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Direct mail is one of the world's venerable advertising systems, a spin-off from the text-heavy ads that used to appear in magazines. Reduced to almost a pure science through obsessive list management and refined copywriting techniqu

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

es, it remains an amazingly effective means of branding, acquisition and retention. (Look no further than Citibank, who distributes tens of billions of acquisition pieces every year.)

Advertising agencies know what works and what do

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

esn't. Those who deal in producing direct mail often specialize in direct mail, and they have teams of writers, creative directors and designers working in tandem to produce exhaustive campaigns. Design Tips for Non-Agency Types

Fo

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

r the lonely freelancer who may not have agency experience, there are some guides to get your design off the ground and help your client see strong results.

1. Color -- Use It, But Use It Well.
A consumer opening an envelope to

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

find a sheet of white paper with blocks of small black text is an invitation to the circular file. Consider using colored type in the headlines. Try borders, gradients, even pictures if the design is full-color. It will make the pie

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

ce look decidedly more "direct mail," but 99.99% of the time, the consumer knew that opening the letter anyway.

2. Explore Beyond Letter Size.
To make the piece a bit more interesting, and if you can squeeze a few more dollars

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

out of the budget, try going beyond 8.5"x11". Maybe smaller is better -- 7"x10"? Or push larger -- go legal size and spread things out a bit more.

3. Smart Typography.
This point is really split. First, make headline copy inter

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

esting and second, make the body copy ultra-readable. Readability is absolutely imperative -- people need to pick up the paper and quickly understand the material just by scanning. Making the reader squint, turn the paper sideways, o

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

r generally forcing them to think about the words will put them off quickly. Serif fonts are best for readability in the body. Keep the point size decent, around 11 or 12, with generous leading to help scanning without interference.

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

4. Bullet the Points. Break up paragraphs with short, bulleted points highlighting the features and benefits. Readers will absorb this material better than paragraphs.

5. Break It. If the document goes front and back, break the cop

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

y in the middle of a sentence. This helps iterate that there's more to read, and makes them more inclined to keep reading.

6. Vary the text. Use italics and bolds to highlight key terms. Don't go too crazy with this one -- maybe thr

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

ee or four bolds at most.

7. Make the ending PostScript copy large and readable. Try a handwriting font to give it more credence.

8. Lose the Clipart. Unless a picture directly reinforces a major point in the copy, avoid it. Don't

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

use random shinies or tacky clipart. It detracts from what matters (the copy) and can confuse the masses. Save the stock photography for your next PowerPoint presentation.

9. Be careful in the placement of logos. If it works with t

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

he headline, or if it is for a household company (Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson), it may be appropriate on the front. However, the logo or letterhead cannot compete with the headline, since the headline -- and not the logo -- will lea

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

d the reader into the body copy.

The Copy

For projects like this, content is king. This is important to understand. Even the best design can't save bad copy, and the best copy can't save a bad headline.

There are also many, many i

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

mportant points about copywriting for direct mail letters that designers should be aware of. Short sentences, short words, crisp and clear language, a clear call to action (very important) and copy that shows the benefits to the cons

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

umer, not tells them about the company, are all very important. If you're freelancing, you may often find yourself asked to proofread or edit copy, and raising concerns to the client before the piece is launched will benefit them far

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

more than having the project fail in the real world.

As a designer, your job is not copywriting. But remaining aware of what constitutes successful sales copy will only enhance your delivered product.

The Final Tip: The Three Most

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

Read Items (in order):

1. Headline
2. First Sentence
3. Postscript

Ninja Design

Crafting effective letters needs something I like to call "ninja design." The design should enhance the writing but submit to clarity; the

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

design should make the reader notice the content, not the avant-garde color palette and complicated headline font. It should be invisible when present but conspicuously absent when removed. It should be used to sell, but not glorify.

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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