The Watchtower of Destruction: The Ferrett's Journal - Now That's Clever

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February 9th, 2005
11:32 am

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Now That's Clever

Your Satanically-insidious marketing touch for the day:

The investment brochure I got in the mail today had the now-standard "the writing on the envelope is in blue ink and a hand-written font to make it look like personal correspondence" trick. That's nothing unusual.

The "hand-written" note at the bottom of the envelope, which came complete with carefully-retouched ink smears to look like the ink had run in the rain, was magnificent.

Current Mood: impressedimpressed

(22 shouts of denial | Tell me I'm full of it)

Comments
 
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From:fairy_dianae
Date:February 9th, 2005 08:56 am (UTC)
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But did it have water stains/marks?? Paper just isn't the same after it dries...
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From:interactiveleaf
Date:February 9th, 2005 08:58 am (UTC)
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That's lovely. Just peachy. They're getting better all the time.

And, in case you haven't seen it yet, http://cooltech.iafrica.com/technews/411182.htm
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From:zeostaryu
Date:February 9th, 2005 09:56 am (UTC)
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Now that's pretty entertaining. heh Guess it kinda serves them right. :)

I had a similar letter that was "handwritten" to me from Cingular when they took over AT&T's wireless phones. I had to closely examine the ink because it was far too good and "neat" to be truly handwritten.
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From:hookncrook
Date:February 9th, 2005 09:05 am (UTC)
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I got one of those yesterday and worse, it had just rained so I almost fell for it until I realized all the letters lookes suspiciously the same... even with the 'runny' ink.
From:andrieal
Date:February 9th, 2005 09:11 am (UTC)
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*dies laughing*
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From:eksistenze
Date:February 9th, 2005 09:24 am (UTC)
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I like in stores where they have the stick on price tags but with a red "X" through it and a new price written in. I did fall for that one but then I went back to the store and notice that all the red ink was written exactly the same.
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From:evilbutcute
Date:February 9th, 2005 09:34 am (UTC)
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My SO just got the same thing and remarked as to how he was almost tricked for a moment because of the "handwritten" script.
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From:richtermom
Date:February 9th, 2005 09:58 am (UTC)
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Yeah. Direct Marketing keeps coming up with new stuff. For a while, they thought it was cool to have no return address so it would at least get opened -- then the anthrax mailings started. So then they started doing more "personal" touches -- a big technological leap is the industrial "post it's" that stay put on the outside of mail with notes like "check out page X" or "Don't forget to order Y" in script. I was laid off from my direct-marketing job over a year ago, but I loved hearing about all the different testable variables and stuff. Whee. (Hey, don't hate me -- I was in business-to-business!)
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From:jfs
Date:February 9th, 2005 10:19 am (UTC)
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I received a direct mail advert a little while ago that had a 'handwritten' post it note on the letter that said something along the lines of

"Shirley, make sure this letter only goes out to our A++ client list"
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From:lizbeth_r9
Date:February 9th, 2005 10:23 am (UTC)
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It shows they care enough to go to the effort :)
From:(Anonymous)
Date:February 9th, 2005 11:40 am (UTC)

I didn't request this!

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A similar touch I've been meaning to scan and post for a while now: printing a "distress mark" on the envelope that makes it look like the envelope contains a credit card that's run through some rubber-wheel sorters and left a faint imprint on the envelope. It is, as was yours, absolutely magnificent work.

-1em
From:(Anonymous)
Date:February 9th, 2005 03:31 pm (UTC)

Re: I didn't request this!

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Posted: http://meyerweb.com/eric/thoughts/2005/02/09/very-sneaky/

Not the world's best scan, but hey, it's what five minutes gets you.

-1em
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From:sageautumn
Date:February 9th, 2005 12:46 pm (UTC)
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I'll all for sealing the return postage paid envelopes and dropping them in the mail---empty and blank.
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From:koikuri
Date:February 9th, 2005 01:33 pm (UTC)
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even better: stuff everything they sent you into the postage-paid return envelope and drop that in the mail - costs them more that way. seems excessively mean to me, but my mom (a fervent pro-lifer) does it to planned parenthood and such when they send solicitations.
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From:draconisuk
Date:February 9th, 2005 02:48 pm (UTC)
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Why leave it at that? Start sending them back attached to bricks, and they'll get the point (and the bill) soon enough.
From:(Anonymous)
Date:November 15th, 2005 07:12 pm (UTC)

Yes

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I always do that to all the unsolicited mail I receive that has return postage. If you REALLY want to get them, tape that envelope on top of a box of rocks!
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From:apostate_96
Date:February 9th, 2005 03:30 pm (UTC)
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You know it. Wherever there's the chance to get more money, people will get sneaky and creative. This is just the latest example. And much though I hate this real-world spam, I do have to give them credit for attending to the details in this regard.
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From:noacat
Date:February 9th, 2005 05:28 pm (UTC)
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...those investment bastards are gettin' sneaky.

Is it okay that I'm kind of afraid now?
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From:batshua
Date:February 9th, 2005 06:04 pm (UTC)
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That is both awe-inspiring and terrifying.
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From:mp_reyart
Date:February 9th, 2005 06:31 pm (UTC)

I would love to see a copy of that someday...

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...but as I don't exist on many peoples' marketing list, I doubt I will anytime soon. Mind posting a photo or emailing one?

-M.P.
From:(Anonymous)
Date:February 11th, 2005 03:08 pm (UTC)

Got one with a Coffee Stain

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... you know, a brown ring on the envelope. Of course, I looked and saw a screen in the stain, so I knew it was a fake right away, but it would probably fool some people!
From:athanata
Date:February 15th, 2005 05:10 pm (UTC)
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i'm rather partial to the "fake post-it note" line of advertising myself...
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