Monday, December 4
I have a question...
WHEN IS A GIFT NOT A GIFT?
I received a package from the Hearing Foundation of Canada last week. On the outer envelope (OE), a teaser read, "Enclosed is a useful gift." Inside were ear plugs.
I say that's a gift, and a very appropriate one coming from people who are dedicated to saving people's sense of hearing.
I also received a package from the Heart & Stroke Foundation. Their teaser read, "Our gift to you is enclosed!" And what did they enclose? Some address labels and a personalized note pad. OK, says the doctor, that's a gift in my book.
Covenant House sent unaddressed mail to my mailbox. (Interesting – unaddressed mail from charities is somewhat rare these days.)
The OE featured the headline, "A Gift to You from Covenant House." What was inside the envelope? Fourteen colourful gift tags. Hey, I consider that to be a gift. I appreciate it and now I feel even better about these folks.
And finally, I received a package from another well-known charity, one that I support. It's OE proclaimed that it was their 2006 Holiday Appeal and stated, "Inside...our gift to you!"
I opened the envelope full of expectation. I saw a letter, a donation form, a BRE and a greeting card that read, "Seasons Greetings" and the organization's name.
"Wait a minute," I said to myself. "They forgot my gift!" I shook the envelope. Nothing more fell out. I pulled apart all the enclosures, thinking that my gift might be stuck onto one of the components. But no dice.
Finally, I read the letter to see if they describe what they were supposed to send me. They did describe it...in the PPS: "To thank you for your continued support, we've included a special Holiday card that's yours to keep."
What??
That chintzy greeting card – used, at that – is my gift?!
It would be Lunchbag Letdown at the best of times. But considering the genuine gifts that other charities sent me last week, their promise is downright false advertising.
And the kicker? They implore me to give, "as generously as (I) can". Right. Like they've been generous to me.
I'm not going to name the organization, because their cause is a good one even if their marketing sucks. But that's the end of my generosity. If they hadn't tried to trick me into reading their material, I probably would have sent another donation. But now?
Maybe I'll use their postage-paid return envelope to send them one of the address labels I received from Heart & Stroke...and gush about how it's theirs to keep.
This counterproductive effort reminds me of a radio production studio that I used to give a ton of business to.
One Christmas they couriered me a box. Inside was a smaller gift-wrapped box. I opened it up enthusiastically, wondering what thoughtful present they were bestowing on me as a reward for my patronage.
It was an audio cassette of their voice-over talent! Something they give away to any Tom, Dick or Harriett who expresses the slightest interest in their studio. I should have pulled a similar trick on them, gift-wrapped one of the commercial tapes that I'd produced there, and sent it to them – Merry Christmas from the Grinch.
GUTSY CREATIVE
BC Children's Hospital sent a very compelling package. The letter is 4 pages long and features full colour photos of their various young patients. At the top of the letterhead there's a partial map of British Columbia.
The donation form also features that BC map, along with a piece of a jigsaw puzzle which is affixed to it. Neat stuff! Then there's a clear cellophane bag containing the remaining puzzle pieces required to reconstruct the provincial map.
The theming is pretty much summed up in the opening lines, "Every supporter of BC Children's Hospital is an important piece of the puzzle. We depend on the generosity of people like you to complete the picture of care for critically ill children across the province..."
It's the most intriguing creative I've received in a while, and certainly unexpected from a charity. The two questions I have: (1) will recipients balk at the obvious cost of the package? (2) Will an increase in donations justify the added cost?
For the hospital's sake, I hope the package works. For the sake of encouraging more organizations to push the envelope, I hope it works too.
And speaking of gutsy creative...remember how I knocked the teaser on a UNICEF OE?
For the record, the only problem I had with it was that the word "this" had been used ("This nickel could save a child's life.') I say it should read, "One nickel could save a child's life." Then nobody can accuse them of sending out life-saving nickels.
I bring this up because someone said I didn't like the package. No! I do like it. It's unusual. It features a real live nickel. I wish more organizations would be inventive and send things like nickels and ear plugs.
They sure beat those efforts that promise you a gift but only give you a used greeting card. At least that's the opinion of...
Dr. Bob
b_knight@telus.net
WHEN IS A GIFT NOT A GIFT?
