Careful with your direct mail

Read an interesting article today by a consumer watchdog reporter. A variety of people sent her direct mail pieces that appeard to be a telegram announcing that a $25,000 grant had been awarded to the recipient. Of course, there is the "duh" factor. Of course the recipient didn't receive a $25,000 grant for which they never applied. However, the article pointed out some things marketing professionals need to pay attention to. The company used words such as "approved" and "pending" when implying a promise. The words are deceptive and misleading and could most definitely cause confusion if read by someone desperate enough to believe the money was going to be delivered directly to their bank account. Instead, the advertiser was promoting a book that shows consumers how to apply for grants.

The moral of this story is to be careful of overdoing the promise in advertising. The result could be unwanted publicity that could ultimately destroy your business. In our world of newly discovered transparency, clever or tricky tactics can quickly be labelled as scam by investigative reporters.

To see the story, click here: http://www.news-press.com/article/20090528/COLUMNISTS40/90527079/1112/COLUMNISTS40