The IQ of a dead slug

As a direct marketer I receive all kinds of stuff in the in-box. Some good, but most of it absolute rubbish. The latest was tonight and winged its way from Philadelphia, a rather nice city in the US although I’ve never visited. And I’m unlikely to because this is the home of DirectMarketingIQ , a misnomer if ever there was one. They claim to be one of the leaders in direct marketing in the US and actually publish magazines about it, although I’m not sure they should be allowed to continue doing so.

How can someone who purports to be the “Chief Content Officer” not even think to look out for domain names that are clearly not of US origin and then consider removing them? Why do I want to log into a webinar at 2 am to listen how “direct mail can increase my turnover?” Didn’t he even check where the domain names are and consider their time zones before sending out his painful missive? Didn’t he even look at the name of the company in my alleged “subscription” and consider that if there’s the name DIRECT in it, might it not have something to do with direct marketing? And don’t direct marketers use direct mail?

It’s not that this stupidity bothers me, but the lack of forethought does.
This is what gives direct marketing a bad name. Poor targeting, lack of planning and thought.
I could think of a better title than Chief Content Officer, but this is a family newsletter.