Cosmo Girl!'s new control replaces its endearingly quirky edit package of last year with a more earnest survey mailing. (Competitor Seventeen Magazine already had a successful survey package.)
The new CGIRL! package's fairly sedate 6" × 8" white outer envelope, marked “Confidential Opinion Survey — for Girls Only!,” represents a sharp contrast to the bright pink outer of the previous, stretch package. Still, it's hardly without promotional features. The first is the survey itself, whose teen-adapted lifestyle questions (“Do you chat with your friends online?What's your favorite way to shop?”) subtly imply the publication's editorial benefits. There are two rewards for returning the survey: entrance in a fast-50 contest for a Polaroid I-Zone camera kit and a freemium set of butterfly tattoos. In addition, a “Mystery Gift” is awarded as thanks for those who subscribe to the magazine. And, in a twist on the usual reply form involvement sticker, respondents are urged to seal the BRE with a blue-starred “Free Stuff!” sticker found on the outer.
The new, hard offer of $8 for 10 issues is lower than the previous control's soft offer of $9.97 with one free issue. And it's bolstered by a “100% Money-Back guarantee.” This offer is a departure from the approach more commonly used in survey packages: offering at least one risk-free issue as a thank-you for returning the questionnaire.
The new control, created by Caroline Zimmermann, has produced a significant lift in net orders, according to Hearst.
Seen in the Mail items are identified by
MarketRelevance.com, an online direct mail and email promotion tracking resource offered by Paradysz Matera. CM staff conduct the interviews and edit the items.
