This election, may the less worse brand win. 
If only there were a way to tell which one that is.

Americans do not vote on issues. Not really. Not even Americans who are conversant with the issues and think they vote on the issues really do. 

There are a number of reasons this is so. 

One is that there are myriad issues but only—to speak of—two candidates. Though possible, it is statistically unlikely that either candidate’s position on every issue aligns with yours. If you do your homework and you’re honest about it, you will more likely find things you like and dislike about each candidate. Those things are likely to be apples and oranges, making them difficult to score and compare.

Of course, this all assumes that you understand issues. You don’t. Certainly not all, possibly not any. Issues are rarely simple, cut and dried. Details, ins and outs, underlying factors, agendas, implications, outcomes et al are largely misunderstood and in many cases largely unknown. That does not prevent warring parties from oversimplifying, obfuscating and spinning so that you think you understand, leading you to mistake the way someone has branded an issue for the issue itself. Yup. Even issues are brands.

Another reason is that there is no way to separate rhetoric from reality. Can your candidate truly fix the economy? Come on. Economies are chaotic systems. That is, they are subject to oodles of factors which not only affect the economy but affect one another, which affects how they affect the economy, which in turn affects them. The president is but one factor, a small one at that. Can your candidate influence the economy? Sure. To what extent? More than the other candidate? Had your candidate been in power earlier, would the economy be in better shape than it is now? Who the heck knows. Not that not knowing prevents anyone from pointlessly and unproductively arguing ad nauseam.

When all is said and done, we vote for the candidate who “feels” right to us. The brand. While some brands convey what they truly are and stand for, many convey what it takes to make the sale, true or not. Brand identity is not a reliable way to choose a bar of soap, much less a leader. However, and perhaps you know this, when you buy a leader the stakes are somewhat higher. 

I am not the first to raise these laments. Nor am I the first to admit that I am at a loss to come up with a better way to do it.

—Steve Cuno

The Internet, Made for Direct Mail

Perhaps you have noticed that the Deliver magazine masthead includes the line “Mail marketing strategies from the U.S. Postal Service.” Given that our mission is to promote the responsible and effective use of direct mail, some may wonder why we feature an increasing number of articles about — even urging — mixing direct mail with online marketing tools.

Simple. We are passionate not just about direct mail, but about what works best in direct mail. As this and past Deliver issues report, many direct mail professionals are using the Internet to enhance effectiveness. If dovetailing with the Internet makes direct mail even stronger, we would be remiss in failing to talk about it.

Moreover, the public has begun voting with their wallets for the integration of direct mail with the Internet, and history attests to the dangers of resisting market demand solely for the sake of purism. Consider the well-known coffee chain whose CEO refused to offer lattes made with nonfat milk. Italian baristas didn’t use nonfat milk, he reasoned, so neither would his. In time he capitulated, but only after losing customers. Today, nearly half of the lattes and cappuccinos the chain sells are made with nonfat milk.

So if customers reward you for folding the Internet into a direct mail strategy, our official position is: Go for it. In addition to a coupon, phone number and First-Class Mail Business Reply Mail® card, consider providing direct mail recipients a link to a website or landing page. You could also up the ante with a personalized URL, so you can send readers to a landing page that mirrors your mailing and greets them by name.

Add a QR code, and without so much as entering a keystroke, the fast-growing smartphone crowd can immediately see your website, coupons, phone number, online video and more, and use the smartphone to respond.

There are other features you could add as well: Augmented reality codes, snap codes, and audio and video chips will each enhance your direct mail campaign. The spectrum of offerings is rapidly widening.

Direct mail is the original interactive medium. No amount of on-screen personalization, animation or wow-factor can match direct mail for tangibility. The more online communication waxes ubiquitous, the more we anticipate that direct mail’s unique and personal nature will have the advantage in terms of involvement and persuasion.

Yet wise integration of online tools into a direct mail strategy promises to make direct mail stronger than ever. As the public embraces the digital world, it only makes sense for savvy direct mail professionals to capitalize on the trend.

—Steve Cuno

And this year’s Bad Taste Award goes to:
Xiamen Jinzhi, maker of Helen Keller Sunglasses

Chinese company Xiamen Jinzhi has branded its new line of sunglasses “Helen Keller.” This is no case of mistaken identity. From the Wall Street Journal: “Chen Wenjing, a spokesperson for the company behind the sunglasses, said that they were aware Helen Keller was blind, but what they valued was her philanthropist spirit which spread optimism around the world.”

I doubt that. For one thing, their ads convey no such message. Not even close. For another, the notion that the brand was intended to honor Ms. Keller resoundingly flunks the Oh Come On Test. For yet another, Xiamen Jinzhi might have done well to crack a history book. Helen Keller was not a spreader of optimism and philanthropy, but a prolific activist.

As a senseless teenager, I laughed at and repeated my share of now not-funny jokes, including some at the expense of Ms. Keller. I’m sorry. Happily, I am no longer a senseless teenager. It appears that the folks at Xiamen Jinzhi still have some growing up to do.

Please remind consumers who wonder what can be done to stop this sort of thing that it begins with not buying the product.

—Steve Cuno

Oddest Sales Pitch of My Career

Shoe-buyer stereotypes exist. I learned this for myself paying my way through college as a department store shoe salesman. I dealt with customers wearing moldy socks, trying on shoes for fun with no intention of buying (wasting this commission-based salesman’s time), refusing to buy shoes because of the marked size (“They fit and I like them, but they say ‘size 10’ inside”), deeming shoes “exactly what I want” before leaving to look elsewhere, and so on.

But my favorite encounter was with a customer who asked me to show her our ugliest shoes. It reigns as the oddest sales presentation I ever did:

–“How about these? They’re way ugly.” 
–“Here’s a pair of real dogs.” 
–“Take a look at these. The MPAA would rate them too disturbing to show to young children.” 

Sadly, I failed to produce shoes that were up to her standard of ugliness. Curiosity overcame me as she turned to leave. “I have to ask,” I said. “Why do you want ugly shoes?”

Leveling upon me a gaze that said duh, she replied, “I need them to go with the ugly dress I just bought.”

—Steve Cuno

For once, I stick up for name recognition.
Sort of.

Name recognition doesn’t ensure sales. My favorite example—which regular readers should be able to regurgitate unprompted—is: Everyone knows the class nerd’s name, but no one asks the class nerd on a date.

But then, no name recognition ensures no sales.

The solution? Make the kind of loud and consistent noise that establishes your name as a household word. But not just any noise. Make the kind of noise that links your name to relevant, substantive benefits, and to solid reasons for buying your product sooner instead of later.

—Steve Cuno