DM cracker hoist by its own petard

There is much debate about whether direct mail works. One of the main arguments against is that mail-drops can end up going to the wrong person (or maybe even a dead person), who is either not interested in your offering or, in the latter case, incapable of responding. The Diary recently received a call on this very subject from Harriett Ryan, media relations manager of engineering and design consultancy Arup.

She had been sent a letter by The Academy – Holiday Inn’s range of conference and training suites. The letter read: “There can be no denying that your surroundings greatly influence your ability to think. If only the people who conceived the Millennium Bridge had thought the same and held their meetings at The Academy.”

If only the marketing team for Holiday Inn UK had thought the same and used The Academy to hold some direct mail targeting sessions, they would have realised that Arup was the company that conceived the Millennium Bridge.

So, as Christmas is the time of year for giving out awards, The Diary would like to award The Academy the first annual Return to Sender award, for the worst-targeted direct mail of 2002. Now if only the Diary could find The Academy’s address.