In critiquing this mailer piece from Redplum, we also can examine the direct mail practices we see every day that crush any chance of significant redemption and contribute to the definition of "junk mail."

Every once in a while, my neighbors will stop me during my dog walk to show me some interesting piece of mail they've received. This is, to my way of thinking, a bonus for living in an old, Leave it to Beaver-style neighborhood. And a piece that my neighbor Jerry showed me recently really got my attention. As in, "Tennnn — HUT!" That's right, it's for the US Army.

Our agency is full of sports fanatics. Every year, we draft our March Madness brackets, post them on a communal wall and try to practice sportsmanship.

Snap packs have been around for a while, and they all pretty much look alike. They're basically envelopes that you open with one or more perforated strips.

Only a select group of marketers have mastered social media. Zappos.com effec­tively uses it to drive user interactions and sales. The Web-based retailer is very savvy in its use of microblogs like Twitter and profile-based forums like Facebook, its efforts with we will examine here.

"Viral" is a daunting word for digital marketers. Agreeing to produce a viral campaign is easy to promise and hard to deliver. Numerous brands have executed successful viral campaigns, but there is little rhyme or reason about which videos gain popularity and those that fall flat.

Love 'em or hate 'em, you have to admire the sheer tenacity of the big, six- by 11-inch Comcast postcard. The offers may change but the pitch is relentless. It seems that every week a new billboard juts out from my stack of bills and catalogs.

This piece of e-mail creative from the National Football League seemed to scream, "Hello! Hello! Can you hear me?" It practically jumped out of my inbox and strangled me.

This piece of e-mail creative from the National Football League seemed to scream, "Hello! Hello! Can you hear me?" It practically jumped out of my inbox and strangled me.

Rising prices and a tough economy are hurting everyone. But the answer isn't to stop mailing — rather, the answer is to mail smart.