What an example of a successful direct marketing campaign?

One example of a successful direct marketing campaign is the World Wildlife Fund's Earth Hour candle box. To raise awareness of its Earth Hour celebration a bright yellow candle is packaged inside of a black box, with one see through side. The candle box resides inside a larger black box, and recipients are encouraged to celebrate Earth Hour by burning a candle with lights turned off for one hour.

The National Football League used the Trojan horse idea for its Trojan ball direct marketing campaign. This mailer featured a three-dimensional graphic box with a black and white soccer ball in its center. The box created the expectation of receiving a miniature soccer ball. Instead, recipients opened the box to find a miniature brown and white football with NFL insignia. The message encouraged executives in charge of marketing budgets to consider the NFL when promoting to millions of U.S. Hispanic sports fans.

A successful direct marketing campaign begins by researching and identifying the right target audience, because this ensures a better return on investment. The next step is to come up with a big idea for the campaign, and this requires a strong message that resonates with the target audience. Direct marketing materials must provide value to the recipient by offering useful information or tips.