Getting noticed amid the chaos of an email inbox is harder than ever for marketers. They’re looking for less-crowded routes to reach their audiences, and many are finding one in an old, familiar place: direct mail. 

More than half of consumers will read print advertisements they receive in the mail from trusted sources, according to a 2022 article in Harvard Business Review. Traditional media—including print—“outperform digital channels in terms of reach, attention, and engagement relative to costs,” noted the business and marketing professors who authored “Why Marketers Are Returning to Traditional Advertising.” 

Education marketers and advancement communicators have taken note, and many are jumping on the direct mail bandwagon. 

“Being able to have something that’s tangible and tactile really does make a difference,” says Anne Marino, Art Director, Advancement Communications at Phillips Academy Andover in Massachusetts, U.S. 

But if an institution wants a return on its investment in direct mail, it’ll need to get more creative than sending a form letter in a #10 envelope. Marketers must give audiences meaningful, memorable experiences, and the 2024 Circle of Excellence award-winning entries for direct mail did just that. Currents spoke with five of the recognized teams about the stories behind their mailers and what lessons they’d share with others looking to create their own successful campaigns. 
 

Credit: The Hill School

‘Nothing Is Ever Off the Table’

When COVID-19 shutdowns began in March 2020, The Hill School was in a crucial phase of its admissions season. The Pottstown, Pennsylvania, U.S., school’s marketing team wanted a way to provide prospective families an experience that mimicked what they’d see on a campus visit but in their homes. The “On This Hill: Learn. Lead. Succeed.” campaign—which relied heavily on print pieces—became Hill’s way to connect with these families. 

“We’re all parents in this demographic,” says Kerry Fader, The Hill School’s Design Director. “We asked: What would we want to see? What would our kids want to see?”

Each publication in the “On This Hill” campaign was designed to reach one audience. The lookbook, aiming for the prospective student, featured vivid photographs that showed what life is like at Hill. Information for parents was included in a separate viewbook. A yield box for accepted students included M&Ms in Hill colors and a stuffed ram (the school mascot) wearing a Hill T-shirt. A separate self-mailer for parents included important financial information, key points about student wellness and safety, and frequently asked questions.  

Over the course of the campaign, Hill’s marketing team noted corresponding increases in the school’s applications, diversity of the applicant pool, and selectivity percentages—along with a 3% increase in yield rates. They also reported increases in social media engagement.

Words of Wisdom 
“No idea is too crazy to explore. Some people may think, ‘This is too expensive; we can’t possibly do that.’ But just like renovating your home or updating your fashion, there are tiers. Nothing is ever off the table for us.” 
— Kerry Fader, Design Director, The Hill School

Committing to Impressive and Inclusive Design

Credit: CSUSB

With its 2023 acceptance materials, California State University, San Bernardino sought to create a meaningful experience not only for students but also their families. Nearly 70% of CSUSB’s student body is Latino and 81% are first-generation students. It was vital to create a direct mail package for accepted students that would be accessible to both English and Spanish speakers.

“Receiving something in the mail that says, ‘I’m getting accepted to the university,’ especially for first-generation students, can help them form an emotional connection to the university,” says Angela Gillespie, Director of Marketing and Brand Management for CSUSB. “For many of our prospective students, the decision about where to go to college often involves the entire family. As an institution, we aim to include the family in this process.”  

Gillespie’s team chose to create a self-mailing zipper envelope that opened to reveal a 3-inch, pop-up cube. Each side of the cube contains QR codes or links to important information for accepted students and their families. Students can scan and sign up for the MyCoyote Portal and follow CSUSB on social media. Families can scan and visit the family portal and learn about why CSUSB ranks fourth among U.S. institutions for social mobility, according to U.S. News & World Report 2024 Best College rankings. 

Since CSUSB is a state institution, Gillespie explains, the budget is always a chief concern when it comes to admissions materials. But the cube mailer was less expensive than the previous year’s package, which featured a folder and a letter.

“Its clever packaging ensures it stands out amidst myriad admissions materials,” said the Circle of Excellence judges. “The creative approach not only injects fun but also delivers cost-saving benefits.”

Words of Wisdom 
“Embed UTM codes in your QR codes so you can see the results in your Google Analytics. You can report back and give numbers that can really connect the dots for your higher-ups.” 
— Angela Gillespie, Director of Marketing and Brand Management, CSUSB

Credit: Georgia State University

Who Doesn’t Love Balloons? 