I received a package from the Hearing Foundation of Canada last week. On the outer envelope (OE), a teaser read, "Enclosed is a useful gift." Inside were ear plugs.
I say that's a gift, and a very appropriate one coming from people who are dedicated to saving people's sense of hearing.
I also received a package from the Heart & Stroke Foundation. Their teaser read, "Our gift to you is enclosed!" And what did they enclose? Some address labels and a personalized note pad. OK, says the doctor, that's a gift in my book.
Covenant House sent unaddressed mail to my mailbox. (Interesting – unaddressed mail from charities is somewhat rare these days.)
The OE featured the headline, "A Gift to You from Covenant House." What was inside the envelope? Fourteen colourful gift tags. Hey, I consider that to be a gift. I appreciate it and now I feel even better about these folks.
And finally, I received a package from another well-known charity, one that I support. It's OE proclaimed that it was their 2006 Holiday Appeal and stated, "Inside...our gift to you!"
I opened the envelope full of expectation. I saw a letter, a donation form, a BRE and a greeting card that read, "Seasons Greetings" and the organization's name.
"Wait a minute," I said to myself. "They forgot my gift!" I shook the envelope. Nothing more fell out. I pulled apart all the enclosures, thinking that my gift might be stuck onto one of the components. But no dice.
Finally, I read the letter to see if they describe what they were supposed to send me. They did describe it...in the PPS: "To thank you for your continued support, we've included a special Holiday card that's yours to keep."
What??
That chintzy greeting card – used, at that – is my gift?!
It would be Lunchbag Letdown at the best of times. But considering the genuine gifts that other charities sent me last week, their promise is downright false advertising.
And the kicker? They implore me to give, "as generously as (I) can". Right. Like they've been generous to me.
I'm not going to name the organization, because their cause is a good one even if their marketing sucks. But that's the end of my generosity. If they hadn't tried to trick me into reading their material, I probably would have sent another donation. But now?
Maybe I'll use their postage-paid return envelope to send them one of the address labels I received from Heart & Stroke...and gush about how it's theirs to keep.
This counterproductive effort reminds me of a radio production studio that I used to give a ton of business to.
One Christmas they couriered me a box. Inside was a smaller gift-wrapped box. I opened it up enthusiastically, wondering what thoughtful present they were bestowing on me as a reward for my patronage.
It was an audio cassette of their voice-over talent! Something they give away to any Tom, Dick or Harriett who expresses the slightest interest in their studio. I should have pulled a similar trick on them, gift-wrapped one of the commercial tapes that I'd produced there, and sent it to them – Merry Christmas from the Grinch.
GUTSY CREATIVE
BC Children's Hospital sent a very compelling package. The letter is 4 pages long and features full colour photos of their various young patients. At the top of the letterhead there's a partial map of British Columbia.
The donation form also features that BC map, along with a piece of a jigsaw puzzle which is affixed to it. Neat stuff! Then there's a clear cellophane bag containing the remaining puzzle pieces required to reconstruct the provincial map.
The theming is pretty much summed up in the opening lines, "Every supporter of BC Children's Hospital is an important piece of the puzzle. We depend on the generosity of people like you to complete the picture of care for critically ill children across the province..."
It's the most intriguing creative I've received in a while, and certainly unexpected from a charity. The two questions I have: (1) will recipients balk at the obvious cost of the package? (2) Will an increase in donations justify the added cost?
For the hospital's sake, I hope the package works. For the sake of encouraging more organizations to push the envelope, I hope it works too.
And speaking of gutsy creative...remember how I knocked the teaser on a UNICEF OE?
For the record, the only problem I had with it was that the word "this" had been used ("This nickel could save a child's life.') I say it should read, "One nickel could save a child's life." Then nobody can accuse them of sending out life-saving nickels.
I bring this up because someone said I didn't like the package. No! I do like it. It's unusual. It features a real live nickel. I wish more organizations would be inventive and send things like nickels and ear plugs.
They sure beat those efforts that promise you a gift but only give you a used greeting card. At least that's the opinion of...
Dr. Bob
b_knight@telus.net
posted by DoctorBob | 11:55 PM
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