Expert: Fred Hahn - 2/21/2004

Question
Hi Fred
My name is Sorin Mihailovici and I live in Edmonton, Alberta, canada. My question is: what's the difference between:
direct mail, mail order, self-mailer and direct mail postcard? I mean, they look pretty much the same to me, but I know it's not. You, being a pro, know the answer in detail. Please help me with the answer, because I have seen that a copywriter charges vrey different for all these four. What's the difference, when is every each of them used?
Thanks a lot,
Sorin

Answer
Hi, Sorin!
1.  Direct Mail is any advertising or lead-getting or sales effort message send by mail.  Direct response mail is used for the latter two.
2.  Mail order is the use of any piece of mail to get an immediate sale.
3/4.  Self-mailer is any message sent without the use of an envelope.  That goes all the way from a huge catalog to a post card.
5.  Charges are determined by the time and knowledge required to do a project, plus the importance of the project.  Thus, in one of the classic examples, an early advertising agency charged $250,000 plus out-of-pocket, to sell a $10-million yacht.  When the yacht was sold, they send an invoice for $250,000.10.  The client stormed into the agency president's office demanding to know "Why 10 cents?!"  The reply was, ""Because there were only 10 possible buyers, so we sent each a post card."
6.  Let me suggest that you get a copy of my book, Do-it-Yoursel Advertising & Promotion, 3rd edition. 2003.  Wiley pubishing.  It is available in Canada.  It will give you much more than I can cover here about the why and when and how to use various direct response media, as well as any of the other possibilities.
Good luck!
Fred Hahn