How can you be creative with direct mail?

Well I rarely check my mail, because I do a lot of paperless transactions, thanks to the help of various companies going green. Anyway surprisingly enough I still have to empty my mailbox, so the mailman won't get trampled by my pile up of printed paper. Anyway I just opened a mailing, It was addressed to me in hand writing and had no name, I was quite skeptical, but the printed hand writing made me curious. Therefore as I proceeded to open the mail, which the envelope was marked Hallmark, so I thought it must have been a Christmas card or something, it was a greeting card that read " Need a little Balance in your life?" At first I thought it was something from Nightingale Conant, the biggest publishers of self-help. But it wasn't instead it was a handwritten note, from a customer care Representative of my phone company, and inside the insert was a promotion where they are going to give me a $ 10.00 credit on my next bill, in exchange for a free program check-up.

I thought that was a creative little package that was sent to me. I should have been weary because no name was listed on the return address, but I proceeded to open the mailing with caution. But needless to say, I still opened the card and read the promotion. And you already know about what is happening in today's economy, so you better believe I am going to call them, so I can get a $ 10.00 credit off my next bill. Wow I guess the power of direct mail really does work.