A Lost World: When Giants Ruled Direct Mail

Today’s direct mail world -- populated by pesky little self-mailers, coupon packs that breed like rabbits, swarming snap packs that ruin every backyard picnic -- is remarkably unlike that of the past. It's hard believe, but our world was once the dominion of glorious species: powerful 6x9's with bedsheet brochures ... ferocious flat packages that occupied every marketing niche... jumbos that exceeded all postal size limits! And atop the direct mail food chain stood the baddest beast of all: Tyrannosweepstakes Rex! Equipped with irresistable marketing might and fearsome involvement devices -- razor-sharp zip-open outers, menacing transfer tokens, and gaping glascine windows -- the mere appearance of Tyrannosweepstakes Rex in a mail box sent recipients BOLTING indoors, terrified of missing a Reply By Date! Now, T-Sweeps Rex is endangered. Is legal climate change to blame? Market evolution? A loss of advertising habitat to the internet? Overzealous efforts to protect the competing lesser species, Lottosaurus? Studies are in progress, but so far, the results are not in. Yet, there is hope. Rumors persist of a domestic Tryrannosweepstakes reserve in Port Washington, N.Y. And undocumented reports of ferile T-Sweeps Rexes have surfaced in the Research Triangle Park area of N.C. And so, it may be that one day soon, the King of the Direct Mail World will reign again.