Linda, check this out!

I just came across another story that's not that suitable for the news page on the Stop Junk Mail website, but is worth writing about on this blog.

An American junk mail company called Think Ink Marketing has announced that it broke company records by mailing over 4 million pieces of junk mail in December 2006 alone and that it expects to double sales in 2007.

According to the owner of Think Ink, Craig Dickhout, sending 4 million pieces of bulk mail is 'not a lot'. The reason he is nonetheless 'thrilled' is that all four million pieces sent were 'hand-personalised'.

'Hand-personalising' is the business of presenting junk mail so that it doesn't look like junk mail. Mr Dickhout is proud to fool people in to opening a piece of junk mail, thinking that they have received a letter from a friend. Here's how he describes his companies 'creative approach to marketing':

Each client creates a newspaper or magazine article about their company or product they would like to sell. These articles are hand folded, with a sticky note on top for personalisation and inserted into a white envelope. The client decides what message they would like on their note. A typical message is "Linda, check this out! It works great! - J."

This handwritten message appears as if it was sent from a friend or acquaintance as a personal recommendation for this service or product. Think Ink Marketing always uses first class postage on the envelope to complete the personalised look. The recipient is intrigued and interested, thinking someone has sent them a personal recommendation.

Apparently the result is that two to three times more junk mail letters are opened. And this important because "the average American adult is exposed to over 600 advertising messages in a single 24-hour period. […] With such market saturation, Think Ink Marketing offers a way for clients to break through the clutter and allow their message to stand out and make an impression on the consumer."

What the press release did not mention was that about a 100 million trees are used in the United States to produce junk mail and that this leads to massive forest destruction, water wastage and millions of tons greenhouse gasses being produced.

How proud they are.