A relatively cheap but dramatic face lift, in the form of a new outer envelope, is a time-honored direct mail tactic. A recent case in point is More's late-2001 roll-out of a new, more colorful outer envelope for its square (9" × 9") new business control. The previous control's “Go Girl!” teaser remains, but Cybill Shepherd, who previously graced the outer, is no longer in sight. Instead, the envelope (which indexed 10 points higher than the Shepherd outer) is drenched in eye-catching blues and purples. Dropped to one-million-plus prospects, the new piece also puts some previously unused space on the back of the envelope to good use by combining a sisterly invitation with an attention-getting offer: “Join Our Circle of Women and Get a Full Year Free!.”

The square package became More's prospecting control in December 2000, after it pulled double the net response of the 9" × 12" launch package. Ellen de Lathouder, VP, creative services for Meredith Corp., attributes the breakthrough more to sales approach than format: “The creative in the square package more closely matches the attitude and spirit of More readers [women over 40],” she says. “It celebrates women affirming women, with a spirit of freedom and confidence.”

However, the number and shape of elements inside have remained essentially unchanged since the launch package: a four-page sales letter, a large brochure (17" × 25") and a jumbo lift note (8 1/2" × 11").

Like most Meredith publications, More's offer is positioned as a two-for-one (buy one year, get another free), and it has stayed at $15 plus $3 shipping and handling since its 1998 launch. But More's offer also includes a rare “Double Risk-Free Guarantee”: An initial cancel-and-owe-nothing soft offer that's reinforced with the ability to cancel at any time during the subscription and receive a full refund.

More is also one of only a handful of magazines that have used square-format controls in recent years. Like the others, which include Real Simple (9" × 8") and Jane (6" × 6"), More has a contemporary, rule-breaking quality that seems suited to a novel size and shape — a subtle physical indicator that this is a title that looks at things in a new way. “While square packages don't always work, with the story we had, this one did,” notes de Lathouder.