As I was checking my snail mail a few nights ago, I had to do a quick double take.
An envelope with one of the world’s most famous online brands jumped out at me.
Yes, it was a letter from Google, the world’s number one player in the Internet space! As I opened the envelope (which came with a time-limited-hurry-before-it-expires offer on its cover), I was greeted by a letter and a brochure. You can see the contents of the letter below:
What this tells me are several things:
1) Direct marketing still works, even for the most pure-bred online behemoth;
2) Purportedly old school hardsell copy and graphics may still work for the right target audience. I noticed the use of the words: FREE, HURRY, EXPIRES, INCREASE YOUR SALES on the various collaterals provided, as well as the use of a voucher;
3) Perhaps nothing beats eliciting an urgent response than to use a time-limited offer and tap onto that fear in each one of us;
4) Sometimes emails alone just aren’t enough when it comes to battling the numerous spam filters. When it comes to physical paper mail, your recipient would at least have to glance at them FIRST before keeping or discarding them;
5) If you need help at any time, you are invited to call an 800 number, NOT visit a website or email a customer service personnel. That’s right, Google the world’s most online company, is relying on Alexander Graham Bell’s ‘antique’ technology to provide customers with that personal touch. I suppose this is the fastest way for potential clients to clarify any doubts in the quickest manner.
What is your take on this?
I received the same flyer. It says to me it’s really about using the right medium to reach the target audience, irrespective of the company’s business.
At the end of the day, I suppose different medium reach out to different audience.
What I would say is that receiving a relevant ad via post, with a hotline that I can call or email for enquiries is more likely to win my business than hearing about a great deal via the phone.