Too many candidates. Too much direct mail.

 

Normally I am a huge fan of direct mail, especially postcards.  They are easy to target, inexpensive to make and send, and are usually capable of conveying a simple enough message to make their point.

 

But with 13 candidates for Mayor, 10 for Comptroller and 7 each for  Borough President and City Council this is hardly a normal year in NYC.

 

When the first batch of political mail arrived, I put it aside to look it over carefully when I had time.  But then the next day more arrived.  And more and more.   

 

 

And it occurred to me that there was no point in reading any of it.  Selective one way communication was not going to help me to make an informed decision.

 

So, I started to look for short cuts.

 

First I read the detailed editorial the New York Times published when they recommended Kathryn Garcia for Mayor.  It was very compelling.  As was their comment after the second debate that Ms. Garcia is the "competent" candidate.  Am I the only one who suspects that she was the brains behind many of the men she worked for in the past?

 

For the other candidates I "phoned a friend."  Yes.  I am lucky enough to know someone who works in the local politics space.  As a SME she has been engaged in this area to a far greater extent than I ever want to be.  So she was the perfect person to turn to for recommendations.

 

What would I have done without her?

 

I would have looked for additional recommendations from the Times and other news sources. 

 

What wouldn't I have done?

 

Read the direct mail flooding my mailbox.

 

Candidates for public office spend far too much time raising money.  I can't help wondering whether or not they track the effectiveness of their efforts the way that most marketers do. 

 

I suspect that they do not.

 

 

Will Wine Insiders' Boomer media also reach younger people?

Wine Insider is an old school D2C company.  Founded in 1982, their primary consumers are Baby Boomers.  Their media selections reflect this as they continue to rely on direct mail, ads in Sunday newspapers and discount cards.  It's a trifecta of senior media.

In a nod to the growth of social media, the company now uses Facebook and Instagram as well.  

But they appear to be most excited about their performance on QVC, which they ran with earlier this year.  The segment was hosted by Chris Hoel, a former sommelier at The French Laundry, and was in their words "performing very nicely for us."  It is consistent with their core positioning as wine experts who can advise you on the best choices and get you the best prices, so it is clearly a good fit.

They also note that they get some of their best customers from referrals.  10 referrals gets you some free wine.

Wine Insider does offer subscription services, for those who prefer them, but it isn't a company priority.  (Mahoney, 2019)

While their media selection is perfect for their primary target it doesn't really cover media that reaches Gen Z and Millennials.  But that doesn't mean some of them aren't seeing these efforts and being influenced by them. 

Do you receive direct mail?  Read a Sunday newspaper?  Perhaps you got a coupon is your order from jet.com?  What about QVC?  Are you a fan?  Has YouTube replaced it?  Or something else?  Who do you look to for advice on wine purchases?

Mahoney, S. (2019, October 13) Wine Insiders' Secret?  Older Drinkers, Plenty of Reds, QVC.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved October 16, 2019, from https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/341922/wine-insiders-secret-older-drinkers-plenty-of-r.html