

"Everything you see was paid for by Dear Reader." (1990) - byrneseyeview
http://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/05/magazine/junk-mail-s-top-dogs.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

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paulgb
_Marketers can determine if the false signature on a letter lifts response,
for example, or whether straightening the tilt of the stamp on the envelope
depresses it._

Did split testing exist in practice before junk mail, or did junk mailers
invent it? (Wikipedia gives them credit for the invention, but it's
unsourced.)

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wglb
I recall reading many years ago that a major auto company, I think it was
Ford, who ponied up for a split in Reader's Digest to see which sold better.
Apparently it was more than a little expensive. So it is possible that split
test might have had a different origin, but then again, this is also
unsourced.

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lurkinggrue
There are times when I wish my mailbox had a built in shredder.

~~~
wglb
I am waiting for an invention that brings you your direct mail prediscarded.

~~~
iamwil
Rather, I'm waiting for an invention that shocks people every time they buy
shit from junk mail. It's those people that keep encouraging them to keep
sending the rest of us crap.

