The lesson
Wrap the bid in the buyer's own shipping material: a kraft-paper cover makes a proposal look like a parcel before anyone opens it.
The move
Kraft-paper cover with a black band down the left edge repeating "FUTURE. FORGED. FOR ALL." in white with a yellow "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania" line. Right of center reads "Proposal for", then "AMAZON HQ2 • PITTSBURGH" in heavy black type and "October 2017", with "CONFIDENTIAL" at the foot.
Why it works
- Our readCardboard-brown stock echoes shipping boxes, a nod to the recipient that costs nothing in copy.
- Our readRepeating the slogan down the band works like a tape stripe, letting the line act as the brand mark without a logo.
- Our readPutting the buyer's name in the title, ahead of the city, frames the bid as made for them.
What not to copy
Don't borrow the Amazon-parcel look unless your buyer has a physical identity to echo. Keep the idea of taking a material cue from the buyer's world.
