For the first time in a long time, you fiddle with the lock on your mailbox of your apartment, at last getting it to give. Expecting the typical mess of bills and catalogues and take out menus, you toss the contents on your kitchen counter. But amidst the pile, you see a mysterious envelope. Interest piqued, you slide open the seal to find …
Well, we can’t tell you now, can we? It would ruin the surprise, which is exactly what freshly launched, Boston-born startup Mystery Envelope is all about. But here’s a hint: It’ll be sure to make you happy.
So, what exactly is Mystery Envelope, then?
“It’s enigma wrapped in a question mark wrapped in an envelope that arrives at people's doors,” the company's co-founder Joe Breed told BostInno, laughing.
In all seriousness, Mystery Envelope is a subscription service that sends an envelope to your door every month for $4.99. For less than a latté, you’ll receive a pleasant anonymous trinket in your mailbox along the lines of “a cool poster signed by someone, a rare coin, or a picture of a cute dog,” explained Breed. Or, even an exclusive offer from a brand.
But, he warned, “It’s going to be all over the place. Continued Breed:
The main and only requirement is that it can fit into an envelope. Its not going to be crap, they’ll want to receive it … we’re not a coupon. We’re not marketers. We just want to provide awesome things to our customers.
While the Mystery Envelope team may not be marketers, they are savvy when it comes to branding. Breed, who also works as a digital and content brand strategist at Skyword, is one part of the three-man team. His brother and fellow cofounder Jed Breed is the director of market development at Google-backed startup SocMetrics, a SaaS platform for agencies and brands to optimize marketing campaigns that’s housed in the Cambridge Innovation Center. The last member of the trio is Ben Lewis, who serves as a support manager, also at Skyword.
Whereas some popular subscription services like Birchbox require you to front serious dough for a multi-month package, Mystery Envelope allows you to sign on (or sign someone else up) for the deal on a monthly basis for under five bucks. You can also cancel your package anytime and everytime, assures the team.
“The goal is to brighten people’s days,” explained Breed. “We want to send them something low cost in the mail that will bring a smile to their face and is always interesting.”
Mystery Envelope plans on sending out their envelopes on a whim each month, switching up their contents, dates and yes, even the envelopes themselves. “Right now we’re thinking a very retro envelope that looks very aged, it’s not finalized on it yet but it’s going to be differentiated,” noted Breed.
The startup wasn’t willing to release numbers around how many people are currently receiving a mystery envelope, but if you want to be among them, you can sign up here.
