Brochure makes Diary somersault

Spare a thought for the Diary’s editorial assistant, who had the bejeesus scared out of her this week by direct marketing agency Somersault.

The hapless company sent a brochure with a spring-loaded butterfly inside, which flew out when the brochure was opened.

Bearing in mind that for the past few weeks the threat of anthrax poisoning by post has been hovering over us, it wasn’t the most sensible of moves.

“All direct marketing is not the same,” says the company inside the brochure. Indeed, most direct marketing doesn’t put you in a coma through shock.

Most agencies are also worried about the threat of anthrax in the post, as it will difficult to tell the difference between the poison and the parcels of white powder that are normally sent special delivery.