POST-IT NOTE MAILINGS: TRICKY AS A WEASEL, FORMULAIC AS A SONNET

POST-IT NOTE MAILINGS: TRICKY AS A WEASEL, FORMULAIC AS A SONNET

Continued..

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I have a theory.
THE THEORY OF THE AUTOMATIC PILOT CONTROL PACKAGE

Good control packages can last just about forever, particularly in the publications category. The Wall Street Journal's famous "Two young men" solicitation has been around for eons, for example.

People are loath to fiddle around with control packages, and people are also lazy. I have a feeling that this package dates from the early 1990s, which would explain the total absence of the new economy from what's supposed to be a "Trend Letter," as well as the presence of extinct companies.

Perhaps a little bit of updating was done in 1998, since 1997 was the year that Dell generated about $8 billion. But the authors didn't pick up on the fact that Westinghouse had gone to the stock market in the sky.

Does this matter at all?

I think it does. A "Trend Letter" costing $195 per year is high-involvement enough to warrant a fairly careful read. Plus, the copy is attractively written, and easy to get through. So certain prospects are likely to notice the anachronistic nature of the piece, and end up pitching the pitch.

Ah…but is there a subtly diabolical intent here, with the clever authors purposely strewing the piece with anachronisms in order to capture a bright but not overbright segment of the marketplace? In other words, create an upscale suckers' list?

I think that's the effect, but not the intent. No one is that clever. And if these guys are, my hat's off to them, both in grudging admiration and to keep them from purloining it.

DID ANYONE SAY "ETHICS?"

It's good that the Direct Marketing Association has an Ethics Committee, but it's a sad commentary that it's needed.

I was on Dateline NBC and ABC 20/20 last year, being questioned about sweepstakes. I was loath to make definitive ethical judgments in such a public forum, even though I have grave reservations about the sweepstakes folks.

Similarly, is this hyper-phony format a harmless con, or can it hurt people?

I think as long as it's business-to-business mail, selling seminars and publications, it's probably OK, although if I had a control package in this format, I'd try like hell to come up with something else.

I don't think it's OK at all, though, for consumer products. I'll end with one more story about my Mother: She got a post-it note mailing a few years ago pitching a diet product, and she was convinced her friend Jeannette (remember the "J"?) was trying to send her a message. A minor rift was created, soon sorted out, fortunately.

When marketing interferes with people's activities and relationships, something's wrong, and it shouldn't be done. Too much direct marketing does this right now, and it's a problem we need to address before the current goldrush ends-or before we bring it to an end.

1) Copy: 9
2) Design: 9
3) Topography: 9
4) Scanability: 8
5) Offer/Call-to-Action: 8
6) Clarity: 8
7) Logic: 8
8) Involvement: 10
9) Honesty/Integrity/Believability: 1
10) Attention to Detail: 1

Net Index: 7.1