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- to - 1 = None Web seminars. Have you been to any? They're held right in your office. Here's one I was invited to just recently by way of email. I didn't go of course, because like CRM seminars, I couldn't find any reason to be interested in: CREATING PROFITABLE CUSTOMERS IN A DOWN ECONOMY. Oh sure, I'm certain that some of my clients might be interested in that topic, but it wasn't directly germane to my own self interests, and besides, there was something amiss about the email. The way it was written and the terminology it used was stiff, unfriendly, and fairly condescending to anyone who happened to be an experienced direct marketer. First off, the opening line: "This special offer is being made available to you as a valued user of EDGAR Online in partnership with select companies that provide products and services for business professionals." Huh? Valued user of EDGAR Online? I've been to that site three times in the last 2 years to download copies of SEC filings made by companies whose stock I own. If that qualifies me as a valued user, these guys are in trouble. The second sentence contained instructions for opting out. They hadn't even made their offer, and were telling me how to unsubscribe. Waving the white flag kind of early, I thought. Then came the "personalized" letter (a Dear John letter): "Dear John, Join Peppers and Rogers Group, global leaders in 1-to-1 marketing strategy, and Revenio, the leader in dialog marketing, for a FREE Web seminar. " Who's Revenio, I wondered. Wasn't that one of the characters in Pinnochio, and what in God's name is dialog marketing? The headline was all caps which always suggests to me that a type Nazi is lurking outside the margin. That was followed by a choice of days and dates and a link to register. Then the fun started. As my New York friends would say, they really started laying some pipe. The subhead asked: "How can you leverage existing customer equity to drive revenue in this current economic downturn?" A fair question. An interesting question. But a question with the wrong answer. "The answer is dialog marketing — automated 1-to-1 marketing programs that increase the effectiveness of your marketing dollar, strengthen customer relationships and deliver high-impact business results." Now the red flags were doing their version of the wave at a San Diego baseball game. There was that term, 1-to-1 marketing, preceeded by the word, automated. I couldn't help but relive the anger and frustration I felt the last time I had to wade through one of those multi-level call answering systems. You know the ones I mean. The ones that never give you what you want, which is a real person to talk to. I'll even take someone whose driveway doesn't go all the way to their house. Just let them be human. Finally, the beginning of the details: "In just 45 minutes, you'll hear how companies like Gillette, Lycos and National Semiconductor are using the Revenio Dialog software solution to:
I knew that somewhere a consultant's nose was growing longer and longer. What the bullet said, and what it meant, were two decidedly different things. My interpretation was: Squeeze your customers for some quick bucks to dilute the impact of your corporate earnings warnings to Wall Street at the end of the year. I didn't have to attend this web seminar to know that Raging Bull, an online, financial site, after having been taken over by Lycos is now trying to charge its customers for features that Raging Bull always provided for free, such as realtime stock quotes. Now, they want to sell you various subscription programs to get realtime quotes. Are all their customers day traders for whom a 20 minute delayed stock quote is unacceptable? I doubt it. Furthermore, they promised to show you how to:
Autopilot? Is that what Webvan had activated on their trip to Chapter eLeven land? I can't verify it, but I'll bet this much trumpeted online grocer spent big bucks on eCRM software and other automated 1-to-1 marketing programs. They burned through more than 800 million in venture capital without ever coming close to making a profit. I have always had a problem with the concept of 1-to-1 marketing. It promises to cater to the highly individualized needs of customers or prospects one on one. Notice that when I refer to customers or prospects, I represent them as "one" not "1." And that's exactly what I'm talking about. The process is dehumanizing. Just like those automated answering machines. I know who the second one is in one-to-one. That would be the customer or prospect. But who is the first one in one-to-one? It doesn't add up. When does an automated marketing strategy on autopilot function with the single-minded focus of just one individual? The answer is never. Hence, the final score, in my book, is 1-to-1 = None. In theory, the promise of one-to-one marketing seems to bring together all the best features of hi-tech direct marketing. Utilizing the power of the PC and the abundance of software to find the best prospects for your products or services. Converting them into customers and repeat customers. Creating a personalized customer experience and integrating it across email, web, wireless media, direct mail etc. But in practice, in my opinion, it often falls victim to the realities and vagaries of human nature. What if all that information you have stored in your data mining operation about my wants and needs, likes and dislikes, favorite books, and favorite color isn't accurate. What if I change and develop new wants and needs, likes and dislikes, favorite books? Is that where dialog marketing comes in? I don't know. As a copywriter, I've learned to trust my instincts, and I suspect that these new paradigm-shifting marketing theories are just that...theories. © 2001, Cimino Direct, Inc. |
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