I know there are way more serious topics to think about but sometimes you need to nit-pick the little things because they often add up to much bigger things that you might ought to pay attention to.
Yes, this is too long but there is a point at the end.
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Since most of my life transactions are done online nowadays, my physical 'snail mail' is usually unsolicited junk/advertising.
Recently I received two such pieces, totally unrelated but somehow representative of modern trends in marketing. I know I am old and out of date but I'm not as senile as I look and I have thoughts about the bigger picture.
So, one envelope contained a heartfelt 'thank you!' letter for my one time donation to Hillsdale College and included a plastic stamped membership card to an exclusive but 'free to me' monthly newsletter. The overt rationale for sending me this letter, card and printed return envelope was to encourage me to confirm that I had received my membership card in good order - and since I was sending the return envelope anyway they suggested I include another donation for good measure.
Not sure why I needed a plastic membership card but... clearly I am appreciated.
The ongoing, relentless, pursuit of me (my money) began last year when I took advantage of free online courses offered by Hillsdale to use in our homeschool program. Because I know what it takes to put things together and the cost of maintaining a website, I willingly gave a donation.
Apparently that was akin to signing a contract agreeing to support Hillsdale College into perpetuity.
Almost immediately I started receiving invitations in both my snail mailbox and sometimes several times a day in my email, to donate more, for the 'cause'. The paper mail often had compelling hooks in the letters, which apparently I am too sufficiently dumbed down to notice. For example, one was a shout out to make sure I had received my membership because they were concerned since they had not heard from me. And since I was returning the confirmation anyway... you know...$$$
The daily, sometimes multiple times, emails were also very personal and ardent, addressing me by name until they started addressing me as Dear Mr. ... which was annoying, but I could easily ignore and delete. And then one day my hubs got a text message on his phone thanking him for his donation and asking for another. He was confused. I told him to block the number.
Think about that. Someone in the marketing department had to research me, to find my husband's name and phone number. Even with modern tech that took a bit of effort. I have to give them props for due diligence but I also have to try to imagine the planning meeting where the marketing team decided a great strategy was doing a background check of slagging donors to find relatives who might be prodded into donating.
I also have to wonder if the president of Hillsdale College, Larry Arnn, is aware and approves of this kind of donation solicitation? If so that is in itself disturbing because he is old enough to know better.
It's come to this - aggressive marketing flooding potential contributors with requests for business or support seems to have gone to the dark side and that I can't ignore. I've had a long time theory about how things go from some to more to too much and it can be applied to all sorts of scenarios in the human condition. In the case of non-stop modern marketing I think we've reached the point where too much has given way to natural elevated resistance, which has ramped up what I can only describe as up-in-your-face-relentless-hounding tantamount to bullying.
Given all the printed material, postage and man hours Hillsdale College Marketing Department has spent on me trying to coax more out of me, I have to say, they have likely consumed my original donation and perhaps more, so they might ought to do a bit of applied accounting.
Or maybe this technique works and old folks like me are considered risk management?
Regardless, one might counter that I can easily delete the emails or mark them as spam and throw away the paper, which I do, but there is more to this topic of modern marketing than annoying solicitation tactics. There is also the issue of the second piece of junk mail and another kind of problem.
I know all about current trends and style. I get it. Designers do what everyone else is doing as far as look and fads. It's a time tried cultural tradition to stay fresh in 'the look'. Trends come and go and the designers are often understandably more focused on how a promo effort fits into the current stream of consciousness than the reality of the potential customer. Even including taking a social or political stand.
Sometimes common sense should trump style though.
Enter the growing trend toward pale thin font type - it's everywhere now, especially in online sites. Fortunately you can increase the screen size of your computer or phone so you can read it. Unfortunately, the mystery of 'where is the box you want me to click in?' still continues even when you expand the type to the max. I have to ask - why pale out the box you want someone to click in? It makes no sense I don't care how good your vision or what the trend is.
I bought a printed book recently that had pale type. Really? I endured for three chapters and then had to buy the ebook so I could expand the text.
IT. MAKES. NO. SENSE. See what I did there? All cap one word sentences - the trend for attention getting text. My high school grammar teacher would have a stroke.
But I digress - when you are talking about a printed mailer, sent out to a targeted market, like advertising for a retirement community, and the text is composed of pale green type on mottled green background, you have to wonder - do they have a clue about failing eyesight in people getting ready to retire? Tell me again what is the objective?
As far as the beautiful printed completely unreadable invitation to come look at a retirement community, I hope the paper it is printed on is biodegradable since it's going straight to the dump.
As far as Hillsdale College adopting passive/aggressive marketing - while I believe they have a great program and it might be one of the only institutions of higher education I'd be willing to send my kid to, but someone ought to tell them their modern marketing techniques do not reflect their core commitment to high standards. Something does not compute.
And that, for me, is the crux of all this - two pieces of unrelated junk mail that represent a disturbing sign of the times perhaps? One reveals complete disregard for the target audience with more focus on style or Ego and the other uses bullying to reach a monetary goal which could be labeled as Greed.
Is the devolution of what was once best business practice merely a small reflection of the larger issue of the decay of civilization? In the age of anything goes have we been so conditioned to expect to be treated as shapeless marks, manipulated, bullied and lied to so that we don't know when it is happening to us or worse...don't care?
What do perilous times look like? When we have arrived at the era of anything goes, does that mean everything will? How long does it take?
Asking for a friend - as they say...
For Him,
Meema
2 Timothy 3:1-5
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
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