Notes On The Direct Mail Creative Checklist
These notes are a supplement to the material presented in this chapter. They are not a self-contained substitute for that material. See Figure 5.14 for the checklist.
1. Purpose. What the mailing is to achieve. This can include immediate sales, finding long-term customers, building a base on which to sell through personal, telephone, or additional mail follow-up, information gathering, and so on. If more than a single purpose is selected, pick one as key. Where else in life would you devote exactly the same effort to every objective?
2. Budget. The budget for direct mail creative stops with design (#10) plus internal and outside charges for #11 to #14. How the total project is budgeted and what must be approved before creative design may begin are decided here. Note that #15 and #16 are for approvals only.
3. Test(s). What, if anything, is to be tested. Schedule not only the time allocated for the tests themselves but also for analyzing and following up on them. #4 must have this information to build a workable time line.
4. Time line. The specific time line for the creative process and how it relates to testing, plus the time required to satisfy all the other checklists noted at the bottom of this checklist.
5. Supervision. Supervision for the creative processes, if such supervision is different from the overall supervision. If several supervisors are involved, decide who may and who may not override whom. Only one person can be in charge.
6. Audience. All we can learn about our obvious target audience(s) and, possibly, new prospects we had not realized were there. (In regard to the latter, the evil of "B.O." (body odor), was invented by an agency to find a need for a strong-smelling soap practically no one had known they wanted.)
7. Focus. The specific focus (approach) of each test in attempting to achieve the purpose in #1. Most often, this is done by giving the copywriters and designers broad guidelines on which to use their personal creativity.
8. Research. If research is wanted or needed, what will it cost? How long will it take? Who will do it? Who must approve? Most important, what actions will you take on the basis of the research results? Start with the last point first. If the answer is "none," go directly from #7 to #9.
9. Writer. If you are the writer and are new to writing, do just one approach from beginning to end before going on to the next. Then base the second approach on the first, the third on the second, and so on. Now go back and redo the first—and probably the others, too. You'll be
DIRECT MAIL CREATIVE CHECKLIST
Project Title_
Project Description
Overall Supervision By Budget _
MANAGEMENT DECISIONS ASSIGNED TO DUE
1. Purpose _________________________________
4. Time Line _________________________________
5. Supervision _________________________________
CREATIVE DECISIONS
S. Research _________________________________
9. Writer(s) _________________________________
10. Designer(s) _________________________________
12. Photography _________________________________
13. Art _________________________________
14. New Art _________________________________
15. Disk/Film/Proofs OK _________________________________
16. On-Press OK _________________________________
17. Test Analysis _________________________________
MECHANICAL CHECKS
lS. Editorial OK _________________________________
19. Legal OK _________________________________
22. Logo _________________________________
Figure 5.14 The direct mail creative checklist.
Date_
Project #_
Deadline _
Start Up Date
IN MUST APPROVE BY DATE IN INFO COPY ONLY SEE ATTACHED
d______d__________d d______d__________d d______d__________d d______d__________d d______d__________d d______d__________d d______d__________d d______d__________d d______d__________d d______d__________d d______d__________d d______d__________d d______d__________d
g______e____hr d______d_____ d g______■■____■■
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