A 1970s advertising lesson comes to mind
Jun. 15th, 2009 11:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gerisullivanSo, car makers need to move cars. They really need to move cars.
Add to that the fact that we live in the future, and we come to a letter I received in Monday's mail. Balise Toyota in West Springfield sent mail offering a "100% of the factory full base model MSRP" on my trade in if I upgrade to a "new 2008 or 2009 Toyota."
(Please note that I bought my 2003 Toyota Matrix in June of 2002, so they're working to sell new cars from not just the last model year, but the previous one as well).
Of course there's an asterisk on the bold-faced offer. Even the standard roman face says "All customers will receive 100% of the base model MSRP* in trade on a new Toyota." No, they'll receive a trade-in allowance based on that amount less deductions for equipment failure, body/interior damage, reconditioning costs, and mileage adjustments." As in, no customers will receive 100% of the base model MSRP.
Still, they're trying to move cars. And they really got my attention with the gradient-screened call-out in the middle of the page. The headline (and the largest type on the page other than the Toyota logo): GeriSullivan.ToyotaUpgradeEvent.com
Then there's a paragraph about how they've set up a convenient online service for me to find out how much they'll offer for my trade-in. Yep, my very own web page, complete with a personal access code. Okay, I'm impressed. Or I was until I tried to log on. There was a little implementation problem. The case-sensitive access code was printed in bold face, all caps (on the letters, that is), and underlined. I typed it in as shown, and received an error message in response. I tried again with the same results. So I tried lowercase on the letters. Sure enough, that worked. Hey, folks. Access codes/passwords tend to be case sensitive. It's important to pay attention to that when preparing the direct mail materials (and/or database fields) that contain them.
I hope the web gurus are tracking the number of log-in failures in response to the personalized marketing effort, and that they learn from it. I forget whether it was Advertising 205 (Intro to Advertising) or Communication 420 (Message Design), but the number #1 rule of any sales campaign is that if the product isn't on the shelf when the consumer goes to the store, it doesn't matter how good your ad is. All of the details that can be bollixed along the way deserve just as much attention as the ad itself.
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benyalow explained the technology for the individual web pages to go along with however many letters they sent out. It isn't really of the future; it's solidly 20th century tech. Ah, the wonders of data bases. As you'll see if you go look at it, the web page picks up my name and the fact that I have a 2003 Toyota Matrix from the database before we even get to the access code. It's only after login that they both provide and collect more information. Even though it didn't work correctly, it certainly got my attention. Guess I'm not so jaded after all.
I'm curious to see what they offer in terms of a trade-in. I'm far more inclined to keep my current car running as long as I reasonably can as that's likely to be the most cost-effective approach in the long run. But I'd already noticed the O% APR financing offers and those combined with anything resembling a sweet trade-in offer could be interesting indeed. If you've got the money and/or income, it looks like a good time to buy a car.
Speaking of living in the future (and the illusion thereof), I'm not sure which scares me more: the fact that I remember department codes and course numbers from courses I took 30-37 years ago, or the fact that I can confirm my memory with a couple of clicks -- MSU's online archived course descriptions go back to 1970, two years before I became a student there. The online information was faster, easier, and more complete that walking to one of two filing cabinets here in my home, pulling out a transcript, and giving it a quick once-over to double check the course codes.
Add to that the fact that we live in the future, and we come to a letter I received in Monday's mail. Balise Toyota in West Springfield sent mail offering a "100% of the factory full base model MSRP" on my trade in if I upgrade to a "new 2008 or 2009 Toyota."
(Please note that I bought my 2003 Toyota Matrix in June of 2002, so they're working to sell new cars from not just the last model year, but the previous one as well).
Of course there's an asterisk on the bold-faced offer. Even the standard roman face says "All customers will receive 100% of the base model MSRP* in trade on a new Toyota." No, they'll receive a trade-in allowance based on that amount less deductions for equipment failure, body/interior damage, reconditioning costs, and mileage adjustments." As in, no customers will receive 100% of the base model MSRP.
Still, they're trying to move cars. And they really got my attention with the gradient-screened call-out in the middle of the page. The headline (and the largest type on the page other than the Toyota logo): GeriSullivan.ToyotaUpgradeEvent.com
Then there's a paragraph about how they've set up a convenient online service for me to find out how much they'll offer for my trade-in. Yep, my very own web page, complete with a personal access code. Okay, I'm impressed. Or I was until I tried to log on. There was a little implementation problem. The case-sensitive access code was printed in bold face, all caps (on the letters, that is), and underlined. I typed it in as shown, and received an error message in response. I tried again with the same results. So I tried lowercase on the letters. Sure enough, that worked. Hey, folks. Access codes/passwords tend to be case sensitive. It's important to pay attention to that when preparing the direct mail materials (and/or database fields) that contain them.
I hope the web gurus are tracking the number of log-in failures in response to the personalized marketing effort, and that they learn from it. I forget whether it was Advertising 205 (Intro to Advertising) or Communication 420 (Message Design), but the number #1 rule of any sales campaign is that if the product isn't on the shelf when the consumer goes to the store, it doesn't matter how good your ad is. All of the details that can be bollixed along the way deserve just as much attention as the ad itself.
benyalow explained the technology for the individual web pages to go along with however many letters they sent out. It isn't really of the future; it's solidly 20th century tech. Ah, the wonders of data bases. As you'll see if you go look at it, the web page picks up my name and the fact that I have a 2003 Toyota Matrix from the database before we even get to the access code. It's only after login that they both provide and collect more information. Even though it didn't work correctly, it certainly got my attention. Guess I'm not so jaded after all.I'm curious to see what they offer in terms of a trade-in. I'm far more inclined to keep my current car running as long as I reasonably can as that's likely to be the most cost-effective approach in the long run. But I'd already noticed the O% APR financing offers and those combined with anything resembling a sweet trade-in offer could be interesting indeed. If you've got the money and/or income, it looks like a good time to buy a car.
Speaking of living in the future (and the illusion thereof), I'm not sure which scares me more: the fact that I remember department codes and course numbers from courses I took 30-37 years ago, or the fact that I can confirm my memory with a couple of clicks -- MSU's online archived course descriptions go back to 1970, two years before I became a student there. The online information was faster, easier, and more complete that walking to one of two filing cabinets here in my home, pulling out a transcript, and giving it a quick once-over to double check the course codes.
