The Junk vs. the Gems; we asked three direct marketing creatives to tell us what they love, and what they hate, about a recent crop of direct mail

A short time after receiving the Sears MasterCard, I received a follow-up package from Sears launching its MasterCard Colours reward program. The package's use of vibrant colour and interesting carrier format got my attention. Inside there were six brightly coloured brochures, each focusing on a different aspect of the program. What was missing was the connection to the first package. Great creative is built on a great strategy. When the strategy is off, creative can't possibly deliver the message.