Monster Mash

     Is the economy finally turning around? The postcard we received today from mega employment portal Monster.com certainly sounds promising. It's been a buyer's market for quite a while, but Monster uses the tried-and-true direct marketing technique FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) to make us worry that our next great hire is already being hired by somebody else.

     Bravo to the Art Director — bright, bold, hard to miss. The postcard looks like a little billboard that ended up in our mailbox.

     On the mail/message side, the question is paid off with the simple promise: "Find them first, and fast, at Monster." We are offered a "BOGO" (buy one, get one) incentive. The copy is fast and particularly easy-to-read with bullets and plenty of white space. So, Bravo to the Copywriter too.

     Last but not least, we're given not one, not two, but three ways to respond: campaign URL, toll-free number and QR code. 

     It's lean, it's mean and it does the job. The b's at B Direct give this hard-working postcard a thumbs-up. Now ... if only we were hiring.

Mixing Metaphors

     This postcard arrived at the agency yesterday. A nice, oversized full-color card with a stock image that stood out and definitely expressed the rush we all feel in today's fast-paced, global market. The headline read: "Time is of the essence." So far, so good.

     Here's the copy we found when we flipped it over:


Our technology allows you to be efficient and effective. Experience the feeling of printing smarter. After all, our objective is to simplify your job.


With Franklin Printing piece (sic) of mind is part of the process. So go on - set the world on fire. We've got your back.


     It then listed our account rep's name, cell and email.

     Yikes! Where to begin? Clearly, there are a number of benefits to working with Franklin Printing. But, they hooked us with a "time" message on the art side of the card. Why not stay with that theme? Or, at the very least, give us a verbal cue that they are moving onto other messages. Within one short paragraph, we are bombarded with selling points: (1) efficient and effective, (2) printing smarter, (3) simplified job. In the next paragraph, we get not one but three metaphoric ideas: (1) "piece" of mind, (2) setting the world on fire, and (3) "we've got your back."
     Guys, nice concept, but the copy just doesn't follow through. Next time, stick to one big idea. And, be careful with the typos, please. 
     Yes, "time is of the essence." But, so is accuracy and a crisp, clean message. The b's at B Direct have to give this one a thumbs-down.