When you work in direct marketing, “junk mail” becomes much more interesting.  Standing at my mailbox, I don’t automatically chuck the coupon books, flyers, postcards, and brochures; I save the ones that catch my eye for office show-and-tell.  The magnetic calendar from my neighborhood realtor carefully addressed to Lyndsey Hickerson? Keeper!

 
At the office, we review our postal treasures with an analytical eye and discuss what worked and what could use improvement.  They often inspire us with creative ideas that we can tweak and modify for a client.

Several days ago, a handwritten envelope arrived at the Sonic Promos office addressed to Seth Weiner. No return name was denoted, just the return address in California.

Upon seeing that Seth had been “selected [as] a contestant” in an online game, we went straight to the computer and discovered an interactive game show called “The Switch Is Smart”.  Humorous multiple choice answers and ego-boosting, congratulatory text kept us clicking through to the final screen where our host was at last revealed: Netgear.   Left with options to A) purchase a Netgear port, B) download case studies or C) contact a Netgear specialist, we… closed the window and went back to work.

Where did Netgear go wrong?  Tune in Monday and we’ll evaluate the good, bad and ugly about direct mail campaigns.