improvement!