Coming Soon

Sorry, yours truly will be out of commission and unable to post the regular Monday blog. However, all being well, I'll post it within a day or two. Thanks for checking in on the blog of...

Dr. Bob
b_knight@telus.net

Monday, April 23, 2007

COLOURFUL COINCIDENCE
A few years ago I was working on an RRSP direct mail campaign for a small credit union. They didn't have much money but needed to create some impact.

To maximize intrigue with a minimal budget, I created a faux telegram with black type printed on yellow stock. It was enclosed in an envelope with the yellow showing through the window. The coloured enclosure, contrasting against the white OE, heightened recipients' curiosity and the campaign was a great success.

Last week, two non-profits used the same technique, also with considerable effect. Help The Aged used yellow stock. The Multiple Sclerosis Society used pink stock.

But I'm betting that they both would have fared better if they hadn't arrived in the same day's mail. Timing is everything, isn't it?


ON ANOTHER SINGLE DAY
On Wednesday, I received a #10 envelope addressed to the "Registered Homeowner" but featuring no address other than the sender's. What made it interesting was the red, white and blue striping all along the borders, making it reminiscent of an airmail envelope.

I didn't have a clue who the mailer was or what the message would be so I opened the envelope. It turned out to be Get Acceptance offering a loan based on home equity.

If I were someone after a loan from a source other than my bank, I might read on. But on this day, Get Acceptance had real competition.

The day's mail also contained a brochure self-mailer from Alpine Credit. Because they didn't use an envelope, I could see immediately that these guys were ready to write up a home equity loan for me.

My guess is that a lot of people who are in the market for their offering would contact them before even opening the blind envelope from their competitor – a prime example of when relying on curiosity value doesn't pay off.

I feel a tiny bit sorry for Get Acceptance for the way things turned out. And also for the two charities who used creative techniques that were similar to each other's.

Maybe there needs to be some kind of overall DM monitor who can alert a mailer that a competitor is scheduled to drop his package on the same day. Then they could hold off and both parties would be the better for it.

Perhaps you know of someone who'd like to take on such a challenge. I know it's not a job for...

Dr. Bob
b_knight@telus.net

Monday, April 16, 2007

Last week's mail was so uninteresting, I won't bore you by describing it.

But if you've already set aside some time to read my words, here's a link to my article in the latest issue of FundRaising Success: http://www.fundraisingsuccessmag.com/story/story.bsp?sid=51121&var=story#51121

Until next week, I remain your faithful...

Dr. Bob
b_knight@telus.net

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

Monday, April 2, 2007

A PITY ABOUT CITI
I don't know whether the CitiBank credit card is good or not. But I'm not going to be finding out from personal experience.

About 10 days ago my wife received a solicitation from them, offering .9% interest on balance transfers. I received a similar one from them last week. But they're offering me balance transfers at 0%.

I guess I should be flattered that they're so anxious for my business that they're willing to give me a better offer than my wife. But I feel like they're treating her as a second-class citizen. And they've never even met her!

So this supportive husband is going to say no to Mr. Citi, at least until he begins treating us equally...or learns to de-dup by address.

OK TO RP
A big thumbs up to RP Graphics Group for the folder they included in Direct Marketing News's polybag.

It's a 4 colour piece featuring a shot of a seeds bag with the words, "Bob, your seeds have arrived!" (Being an astute DM recipient, I presume that yours will read, "Jason, your seeds have arrived" if your name's Jason, or "Emily, your seeds have arrived" if your name is Emily...)

When you open up the folder, there's a pop-up of a tree. On the branches are various areas that they're involved in: variable colour printing, inserting, clip sealing, trimming, etc.

The back reads, "Everything Knight & Associates needs to sow the seeds of a successful direct mail program." Cool!

DOUBLE-BARRELED TURN-OFF
You'd think companies would know enough to hire professionals for their promotional work...especially when they're in the advertising business themselves!

Plus, being in the business, their materials are going to professional ad people who are very tough critics when it comes to the promos they receive.

I get the feeling that the culprit company is small so I'm not going to reveal their name. But let me fill you in on two counter-productive disasters they created for themselves within the span of 8 days.

#1: They sent me a lengthy email telling me that they're going to be visiting Vancouver soon. They asked if I (and everybody else on their list) can recommend some events they could go to where they could promote their product.

For one thing, I don't know these guys from Adam so I'm not about to spend my time helping them drum up business on my turf.

Plus, by asking, they're demonstrating that they don't know my market. Why would I want to trust my business to a company that's so unknowledgeable about the area where I work?

#2: A mere 8 days later, I received another email from them. In this case, I know who every recipient was...because the sender only "cc'd" the mailing list instead of blind carbon copying them.

The list of names and email addresses fills an entire 8-1/2 X 11 page.

Now if I want to approach anybody on the list, I can. And anybody on the list who wants to solicit me can do the same...all because a company in the advertising field is too cheap to hire people who know what they're doing.

That's enough to get into anybody's bad book. And it's certainly enough to be permanently blacklisted by...

Dr. Bob
b_knight@telus.net