Ballantine’s New Case Study Compares Response to Envelope Color

WAYNE, NJ—Sept. 25, 2012—The Ballantine Corp., a full-service direct mail company, has published a case study examining the response rates of a direct mail campaign based on two envelope color options.


Lapham’s Quarterly, a publication focused on history and ideas, currently employs a mailer for subscription offers that includes a reply card, accordion brochure, lift note and BRE contained in a black #10 envelope package. The mailer with the black outer envelope did have a good record of performance. However, the magazine was curious to see if changing the color of the outer envelope to white, but keeping the rest of the mailer the same, would have any effect on response.

A limited test mailing of 25,000 pieces with white envelopes resulted in a comparable response rate to mailers with black envelopes. However, a side benefit of the switch from black to white envelopes is a decrease in production cost because of the significantly reduced ink coverage. Lapham’s Quarterly plans to retest the white envelopes later this fall with a larger mail quantity.

“Changing the color of an envelope may seem like a small thing,” says Ryan Cote, director of marketing for Ballantine, “but it can have a significant impact on whether or not your envelope is opened by the recipient. In this limited test, the response did not change, but the reduced production cost may make the white envelope the new control if its performance continues.”

While the goal of testing is often to determine which options increase response, reducing costs while maintaining response is also a viable outcome. Read the case study here.
Source: Ballantine.