Ross-Simons Launches Via
Via, a new catalog from fine jewelry, home and gift merchant Ross-Simons, offers shoppers a unique, casual collection of jewelry, accessories and home decor items. A note on the inside cover of the Premiere Edition asserts, "Via takes us in new directions. Via celebrates casual living and the looks of today... Via makes a statement of individuality... It's beauty, Via you." Earrings, necklaces, rings, bangles and watches dominate the majority of the 60-page catalog. The products are decidedly more organic than past offerings, a result of Ross-Simons "bringing more nature into the picture." To go along with the casual style of the jewelry, models are pictured in laid back photos wearing informal clothing. Prices range from $49.95 for a Saint James stainless steel and quartz watch to $1,095 for an Alligator-motif hinged bangle. Products for the home include furniture and home accessories, dinnerware, lamps and collectibles. They are divided by theme, ranging from "Asian Influence" and "Nantucket Getaway" to "Contemporary Rustics" and "Sea and Be Seen." To further encourage purchases from the new catalog, Via offers free shipping with orders of $75 or more, a common incentive from Ross-Simons.

NAHC Redesigns Membership Offer
North American Membership Group, the company that operates the Cooking Club of America, Handyman Club of America, The History Channel Club and several other lifestyle affinity membership organizations, revamped its latest direct mail membership offer for the North American Hunting Club (NAHC). In place of its colorful, freemium-filled promotions, the NAHC opts instead for a basic #10 package reminiscent of a voucher. The teaser on the front informs recipients, "You are Urgently Needed to Field Test Hunting Products." Inside, a lone insert features an itemized list of membership benefits, a letter from the club's executive director and the reply form. While past promotions have included at least a pair of freemiums (typically a hunting license holder/wallet and a note pad), the two incentives are now listed as membership premiums along with venison seasoning, a "Wild Bounty" cookbook and the North American Hunter magazine to name just a few. The accompanying letter boasts that each month the NAHC receives over $35,000 worth of "the great gear you love." These items, which include knives, clothing and ammo, are passed down to members to field test. To begin receiving the free merchandise along with the club's publications and other membership rewards, recipients can sign up for two years for $24. The "$1 a month" price is identical to past offers; however, the two-year term is up from one year. NAHC rewards quick response with four additional months of membership, totaling "28 months of passion for just 85¢ a month."

Smarthome Catalog Focuses on Home Style
The cover of the Spring 2006 edition of Smarthome features a new creative design more reminiscent of a home decor catalog than that of a home tech effort. As usual, a subheading is found beneath the logo. However, unlike the sale-oriented "Best Buys" or technophile-targeting "Automation Guide" from past efforts, the latest edition is marked with the design-themed "Style." Below, a teaser dubs the 68-page catalog the "Room-by-Room Guide to Modern Living." Visually, the cover deviates from Smarthome's standard multiple-products-on-white-background approach, instead, featuring an attractively furnished dining room set for entertaining. A woman is shown making the final adjustments to lighting (highlighting the Insteon light switch). Inside, the catalog features Smarthome's typical product selection, including home accessory items such as battery operated candles ($19.99 - $39.99), an automated plant watering system ($49.99) and the secure mail vault ($219.99).

The direct mail promotions appearing in Mail Stream are tracked and analyzed by ParadyszMatera, a media brokerage services company, through its MarketRelevance(tm) Promotion Library. Click here to visit their site: ParadyszMatera.com.