Targeting Direct Mail Can Save Costs and Improve ROI
Direct mail works and it’s inexpensive. In an internet, Web 2.0, and Social Networking world mail feels new and fresh…
During a Recession your best defense, as a business owner, is to market more, more often, stronger, and smarter.
I got a little mailer the other day and it was targeted, strong, and smart. It was awesome.
There were a couple of things wrong that I’ll mention in passing. But overall I’d give it an 8 out of 10. And if I was the right candidate for their product, I’d be heading right over to the store to purchase it.
Here’s the front of the mailer
To: Robert Nomura [that's me]
address
city, state, postal code
From: Just For Men Hair Color…
Teaser copy: There’s never been a better time to get rid of your gray.
Text Box: FREE OFFER INSIDE
Wait! It Gets Better… Much Better
Back of the mailer: Headline: Koyo Change Color, Your Hair Doesn’t Have To
Photo: A beautiful Asian couple arm-in-arm with a background of Autumn leaves.
Do You Get It So Far?
Once more… This time — slowly.
Mail to: Robert Nomura
Picture: Beautiful Asian couple arm-in-arm.
Ad: About graying hair
My last name is Nomura which is Japanese which also means I’m Asian. This is a laser targeted mail piece!
But I’m not done… oh, noooo
The headline: Koyo Change Color, Your Hair Doesn’t Have To
They almost lost me here. I have no idea what “Koyo change color” is supposed to mean? Do you? Do your Japanese-descendant friends?
I had to do TWO Google searches.
It’s a Japanese word that refers to Autumn leaves. So… “Autumn leaves change color, your hair doesn’t have to”
That’s a minus. No one else is going to do TWO Google searches to find out what your headline means. (the second minus – I don’t have gray hair, whew!)
I Opened Up The Little Mailer…
… and I saw picture after picture of good looking and happy Asian couples. (all with healthy black hair).
And that’s the only thing that got my attention; and held on to it. (I don’t have gray hair so I don’t care about the Free offer and they completely lost me with the Koyo headline (huh?)).
But they matched my last name (Japanese origin) to all the pictures. I’ve never seen that before — in direct mail.
I’ve seen it in TV commercials where a predominately African-descendant show has a happy a African-descendant family eating at McDonalds during the commercial. Or a predominately hispanic-descendant show has happy hispanic actors buying insurance.
In North America Asians are still under-represented.
However, the vast majority of family names are easy to spot and many times easy to categorize by Asian country of origin.
For example Koh, Nakamura, Chan, or Vu.
[note: If you live or work in a cosmopolitan city or major country I hope you can take an educated guess of where these names' origins are from. If you can't, take a little time to learn more about the world around you (it will improve your marketing efforts)]
I think that’s the only reason they risked using such a weird headline – “Koyo change color…” No doubt if my last name was Mao or Nguyen they wouldn’t have risked using the term Koyo. They probably would have used the Chinese or Vietnamese equivalent.
This piece is a great example of:
- Target marketing and speaking to your market in their language (this time too literally).
- It’s also a great example of spinning your product to fit or appeal to a different or new market segment – in this case Just For “Asian” Men.
- And let’s not forget targeting Men – as in Just For Men. Do women use this? Apparently you just shampoo the product in and the color stays? Most women I know who color their hair to get the gray out walk around with ink in their hair – it’s a mess.
- Plus, it comes with a risk-free FREE product coupon. Just take it in to a store and pick up a bottle (and the coupon is tracked to my name and mailing address – Direct Response 101).
- Furthermore, this was so well targeted that the first thought I had after, “I don’t have any damn gray hair!” was “what ‘Asian’ man could I give this FREE coupon to?” I started thinking about my uncles, father, cousins (interestingly, no inked soaked “woman” came to mind).
Direct mail is many a company’s secret weapon; especially in this electronic marketing battlefield (hint, hint).
What do you think. How could you use some of these ideas in your own marketing? Do tell…
Filed under: advertising, copywriting copywriter, creativity, direct mail, direct marketing, street smart marketing | Tagged: advertising, B2B business-to-business marketing, copywriting copywriter, direct mail, direct marketing, marketing
That is a pretty great direct mailer. I wish someone thought of me enough to give me such a great mailer, it’s a compliment is what it is.
Their pictures hooked me and that’s about all. They lost me with the headline “koyo” which I didn’t know the meaning of and I don’t have gray hair. I’m curious to know what their results are. Other than that I think they have a great approach to laser target specific ethnic groups. Graying hair is a hot topic among all men – it implies you’re getting old, you are old, and therefore have less energy, less stamina, less power, less vitality, which means less money, less days on earth, less sexual appeal, etc… Maybe I should buy stock in this company
I’m offended. Why does Just For Men think I want to look like these guys, who look so Japanese national? And then the copy, “Koyo Change Color, Your Hair Doesn’t Have To” sounds so foreign. “Koyo” looks singular so shouldn’t it read “changes color”? So ESL. My wife–also sansei–translated “kouyou” for me as “autumn colors” which still didn’t quite make sense (“leaves” works very nicely, thank you). So I figure this mailer was for for someone born in Japan, which I wasn’t. Then the copy inside: “Getting rid of your gray says you take care of yourself – so that she can be sure you’ll take care of her.” Stuff like this just isn’t said or written anymore (in America, anyway…unless it’s in an ad for Viagra/Cialis/Levitra.
). So, once again, I’m led to believe this mailer was meant for a Japanese national, which, again, I am not.
So I’m offended by the whole Japanesey-ness of this mailer addressed to me from an American company! So much so that I’ve spent the last hour pouring out my angst into this, the only site I could find that remarked on this stupid direct mailer. Thanks for the opportunity to rant.
jnakagawa,
You make a very strong point. This mailer’s strength is that it’s so laser focused. Its weakness is that it’s so laser focused. In strong marketing you want to attract the ideal client while at the same time push away the wrong client. They definitely accomplished this here.
Another factor you brought up is if a company is going to target an ethnic niche it must be careful. They must have a strong sense of cultural sensitivity. If they don’t and end up offending that niche it can backfire on them. I get the feeling that you were offended and probably will never buy this product (even if you need it) and you’re probably telling all your close friends not to purchase it either.
Thanks for sharing.