NICKEL'S WORTH + QUICK ANSWER
GETTING THEIR NICKEL’S WORTH
For some time now, UNICEF has used an acquisition mailing that features a nickel showing through the window of a #10 envelope.
The teaser used to read something like, “This nickel could save a child’s life.” I ranted that the line made me retort, ”Then why are you giving it to me?!”
They’ve since changed it to the Dr. Bob-approved, “A nickel could save a child’s life”. But the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada hasn’t learned from UNICEF.
On Wednesday I received packages from both organizations. Yes, they both featured a 5-cent piece, but the teaser of the MS mailing read, “This nickel can help end MS.” So I repeat, “Then why are you giving it to me?!”
TIP #1: A single word can have a big impact on results, so choose each one with care. As Mark Twain once observed, “The difference between ‘lightning’ and ‘lightning bug’ is one word.”
TIP #2: If you’re going to use the same creative approach as a competitor, don’t be so obvious about it or you’ll be accused, justifiably so, as being a copycat. ALSO, don’t mail it at the same time – you’ll end up hurting both causes.
QUICK ANSWER
I received a sealed one-fold cardboard self-mailer showing a game card entitled “Quick Trivia”. It asked, “How many Internet users are there in North America?”
Being a curious soul, I slit the seal and opened the mailer. At the top was another depiction of a game card. This one read, “As of November 30, 2007, there were 237,168,545 Internet users – 18.8% of the world’s Internet users are in North America.”
When I awoke from the copy-induced snooze, I read the headline below it: “The only way to get your answers faster is with Shaw High-Speed Internet.”
TIP: If you’re pushing quickness, make the copy short and quick to read. The mailer would have been much more effective if the interior card had said simply, “237,168,545”, followed by “The only way to get your answers faster…”
That would have given readers a quick question, a quick answer, and a quick piece of information. And I predict that Shaw would have landed some new customers quite quickly. At least they would have if the recipients were anything like…
Dr. Bob
symbiomarketing@telus.net
For some time now, UNICEF has used an acquisition mailing that features a nickel showing through the window of a #10 envelope.
The teaser used to read something like, “This nickel could save a child’s life.” I ranted that the line made me retort, ”Then why are you giving it to me?!”
They’ve since changed it to the Dr. Bob-approved, “A nickel could save a child’s life”. But the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada hasn’t learned from UNICEF.
On Wednesday I received packages from both organizations. Yes, they both featured a 5-cent piece, but the teaser of the MS mailing read, “This nickel can help end MS.” So I repeat, “Then why are you giving it to me?!”
TIP #1: A single word can have a big impact on results, so choose each one with care. As Mark Twain once observed, “The difference between ‘lightning’ and ‘lightning bug’ is one word.”
TIP #2: If you’re going to use the same creative approach as a competitor, don’t be so obvious about it or you’ll be accused, justifiably so, as being a copycat. ALSO, don’t mail it at the same time – you’ll end up hurting both causes.
QUICK ANSWER
I received a sealed one-fold cardboard self-mailer showing a game card entitled “Quick Trivia”. It asked, “How many Internet users are there in North America?”
Being a curious soul, I slit the seal and opened the mailer. At the top was another depiction of a game card. This one read, “As of November 30, 2007, there were 237,168,545 Internet users – 18.8% of the world’s Internet users are in North America.”
When I awoke from the copy-induced snooze, I read the headline below it: “The only way to get your answers faster is with Shaw High-Speed Internet.”
TIP: If you’re pushing quickness, make the copy short and quick to read. The mailer would have been much more effective if the interior card had said simply, “237,168,545”, followed by “The only way to get your answers faster…”
That would have given readers a quick question, a quick answer, and a quick piece of information. And I predict that Shaw would have landed some new customers quite quickly. At least they would have if the recipients were anything like…
Dr. Bob
symbiomarketing@telus.net
posted by DoctorBob | 12:06 AM
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