What’s in your inbox?
I try oh so hard to avoid writing about my bread and butter. Among the reasons, as I said a couple of weeks ago – 2012 is the year of making the best use of my time – and I think my time is better spent not adding my meager opinions to the terabytes of business communications commentary on the Web.
Also, once you start blogging and social media-ing (The really cool kids in the marketing playground get to make up new words) about the gig, you have to add those pesky CYA opinions are my own, not speaking for my company disclaimers.
Yet, this week, with Judith Jamison-like grace I am pointing and inserting a well-pedicured toe into the murky waters of business communications discourse and analysis.
It all started with an email I received a couple of weeks back that caught my attention. It is a creative that – in my humble opinion – stands as a good example of how to bring lapsed customers back into the fold. It’s from Chuck-E-Cheese. I love Chuck-E-Cheese! It’s one of the few places where a late 40s, fully grown man-child can get in a good game of skee ball and enjoy pizza that – while clearly mass produced – ain’t so bad.
The email arrived under the subject line: Are we still welcome in your inbox?
Where is the free pizza offer?
As I said, I like Chuck-E-Cheese. The only reason I haven’t been opening/reading/acting on their emails is because, as she will willingly tell you, young Ms. McC is a birthday candle or two past the Chuck-E-Cheese demographic. Digital hoarder that I am, I just haven’t gotten around to taking myself off of Chuck-E’s mailing list.
I thought this was a pretty effective way to reengage with a lapsed customer. Touching my heartstrings with a line like “are we still welcome” is a smart way to get one’s attention – especially an eager to please, dancing on the edge of co-dependent old softie such as yours truly.
What would have made it even more attractive would have been an offer, or a coupon or two. Free pizza or some skee ball tokens definitely would have closed the deal.
I’ll probably let myself be excised from Chuck-E’s mail file, if for no other reason than to make room for the rapidly increasing number of tween marketers who are prospecting for gold in my inbox.
The Midlife Chronicles 
You are a really great writer. Loved reading your post. At first, i thought it was going to be a bit dry when I saw the “business communications”, but Im glad I kept reading. you really have a way with words.
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