bank marketing FAIL

[vaskidmark]

A rant.  A rant about the stupidity of marketing weenies who apparently do not consider what their message may convey.

I just got off the phone with customer services at my bank, trying to figure out what happened to my online bill paying service.

I received an email from the bank with the following as the main portion of the message:

You've paid a few bills with free [propriety name of service] so you know it's a convenient way to pay any business or individual quickly and securely. We'd like to help you get started again.

According to the very nice person at customer service, it was a general marketing message sent to all bank customers who have ever used the online bill paying service.  The c/s wonk (again, a very nice and even helpful person) agreed that including the sentence "We'd like to help you get started again." does in fact suggest the service is no longer in force for me, and that I need to do something to "get started again".

Obviously it is possible that the folks in Marketing can be so stupid as to send that message out to current and active users of the service and believe in their hearts and minds that the customers will not wonder why they need to "get started again".  So there is no use in asking if they could really be that stupid - the answer is an obvious "YES".

So instead, I'll ask, just for the heck of getting this rant out of my system, if it is within the realm of possibility that someone in Marketing might understand, after having their nose rubbed in it, that doing so was stupid?  Or at least Not a Really Bright Thing To Do^TM?

You are now returned to the regular kvetching and wailing.

stay safe.

[Regolith]

I'm starting to think they recruit bums off the street for the advertising department at a lot of places.

There are many commercials on TV right now that sends the exact opposite message than intended, if thought through logically (for example, the MGD 64 commercials that features guys who would rather work their asses off to burn the extra calories that other beers have than drink MGD 64).

And then there are people who don't pay attention to their surroundings, like the Pizza Hut flunky who put a flier advertising SLASHED PRICES!!1!11! on everyone's door the morning after several vehicles parked at my apartment complex, including my brother's Explorer, had their tires slashed. 

[Scout26]

Do ya know the difference between and salesperson and marketing person ?














A Salesperson is a natural born liar. 

A Marketing person you have to send to school for four years.

[Brad Johnson]

What if you're a natural born liar who goes to school for four years?

Brad

[Regolith]

What if you're a natural born liar who goes to school for four years?

Brad

You become a Congressman.

[Monkeyleg]

I worked with advertising and marketing people for nearly thirty years, and met some real intellectual featherweights. It was a miracle that some of these people didn't injure themselves getting out of bed.

Thus, the "started again" message isn't surprising.

For several years I did the ad photography for a major shoe company. The photos were close-ups of the shoes against urban backgrounds (bricks, steps, etc). Getting the pant cuffs to sit perfectly on the shoes required tons of pins, clamps and clothes pins. The slightest little breeze would ruin half an hour of styling.

For one shoot we had rainy days for a week straight, putting things behind schedule. We finally got a sunny day. Problem was that winds were gusting to 45 mph.

The marketing person called, wanting to shoot. I told her about the wind gusts (and that I'd charge her whether we got shots or not), but she wanted to shoot. We tried, but she got frustrated that the wind made styling impossible. When I told her I'd warned her about wind gusts, she said, "oh, this is what you were talking about. I didn't know what you meant by 'wind gusts'". 

[Brad Johnson]

Getting the pant cuffs to sit perfectly on the shoes required tons of pins, clamps and clothes pins.

Staple gun and superglue.  Models expect pain.  *evil grin*

Brad

[Monkeyleg]

The model was my 70-something FIL, and we paid him $50 for a morning or afternoon of shooting.

Even at that, he once had to hold onto a string of barbed wire (I didn't notice), cutting himself in a couple of places, but never complained.

[Hawkmoon]

So instead, I'll ask, just for the heck of getting this rant out of my system, if it is within the realm of possibility that someone in Marketing might understand, after having their nose rubbed in it, that doing so was stupid?  Or at least Not a Really Bright Thing To Do^TM?

It is remotely possible that they might see the folly of that message, if you rub their noses in it.

But don't hold your breath, don't bet the farm, and all of those other expressions suggestive of "not bloody likely."

[taurusowner]

Is this really something worth getting angry about?

[vaskidmark]

Is this really something worth getting angry about?

Who's angry?  Certainly I'm not.

At best I'm not-amused at the stupidity of the marketing dept.  But then I get not-amused at the stupidity of most folks, individually or collectively.  Even though I know better than to expect non-stupidity as the general norm, I am aware that it is more often than not what's being served up.

And every once in a while I'll rant about that.  I'll even warn you up front.

stay safe.

[Strings]

That really wasn't that good of a rant. Didn't really feel much vitirol off it. Maybe you should try again, or recategorize the current piece? Maybe as a whine, instead of a rant?

[vaskidmark]

Can't please some folks no-how.

stay safe.