Mail That Fails

This small postcard from rest.com merits a Fail for Content and Offer . Can you find the call to action in 3 seconds? It's said that th...

This postcard from a duo of real estate brokers is a creative idea but it misses the mark in execution. Is it Mail That Fails , or just a bi...

Four years ago, I shared a recommendation that Merrell include a clearly communicated offer expiration date on their postcards .  In October...

When I started this blog 15 years ago, my intent was to share direct marketing lessons using real-world communications as examples. While I ...

Since last July,  the value of PayPal stock has fallen by about 75% . While many analysts are discussing the company's "fundamental...

I recently wrote about a confusing email offer  from Fidelity Rewards Visa  with a complex bonus statement credit for a specific category of...

This recent email from PayPal trying to cross-sell Venmo merits Fails for Creative and Targeting . Enrollment offer email, sent to long-t...

In a single day last week, I received five emails from FTD Flowers , each with a different subject line: Psst... Someone Special's Birth...

A couple weeks ago I wrote about an email from PayPal selling Honey without communicating a value proposition . Over the weekend, I received...

Two postcards arrived within a day of each other. One includes elements that can make direct mail successful; the other Fails in multiple wa...

   This recent email from  PayPal  merits a couple  Fails for Creative .    The email includes a Subject Line of " Get a $5 bonus for s...

Selling tickets for an off-Broadway show is challenging. That’s why someone in charge of marketing and advertising a show often uses a m...

I recently wrote about an offer from  TD Bank that lacked urgency  because of a hard-to-find offer expiration date. This targeted offer I re...

I recently wrote about an email from Vanguard  that lacked a respond-by date -- and, therefore, lacked urgency. This self-mailer from  TD B...