Andy Owen’s views on email marketing
Speaking to Andy Owen on Skype….we have worked together a couple of times - when I was a Pembridge and at the back end of last year.
Here are his most recent views.
Most of the platforms of contemporary communication are being ignored. It doesn’t matter how you deliver your message it has to get there. The quality of work is appalling… Andy has them all on slides he uses for his seminars.
In the 70s and 80s work was much better.
He got a mailing from Nokia. it was horrific and the outside of the envelope was handwritten. And Konika Minolta sent something atrocious. Andy wrote to them about the agency who did the mailshot to tell them that they need some help. But the manager assured him that "this was a one off… we normally know what we are are doing".
Digital has seduced everyone to death. I don’t know anyone getting a decent return on email marketing for prospecting. Prospects are "opening their in-box with dread". But this attitude doesn’t put you in the right mind to buy.
The words that work in Direct Mail - offer, free, trial offer, will continue to work in most print mediums but in the subject line of an email it won’t work….In Andy’s view, the senders name and subject line are key to getting an email opened.
I love the Konica point - believe what you will. If your agency does lousy work once…. is that the norm or a one-off? And if the latter, why did you OK the mailshot and why are you still working with them?
Maybe nobody knows what good direct mail looks like any more….discuss.
I am finding email marketing does work for prospecting for B2B at present - but the email has to be customised and well-written! See the earlier post.