For those that may be new to direct mail, lumpy mail is a piece of mail containing “more than just paper” in it. Yes, there is a lump. The lump could be an over the counter pharmaceutical sample. It might be a pen. It might be a key chain, a golf tool, a laser pointer etc. The key thing is that there is a lump and someone wants to know what it is, so the package gets opened!
So, why is lumpy mail being discussed here, under envelopes? Well, clear poly tends to give the surprise away. People have been known to peer inside to see what the lump is. On the other hand specialized carriers do frequently contain samples or other lumps. However, by their very nature, specialized carriers have a high open rate. The fact is that the good old lump does get the plain old envelope opened by raising curiosity and that is why we have included lumpy mail in the envelope category.
When you are using an item to create a lump ensure that it is either a sample of what it is you sell or an item that ties into your campaign. This is voice of experience talking. We did a promotional mailing of our own using a wrapped candy to create the lump. Open rates were great and everyone remembered getting the candy, but most could not remember what the mailing was about! The candy had no direct connection to the theme of the mailing – but people remembered the candy!
Though mentioned before, try to avoid mailing something that is perishable at extremely low or high temperatures. Your promotional mail travels by truck and we all know how extreme the temperatures can be in Canada.