for W3c validation
I won’t dive in too deep to this issue tonight — but getting yet another direct mailing from a magazine wanting me to subscribe is driving me nuts. Today the direct mailing was from Conde Nast Portfolio (a new magazine). Yesterday it was Smart Money. Ever since I signed up for Fortune, Business 2.0, and Entrepreneur, I’ve gotten at least 3 direct mailings from magazines or newspapers every week. I don’t know which one sells their mailing lists, but I’d guess all three. That’s beside the point.
What I really want to get at is that these companies need some serious marketing lessons for reaching young consumers such as myself. Do marketing execs honestly think I will subscribe to a magazine that sends me a direct mail? What happens when I receive a direct mailing, about anything, not just magazines? Three things:
- I open it
- Shred anything with my name and address
- Throw the rest away (recycle actually)
Don’t marketers realize this is a complete waste of money on their part? Spend your time creating great content and generating word of mouth — not on direct mail campaigns. If a marketer is really hell-bent on reaching me through traditional means and they know I subscribe to Fortune (my favorite magazine) — ADVERTISE there. I consume the majority of my media ONLINE — if your aim is to reach me, get a clue and go where I spend my time. Advertise on the Fortune web site. Advertise on TechCrunch, Yahoo!, or ESPN. PUSH marketing is over. If I want your magazine or service, I’ll find your product! Just make yourself findable.
And does anyone know where I can get off of all these damn mailing lists from one place?
