Well, I can't believe it's finally happened. In my years of analyzing mail for the Who's Mailing What! Archive, I've never seen three controls from a single company or organization become Grand Controls (mailed for three years or more) in the same month. Until this past December, that is, when three efforts from the Zoological Society of San Diego reached this exalted status. It should be noted that all of them were mailed to the same people — a husband-and-wife who happen to be longtime members of the zoo — and attempt to increase share of customer.
One mailing (Archive code #576-174159-0912A) has been in the mail since at least October 2006 and capitalizes on the holiday season by offering gift memberships. The #10 outer features pandas (among the San Diego Zoo's most well-known and popular residents) alongside gift boxes and ribbons. Inside, the legal-size letter from the zoo director is truly a model of brevity, just four sentences long.
It's what lies below the close that really does the job: a breakdown of membership levels for adults and kids, with benefits bullet-pointed, and with "value" or savings amounts for many of them in italics. The perfed order form at bottom allows for three separate gift memberships, each having a name and address area shaded to resemble a gift tag.
The zoo also mailed two campaigns to get the couple to upgrade their membership level, and it's the initial effort that really shines. The original version catalogued by the Archive, from December 2004, was mailed in a 6" x 8" cream-colored envelope with the Keeper's Club logo in the corner card. This time, the carrier bears the logo of the Diamond Club (their current member level) in the corner card, alongside the zoo director's signature. The letter, again from zoo director Douglas Myers, uses that connection to pitch a move up to the Keeper's Club level. First, the couple is flattered because they "care about the animals." They are thanked for their "loyal support." Then, they are informed that they are among "a select group of friends whom we consider special "caretakers" for thousands of rare plants and animals (Archive code #576-174159-0912B, see thumbnails below).
After a quick reminder of their current membership features (e.g., "free unlimited admission," "free parking at the Wild Animal Park," etc.), the rest of the letter is focused on how moving up will mean additional benefits. Even more than those of the Diamond Club, the privileges of the Keeper's Club are clearly intended to please the the most passionate types of members — the ones who very likely enjoy spending lots of time at the zoo. Earlier admission times and special bus tours are highlighted, as well as behind-the-scenes meetings with zookeepers once a month.
In lieu of a new membership card (which probably will be mailed separately), there's a personalized "Certificate of Appreciation" included in the envelope, recognizing the couple for "continuing to lead the way," thus, further enhancing that feeling of flattery. As an incentive, the zoo offers a reduced enrollment price, pro-rated to include the dues already paid for the year.
A follow-up membership mailing (Archive code #576-174159-0912C) is a slimmed-down affair. Mailed in a 4" x 8" envelope since at least April 2003, the one-page letter and separate order form remind the prospective members of the lower price and benefits, while keeping the flattery to a minimum.
Paul Bobnak is director of the Who's Mailing What! Archive, the world's largest library of direct mail.
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