Email Spammers Resorting to Direct Mail to Boost Response. No Joke!
This is really beautiful!
You know those emails that you get from the Prince of Uganda, or wherever, that just happens to have overthrown the government there and must escape? But first they have to get all their money out of the county, and you were picked as the one they would like to send the money to. Because you’re an honest, nice person that they can trust (read as “naive American”).
“Just send me your bank account number and I’ll wire the money. And shhhh….don’t tell anyone…”
Well, I suppose response is down, because Tom here at the office received this clever direct mail piece the other day instead of the typical email! Seriously — from his relative Kyuma Tsuneo who has a ton of money to give good ol’ Tom. (I’m just having a hard time connecting Tom, a nice Connecticut family man who rarely leaves the 203/914 area codes, having family roots abroad with Kyuma…just sayin’).
I must say though, these guys are clever. And persistent. At least Kyuma used the basics of direct response marketing:
- Personalized letter
- Live stamp
- Scripted signature
Could it be that the spammers are just not hitting their response targets? Digital overload, eh Kyuma?
Hey, it’s all about ROI, right?
I mean, what’s the cost of a 76-cent stamp plus a little paper and printing compared to the thousands of dollars someone is going to give them, right? Could be a smart move given that mail boxes are less cluttered now, and in-boxes are way way over cluttered. Clever.
Well, Tom swears he didn’t respond to the letter. Um hmmm. We still think it’s a little coincidental that he flew to Uganda the other week to go on a “family vacation”.
