PURL Jam

I just returned from a Variable personalization conference in Phoenix sponsored by PIA/GATF. All the buzz was about the internet and tying in direct mail into Personalized URL websites or PURL's.

The optimism was palpable as I heard several printers in attendance offer up PURL's as a solution to this or that opportunity. Finally a real solution in a stretch of years that has offered more than enough challenges! Promises of dramatically higher response rates abound. Finally, a new way to qualify prospects, generate sign-ups, and RSVP's for brand events.

While PURL's *are* a good solution to extending direct marketing campaigns to the internet and creating a true cross-media campaign, they shouldn't be viewed as a panacea or a substitute for actual creative ideas and good marketing thought processes.

Here's why:

1. Novelty effect - remember how excited you were to get your first email? Enough said.

2. PURL's as enacted by many are purely tactical -- "Isolated Islands of Interactivity".

You'll recognize these campaigns when you respond to more than one PURL and the second, third one doesn't recognize your previous response, your current status, or seek to advance the relationship. This is like running into a friendly but forgetful chap who always is glad to see you, but asks the same questions over and over and over again. "Do you have a family?" "Where do you work?"... all nice things to ask - just not more than once.

If you aren't feeding data back to the master record, tying it together and acting like you listen - it's an opportunity lost.

3. Counting on dramatically better response rates to keep customers happy.

Some are touting response rates that are 3x higher than traditional direct mail response rates, which would be true cause to celebrate...but buyer beware. One campaign example that I recently examined counted consumers hitting the Welcome Page of the personalized site as a response.

I'm sorry, but counting responses to those hitting a welcome page (and bailing) is -- like counting those that opened your envelope, but didn't respond to your offer -- like counting folks who hear the first 5 seconds of your commercial before changing channels.

Perhaps the delta between true responders and those bailing after the initial click-through should be referred to as the "novelty responders", or the "I didn't feel your offer was that interesting" responders.

There may be a way to lure these "novelty responders" into a relationship at some point...but it hasn't happened yet...and they shouldn't be counted like they have.

Let's all agree: PURL's are a good step in right direction. Those who use this tool with creativity and thought will reap the most benefit.

photo © Dani Plana Trenchs for openphoto.net CC:Attribution-ShareAlike