That’s the conclusion Renata Irving, Georgia State University’s Creative Director, and her team came to after mulling their options for a U.S. National College Decision Day engagement campaign in 2023. They’d considered sending accepted students other kinds of swag, like T-shirts. But those items proved too expensive to ship. A kit that included mylar letter balloons that spelled “GSU,” however, could fit in a #10 envelope at a much lower price point. 

Irving’s team designed a package that included the balloons and a slip with instructions for inflating them. The slip also asked students to post a photo of themselves and their balloons on social media with the hashtag #GSU27. 

“We were literally putting the tools (of the campaign) in their hands,” Irving says. 

And students took those tools in many different directions. Many blew up the balloons and took selfies with them against curated backgrounds. Others chose not to inflate the balloons, instead laying beside them for a photo op. 

“The innovative use of three-dimensional letters as mailers not only captivates but also resonates with today’s youth culture, fostering a sense of belonging and excitement,” the Circle of Excellence judges said. “The clear call-to-action, coupled with the inclusion of craft-like elements, encourages active participation and personalization.” 

GSU’s National College Decision Day post yielded nearly 4,000 likes and a higher engagement rate and reach than in 2022. Irving’s team saw more than 100 posts using the #GSU27 hashtag and learned important lessons about collecting engagement data, she says.

Words of Wisdom 
“Students are paying attention [to direct mail]. We’re seeing that variable, intentional, targeted print pieces that also connect to a digital experience are campaigns that perform well right now.” 
— Renata Irving, Creative Director, Georgia State University

Credit: George Mason University

An ‘Ingenious Approach to Promoting Multiple Programs’

Through its Advanced Programs in Education, George Mason University offers several degrees and certifications for teachers who want to advance their careers. But the array of options posed a challenge for Brittany Terwilliger, the GMU School of Education’s Director of Marketing, and her team. How could they advertise all of these offerings without overwhelming their audience with text? 

The answer was the “circle mailer.” Her team designed a circle consisting of two layers attached by a grommet in the center. The die-cut top layer had a small window that, when turned, revealed a short value proposition for one program at a time and a QR code linking to more information about the corresponding program. Each QR code had a unique UTM code that allowed Terwilliger to see which programs’ pages received the most visits. Before sending, each circle was backed with a piece of cardboard, shrink-wrapped, and given a mailing label.

Circle of Excellence judges called the circle mailer an “ingenious approach to promoting multiple programs through a single direct-mail piece.” Terwilliger calls it a success, as it notched a 3.6% clickthrough rate on 6,000 mailers. 

“I can tell you for sure that the engagement rate is higher than the average engagement we get on digital ads,” she says.

Words of Wisdom 
“Start your project with strategy in mind. We produced [the circle mailer] this way for a very specific reason: We had too much content for a traditional postcard. From there, think about the creative ways you can deliver on that strategy. You can come up with some really cool tools.” 
— Brittany Terwilliger, Director of Marketing, GMU

Credit: Phillips Academy Andover

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify

When planning their “Why the Andover Fund?” fundraising mailer, Andover’s annual giving and marketing teams had one thing in mind: simplicity. Their previous print solicitation campaigns, which included letters and booklets, sometimes overcommunicated, says Amy Dattilo, Andover’s Director of Marketing Operations, Advancement Communications. Although they had important information to share about the benefits of unrestricted giving at Andover, the team focused on keeping this campaign’s content succinct. 

Dattilo and her colleagues decided on a self-mailer, which required streamlining their solicitation messaging more than they’d ever done before. The design featured bold typography, tight and concise messaging, and large, dynamic photos that exuded optimism and energy. The mailer’s copy was customized slightly based on a handful of audience segments, but the core message was the same: Here is where your money will go to enhance the Andover student experience. 

“This is a significant piece to receive in the mail,” Dattilo says. “You’d expect to see a great deal of content inside. We intentionally did not do that. Instead, we’re delivering the message clearly to our audience with straightforward, impact-based text and photography, and I think this is the best use of that space.”

Donors seemed to agree. The “Why the Andover Fund” self-mailer achieved a 113% return on investment as of September 2024, raising nearly $38,000.  

Words of Wisdom 
“Invest in photography. You can’t just ‘make it happen’ with what you’ve got. You need to plan well in advance for what you’ll need.” 
— Anne Marino, Art Director, Advancement Communications, Phillips Academy Andover