About a decade ago, during the discovery phase for a large new general aviation account, we stumbled upon a peculiar behavior: for years, the sales team had been attempting to initiate product interest in the format of two-sided postcards. Seriously, they had been trying their best to sell $20 million-plus business jets using literally the cheapest approach possible.

Insert gasp here.

And even though the sales team had a pretty solid understanding of who the end users and decision makers were, they had zero understanding of how to turn on those folks.

An inability to sense what the right type of communication to a customer should be, especially when aimed at ultra-high-net-worth audiences, can kill the business. Here are a few rules to help keep your direct mail creative on track.

5 Tips for Creating Direct Mail for the Luxury Audience

1. First class. When a brand touches a customer, the appeal of the brand should radiate. It should not look cheap. It should be premium—down to every detail, including the first-class stamp.
2. Who sent this? Approach direct mail as your opportunity to prove to the customer that you believe they are important, special, and valued. Even a robo-signed letter from the CEO or president of a company is more respectful and will be better received than a letter signed by someone from “customer relations” or even worse, signed by no one.
3. Stay on-brand. A good argument will never be made for dumbing down a brand’s core message in direct mail. A brand is good when it stands for something. If your direct mail doesn’t convey this, then it’s going in the wrong direction. Go back and start over.
4. Say what? If the mailing is on point, the message will resonate. If the stars are aligned, a reaction will occur. Calibrate the call-to-action to the behaviors you hope for, but be specific. “Come in anytime for a test drive” won’t work nearly as well as “Your test drive has been prearranged. Click to RSVP.”
5. One-hit wonders do not exist. In advertising, our three-touch rule works: First, initiate a soft touch (sometimes a letter written to build interest); then follow up with a well-packaged and engaging mailing (inspiration, not a generic brochure); a third touch culminates with an exclusive and compelling offer or invitation.

Featured Illustrator: Peter Horvath

We first discovered Peter while searching for an illustrator for a highly conceptual theme. For that story, we needed…

By Roland Madrid