Tim Thoughts

I got mail (yes, real physical, paper mail) yesterday and couldn’t help but laugh when I saw some other guy’s name “or current resident.” A few years ago I had the term “junk mail” eradicated from my vocabulary and replaced it with “direct mail.” But what says “junk” to a consumer more than the “or current resident” label?

Let’s take a look at the two sides to this:

1. What happened to me yesterday. I received mail intended for a previous resident of my apartment. But am I supposed to believe that the “or current resident” makes it relevant to me too? It would have to be a very very very enticing offer for me to open mail that was intended for someone else.

2. What if the mail had said “Tim Laubacher or current resident”? Direct mail pieces attempt to make the mail feel personal and relevant to the recipient. But saying “or current resident” would leave me, the recipient, believing that the mail is really for anyone, not just me. It’s like being invited to a very special party, or if you don’t want to go, please give the invitation to the next stranger you see, or just toss it up into the wind.

Now, I don’t know all the legal requirements with direct mail. I’m just taking a mail recipient’s perspective on this. I also have not seen ROI directly related to “or current resident” pieces. That information would be useful to look at, because one man’s opinion is not more powerful than actual industry statistics.