Every envelope in my mail has a wish—to get me to open it. Bills have it made. I have to open those. Checks from publishers, in those little envelopes with a cellophane window boxing my name and address, get opened before I get back inside the door. Product offers are another story. They rarely get their wish fulfilled unless I’m interested in the solicitation from a purely clinical perspective. I do open direct mail pitches at times just to see how the project is composed, often getting ideas for the projects I work on. Getting the recipient to open that envelope can be a tough hurdle. My shredder is a happy machine.

I recently received a perfect example of what not to do. An offer in my mail this week arrived in an oversized envelope of a color bordering on pink or peach depending on your lighting. A negative is the “Pre-Approved Authorization Number” assigned to me, noted in 14 pt. type above my address. Am I reduced to a number? We’re immediately off to a bad start.  And then the kiss of death message, “Here’s That Second Chance You Hoped For Kay B. Day.” The grammar alone infuriates me. Why, I would like to ask Mutual of Omaha, would I for any reason open this envelope? How could you possibly hope to know what I would hope for? I can assure you the last hope rattling around in my information-bombarded brain is life insurance.

I don’t think offers like this impact a brand in any positive way, let alone result in a sale. This offer looks like it was designed to make me not buy.

[Tags]Beneath the Brand, Kay B. Day, Talent Zoo, marketing, advertising, direct mail, graphic design

Filed under: Advertising, Branding, Miscellaneous, Personal Opinions