I’ve Got a Sweet Tooth, especially for good chocolate. This means I’m a regular customer of Godiva — my kids know that on just about any trip to the mall I’ll find an excuse to go into the chocolatier’s boutique and pick up a little something for the family to share.
I belong to the merchant’s rewards program, and regularly get emails and catalogs from Godiva, all of which are completely on target. But their b-to-b mailings to my address? Not so much. Here’s why.
The catalog — a lovely book highlighting its holiday 2010 business collection — arrived encased in a chocolate brown cardboard envelope. A nice touch, but the package is lost on me. While the envelope did get my attention, it seemed a shame to cover up the glossy photography on the cover and a waste of resources in these green conscious times.
Secondly, if Godiva mailed this blind to my name from a consumer list or its house file, shame on them. That’s zero targeting.
And if it was mailing to me from a rented b-to-b file, shame on them again. My title is managing editor. Editor. That’s French for “has no buying power.” We don’t have a budget to buy anything, let alone pricey corporate gifts.
The lesson here: Be careful who you target. Check out Carol Lustig’s recent article “Keep Your Niche Mailings on Target” (http://directmag.com/lists/1005-lists-keep/) for more thoughts on the matter.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I suddenly crave truffles for some odd reason.
Are you checking out the Big Fat Marketing Blog (www.bigfatmarketingblog.com)? Chief Marketer managing editor BETH NEGUS recently weighed in on Godiva’s attempt to woo her with its office book.