Untargeted DM

I received this DM on Friday. “What?” was my initial reaction. I was bewildered but not surprised.

Because it is so cheap to run DM, lazy marketers forget or purposely ignore two fundamental principles: common sense and analytical thinking.

My common sense tells me that there are few senior citizens in this neighbourhood. Actually, I had not seen any.

And a quick Acorn demographic search tells the following truth - perhaps typical but definitely representative facts about the area:

• White collar singles, couples or sharers living in terraces or flats
• Residents mostly in their 20 and early 30s – well qualified, usually to A-level and degree standard; couples with children low, term-time students above national average
• Medium family income, car ownership in line with average, low satellite TV
• Preferred newsletters include Guardian, Independent and Observer

To the marketer, adding this postcode to the distribution may only costs peanuts yet I suspect invalidated postcodes for the distribution must be list long. Because there is no visible harm doing the unnecessary, it doesn’t mean one should do the unnecessary or even make a habit of it. I can also argue by running untargeted DM, the average win rate and ROI is lowered.

I decided to keep this DM though because it was both alerting and fascinating. Alerting as a marketing professional, and as an indivudal, it reminds me to work towards good health. Lead generation wise, I suppose 40 plus years later, I might be a potential customer if I still remember their brand.

As I flicked through the catagloue, few products caught my eye.

• The most undesirable products: Poppet Pill Remover and Reminding Pill Box.

I hope I will never need them. If I ever need few medication, I do wish my memory is going to be sound and my fingers nimble to pop out the pills with ease.

• The most genuine caring product: Bathtub Grab Rail

It is a thoughtful product for a common problem.

• The most fascinating products: Hands Free Magnifier and Universal Kettle Tipper

Come on! This looks silly and will only cause strain to the neck.

Hmm…a kettle leverage?

• Reasonale buys for the lazy young: Soft Snuggle Blanket and Adjustable Lap Desk

I asked hubby, “Would you like one of these?”

Aging is a natural process of a good long life. I mean no offense to the senior people who need those extra little help but I am not ready to buy anything from the catalogue. What I really want to say is that most DM is wasted because it is not relevant to the target audiences and because it is so cheap to run, does it become an acceptable practice? Be smarter and greener.