Teen Vogue Charter Mailing Has Style

Circulation Management, Jan 1, 2003

Teen Vogue's 5" x 7-1/2" invitation-style charter package, first mailed last fall, bears many tried-and-true hallmarks of the teen genre. It features in-your-face colors that appeal to the teen aesthetic (the blue denim outer bears neon-pink copy), and emphasizes a soft, inexpensive offer that speaks to the teenage budget. It also showcases a trendy premium (a denim bag) with a glittery involvement sticker showing through a glassine window on the outer's back.

However, a couple of unexpected features help set this package apart.

A pink-hued insert featuring letter testimonials from young readers offers an interesting editorial twist. Many compare Teen Vogue favorably to its older sibling publication, playing up a "maturity" and sophistication not found in competitive titles for the younger set. True to form, the premium handbag, "Denim with a touch of sparkle," is a very sophisticated accessory for a teen.

An additional insert promotes the free issue on one side with a carefully chosen cover sample (featuring Dawson's Creek star Katie Holmes), and uses the flip side to again feature the branded handbag premium.

The letter also shows some flair. Its copy, which promises content on "gorgeous guys" and "school, parties, the prom," is fairly typical, but does put an interesting spin on the magazine's atypical dimensions: "custom-made for teens in a super-cute size that's smaller than other magazines. (We got the idea from ... Europe!)." The copy also positions the risk-free issue included in the soft offer of $10 for 10 issues as a money-saving bonus ("Other girls pay $1.50 on the newsstand...but you get it Free"). The involvement sticker is thoughtfully placed in the Johnson box of the letter, which invites prospects to "Claim your FREE ISSUE and your FREE GIFT!"

Even the BRE has a flourish: "You don't even need a stamp, because I pre-paid the postage for you." Acknowledging the Web-savvy of modern teens, responders may also subscribe online.

Consumer marketing director Sally Murphy reports that this package is "doing great" - possibly because of its teen-friendly details - but adds that her team is still working on a true control. "The teen market is so competitive, we are continuing to test different packages," she says.

Seen in the Mail items are identified by MarketRelevance.com , an online direct mail and email promotion-tracking resource offered by ParadyszMatera. CM associate editor Andrea Forker conducted the interviews.