Case Study: Large National Telecommunications Company lifts response 20% with RR Donnelley’s creative mail rotation strategy

Creative Rotation Strategy Avoids Format Fatigue, Lifts Response

Large National Telecommunications Company partnered with RR Donnelley (RRD) to address format fatigue in its high-volume direct mail programs. Sending tens of millions of promotional mailpieces each month to an unsubscribed audience made it difficult to keep response rates strong, so the company sought a better creative rotation strategy.

RR Donnelley’s Marketing Solutions team developed innovative direct mail formats with extensive variable personalization, including a letter-sized envelope kit with a die-cut window, variable note stick messaging, personalized letters, and fully variable outer envelopes. The format was tested in smaller batches and then rolled out at scale, delivering a 20% lift in response over control, shortening production time for million-piece campaigns, and helping the company maintain a stable rotation of winning formats to avoid fatigue.