FootSmart Spinoff Struts its Stuff
Healthy shoe and foot products marketer FootSmart mailed a spring preview edition of its new spinoff, WalkSmart, a catalog that ramps up the fashion angle while retaining the company's traditional emphasis on comfort. From the tagline, "Comfort footwear never looked so good," to the teaser, "The best collection of great looking, great feeling shoes…anywhere," it's clear that style takes center stage, and the focus is decidedly less medical than its parent. Many contemporary footwear brands are offered, including Clarks, Hush Puppies, EasySpirit, Naturalizer and Teva. A pair of Propet Sunburst Walker Slides ($59.95) serves as the featured product on the cover of the 10-1/2" x 7-3/4" catalog. Aside from shoes, roughly six out of the 48 pages in the catalog offer products traditionally found in FootSmart, including cushioned toe covers ($4.95), heel treatment creams ($6.95 - $9.95), toenail nippers ($17.95 - $29.95) and support socks ($9.95 - $13.95/pair). A small selection of men's shoes (including some unisex styles) occupy four pages, and include classic boat shoes from Sperry Top-Sider ($69.95), Geox dress moccasins ($119.95) and Asics Gel running shoes ($99.95).

Napster's Creative Freemium: "Free Air Guitar!"
Napster showed off its witty side in a recent direct mail effort promoting a free trial for its subscription-based music download service. The front of the 4-3/4" x 7-1/2" package not only promotes a free 30-day trial, but also promises a "Free Air Guitar!" A freemium guitar pick emblazoned with the Napster logo is enclosed, and is visible through a window on the backside of the package. An enclosed insert folds out encouraging recipients to start the trial and "break out the air guitar." Napster further promises more music and features than "any mortal can possibly rock out to." Benefits of subscription include access to over 1.5 million songs, which can be downloaded on up to three PCs. It also promotes the service's convenience, personal recommendations and message board system. To redeem the offer, recipients must visit Napster.com and enter the promotional code printed in the mail piece to download the necessary software and set up an account. Fine print sets the price after the trial period at $9.95 per month.

American Girl Mails Greeting Card Package
Pre-teen magazine American Girl mailed a subscription offer centered around an enclosed greeting card, similar to the one regularly used by People magazine. The card and corresponding offer are referred to on the front of the 5-1/2" x 7-1/4" package as "A special invitation for you and your daughter." The enclosed greeting card features four smiling girls, dressed for summer, with beach pails. Inside, a note from publisher Diane Morgenthaler welcomes parents and introduces American Girl as "the most popular magazine in the country for girls 8-12." Like past promotions, Morgenthaler positions the title as positive, friendly and age-appropriate. A glossy folded insert features additional photos of typical American girls and highlights the magazine's distinct subject matter. Editorial content covers friends, school, short stories and crafts. Each issue includes "smile-inspiring posters" and a free surprise gift, ranging from stickers to door hangers. The insert also adds a bulleted list of what sets American Girl apart from other magazines for girls like "no tips on how to flirt with boys" and "no articles on losing weight or plastic surgery." To receive the free issue, parents can add their daughter's name and birth date to the reply form and return it. The soft offer is set at American Girl's control rate of $22.95 for five additional issues, a total of six in all.

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.