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August 27, 2009

AT&T, I've been waiting for this!

I love getting mail. Love it. Even if every piece of mail is junk mail or a bill, I love seeing what's in the mailbox. So the other day when I received an envelope with a handwritten address and no return address (except the business-like P.O. Box address across the top of the envelope flap), I knew that a  close friend had sent me a letter. I opened it immediately.

Inside was some random AT&T ad that someone made a copy of and then wrote notes on it for me. Here's a scan of said letter:

XeroxedATT

Like I mentioned before, I don't know who sent this to me since they didn't give me any note or put their name in the return address, but I do have a few questions for the sender:

  1. You've been waiting for what exactly? A globe icon?
  2. You say it's a breeze to order, so you must have already signed up, right? No wait, then you said you're calling today. I'm confused.
  3. How did you know it's up to 6.0 Mbps?
  4. Just HOW many people are in your family!?!
  5. You're right, that $250 will definitely come in handy. If only I knew what that asterisk was for -- oh wait, you sent me a double-sided ad, complete with all legalese on the back. Smart thinking!
  6. Why did you write all these notes on the ad, but chose to address the letter in Bradley Hand?

And now the big reveal: it was AT&T the whole time!

I actually love the idea of this, but I wonder if the creative team behind this didn't get to execute it as well as they hoped to. Did anyone else receive this ad?

Posted by SethyG on August 27, 2009 at 09:55 AM | Permalink
Categories: Advertising

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Comments

I got it too. Opened it up out of curiousity, tossed it immediately.

Posted by:a beer sort of girl | August 27, 2009 at 05:24 PM

You are right, this is cool, well almost. There is technology out there to do this right with even cooler personalization and utilizing a custom made font from actual hand writing, but some things are probably rushed through the system just to get it done. We offer these solutions, and more check out disk.com

Posted by:Jason Hyde | August 28, 2009 at 08:50 AM

What I don't get is how a monthly fee can be an everyday price. Is it a cunning way of saying it'll cost you $618.45 if there are 31 days in the month?

Posted by:Ben Locker | August 28, 2009 at 11:59 AM

Great idea, poorly executed. The notes are fake-excited marketing speak, rather than authentic notes someone might pass on to a friend. Take a cue from social media and make it (at least appear) real!

Posted by:CopyChief | September 01, 2009 at 01:50 PM

Having worked at a DM agency for a number of years I can almost certainly tell you the original concept probably looked a lot different (and smarter). A "hand writtern" note that started as "wicked fast" likely devloved into "Up to 6.0 mbps!" at the hands of a mid-level brand manager's assistant. And there are tons of legal hoops DM has to go through. Still, props to the creative team for trying to get something different through the machine.

Posted by:Dean | September 15, 2009 at 02:13 PM

I have to disagree that this is a good idea at all. Gravitating towards marketing that is genuine is at the hub of the social media/word of mouth marketing movement. People appreciate getting a clue about a good service from someone they trust. Getting a letter like this, which is inherently disingenuous, might turn them off big-time.

Secondly, fake excitement seems even faker when it's about something as commoditized as telecom service. New car that drives itself? Ok, send me a letter that acts like even the marketers are excited. High-speed internet? Is it cheap? Tell me it's cheap.

Posted by:Barrett | September 21, 2009 at 09:25 AM

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