Monday, April 9, 2007
I TOLD THEM SO
In the March issue of my Rants 'n Raves newsletter, I went on about my cell service provider, Rogers, informing me that my phone would stop working in May because of some new technological thing they were implementing.
I admonished them for not writing a more urgent teaser. All they'd said was, "Important information about your wireless service. See inside for details."
Because it sounded so similar to the trick teasers that MBNA often sends me (they tell me that they have important account info and it turns out they're trying to sell me something), I didn't open the Rogers mailing for quite some time.
But good for them! They either came to the same conclusion as I had or read my rant and took heed.
Last week I received a new package from them. This one read, "FINAL NOTICE. Don't let your wireless service be interrupted. Look inside for important details about your service today."
The only problem – I'd already bought their new phone two weeks earlier!
COPY CAT CARD
In my February 26th posting, I applauded Capital One for getting me to open their mailing. They'd sent me a lumpy, created by affixing a cardboard faux credit card onto the letter.
Last week I received a similar package – this one from American Express. But of course this package didn't intrigue me half as much...because I'd seen the technique used just a month before.
Everybody in the ad/dm business steals ideas from others (and who knows who actually started the lumpy card trick?). But to be successful when borrowing a concept, you have to give recipients time to forget the original. Otherwise you get painted with the copy cat brush.
PUZZLING
A few months ago I'd commented about a local hospital that had sent out an elaborate mailing that included a real jigsaw puzzle. Last week I received two more "puzzling" DM packages.
One was a self-mailer featuring a large puzzle piece on the cover. On its face, you could see a bunch of items like chairs, boxes, toys, etc. The headline read: Puzzled By What To Do About This?
Actually I wasn't. But since it was a slow mail day, I turned the one-fold mailer over to see if it would provide the answer. And it did.
The mailing was from a self-storage depot...the kind of place where you pay somebody each month to care for items that you haven't used in years and likely won't for years to come.
I also received a mailing from the Muscular Dystrophy people. And their logo? It's made up of three puzzle pieces fitted together.
MS isn't about to change their logo just because other mailers have cottoned onto the puzzle approach. But I'd suggest that other organizations, commercial or not, start thinking beyond the puzzle. Its appeal is starting to wear a little thin.
At least it is for...
Dr. Bob
b_knight@telus.net
In the March issue of my Rants 'n Raves newsletter, I went on about my cell service provider, Rogers, informing me that my phone would stop working in May because of some new technological thing they were implementing.
I admonished them for not writing a more urgent teaser. All they'd said was, "Important information about your wireless service. See inside for details."
Because it sounded so similar to the trick teasers that MBNA often sends me (they tell me that they have important account info and it turns out they're trying to sell me something), I didn't open the Rogers mailing for quite some time.
But good for them! They either came to the same conclusion as I had or read my rant and took heed.
Last week I received a new package from them. This one read, "FINAL NOTICE. Don't let your wireless service be interrupted. Look inside for important details about your service today."
The only problem – I'd already bought their new phone two weeks earlier!
COPY CAT CARD
In my February 26th posting, I applauded Capital One for getting me to open their mailing. They'd sent me a lumpy, created by affixing a cardboard faux credit card onto the letter.
Last week I received a similar package – this one from American Express. But of course this package didn't intrigue me half as much...because I'd seen the technique used just a month before.
Everybody in the ad/dm business steals ideas from others (and who knows who actually started the lumpy card trick?). But to be successful when borrowing a concept, you have to give recipients time to forget the original. Otherwise you get painted with the copy cat brush.
PUZZLING
A few months ago I'd commented about a local hospital that had sent out an elaborate mailing that included a real jigsaw puzzle. Last week I received two more "puzzling" DM packages.
One was a self-mailer featuring a large puzzle piece on the cover. On its face, you could see a bunch of items like chairs, boxes, toys, etc. The headline read: Puzzled By What To Do About This?
Actually I wasn't. But since it was a slow mail day, I turned the one-fold mailer over to see if it would provide the answer. And it did.
The mailing was from a self-storage depot...the kind of place where you pay somebody each month to care for items that you haven't used in years and likely won't for years to come.
I also received a mailing from the Muscular Dystrophy people. And their logo? It's made up of three puzzle pieces fitted together.
MS isn't about to change their logo just because other mailers have cottoned onto the puzzle approach. But I'd suggest that other organizations, commercial or not, start thinking beyond the puzzle. Its appeal is starting to wear a little thin.
At least it is for...
Dr. Bob
b_knight@telus.net
posted by DoctorBob | 11:41 AM
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