The triumph of the weird in fundraising

I’ve received this piece of mail at least twice.

I don’t have any reason to think about changing my auto insurance, so I’ve never opened it. But it did grab my attention, and I’d like to point out one feature of the outer envelope that I believe is powerful. (The fact I’ve got it more than once possibly confirms that it’s working.) Here it is:

See the thing on the right side, below the postage indicia? I’ve circled it in red. It is a small hole in the envelope. Some color and line shows through, but nothing meaningful. As far as I can tell, it has no function. Maybe it’s meant to make it easier to tear open the envelope?

It’s just weird.

And that’s the power of it.

Weird envelopes get opened.

There might be a reason for that odd-shaped hole in this one. But I don’t think so. Its job is to grab your attention and wonder — even for a couple of seconds — what the heck it’s for.

Does it make sense?

Wrong question.

It’s weird, and that’s powerful.

Weird up your outer envelopes. You’ll see results.