There isn’t much that gives me greater joy than a client that asks me to think outside the box and come up with something totally new for a marketing campaign. This is exactly what I did recently for a clients annual event. Here’s what I put together for him…

The event: Annual event, members paying anywhere from $1997-$3497 to attend depending on membership.

The Theme: 007 or “spy” theme

The campaign: Main letter (24 pages, lift letter, 2 buck slips, testimonial booklet, order form, photo postcard insert and envelope copy), 2nd mailing of same letter with handwritten notes in red, 4 postcards featuring case studies/testimonials of speakers/members that will be presenting, 4 emails, 4 fax.

The main letter grabber- a secret decoder spy glass that the reader used to reveal secret messages throughout the sales letter. Talk about getting them involved in your copy! You simply run the spy glass over the code box and the message magically appears. Reminds me of something I got in my Captain Crunch box as a kid. LOL

Other fun spy theme ideas in the letter were Secret File graphics that had details on the speakers, which I gave code names to like…“Agent M” (for Massive Action King) and “Agent Niche Market Galore”. I think you get my drift… HAVE FUN with it!
When it comes to using a theme or creative grabber there are just a few rules:

• Always explain why you are enclosing the grabber.
• Use the theme throughout the piece but don’t over do it. It can get sort of nauseating and can distract from the copy goal.
• Be different and have fun…your customers will love it and YOU will stand out from the competition!