Yahoo mails barbed fish hooks to potential customers in DM push
Yahoo Search Marketing has embarked on a direct mail initiative which has raised health and safety questions.
The company posted out letters containing three fish hooks to promote its “Big Bang” initiative offering companies free search campaigns. Although the hooks are sharp and barbed, the company insists that they were safely packaged.
The mailout – in the name of Willie Pang, the MD of Yahoo! Search Marketing in Australia – is a message themed around fishing and helping businesses cast their net wider.
One person who received the DM piece told Mumbrella:
“They are full, shiny and sharp fishing hooks with no little plastic guard or anything. They are bloody sharp! With barbs!”
Australia Post’s guide to Dangerous & Prohibited Goods & Packaging, says: “Australia Post prohibits in all services sharp-edged and pointed articles unless packed as prescribed.” This rules states:
“The packaging for sharp-edged or pointed items must comprise:
- Primary wrapping with the sharp edges or points wrapped in or protected by cork, polyurethane foam or similar material
- An outer rigid container of metal, wood, strong plastic or other rigid material.”
A spokesman for Australia Post told Mumbrella that it had no issue with delivering the items. She said: “From a delivery perspective the mail piece has been secured and packaged appropriately to be processed through the mail network.”
Pang told Mumbrella in an email that Yahoo had received Australia Post’s approval prior to the mailing. He said: “Specific measures and precautions were taken to ensure these packs were safe to send and to be handled by recipients of the direct mail, including glue caps on the tips of the hooks to cover any sharp edges, the hooks being secured in place on the card with tape and a thick sheet covering the back of the direct mail piece to ensure the hooks would not move or poke through.”
He added: “The strategy behind this direct mail piece was to visually show how Yahoo! Search Marketing allows advertisers to ‘catch’ potential customers.” He said that the picture above was taken after “the hooks that were safely secured have been torn out with force”.
The initiative is already drawing comment from marketing bloggers who received the mailout. The Just Another PR Blog said:
“My receptionist opened the letter and was surprised to find three shiny and sharp fishing hooks waiting for her. They were glued to the DL.. but seriously Yahoo. You sent out fucking fishing hooks to people as a marketing effort? Without guards or any kind of safety function? Have you gone mad?
“Let alone the OH&S issues, this DM idea really is stupid. I haven’t even read the letter which is obviously urging me to increase my website’s reach by undertaking SEO with Yahoo. And I won’t read it. I now have a funny little niggle in my stomach about Yahoo. Really if this is how they want to catch new customers, I’m not sure I trust them and their brand to look after my brand.”
It is unclear whether a DM agency was involved in the project – or how many letters have been sent out. However, Mumbrella understands that most of Yahoo’s business DM efforts are managed internally.
Mumbrella also understands that in a previous effort about six years ago, Yahoo gave away pocket knives in a trade marketing push.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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Send a fish, feed someone for a day. Send a fish hook, get screwed from everyone for a life time.
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Looks like they hooked some publicity. If only the MD’s name was ‘Barb’.
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I says a few things, large companies have to do less for their approval by Aus. post for their DMs. Secondly and most importantly – Yahoo obviously trust their own e-networks to want to send paper to people rather than emails or use online marketing methods – which apparently are worth paying them to use.
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Would have been a great Case Study on what NOT to do at ADMA Forum this week.
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I am with you Mal! Why are they using traditional DM (hardcopy) when they have the ability to target via their own databases?
An effective creative execution via eDM offering companies free search campaigns from a well known brand such as Yahoo! should have a much greater response and one that Yahoo! would be able to track. Open rates, click throughs on specific offers etc. would be of great value for follow up contact for their on the ground sales team.
This just tells me NOT to do any eDM campains with Yahoo! if they are not using it themselves.
PS. In case you didn’t read above – the receptionist opens their hardcopy mail too.
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now PR will have to pull marketing out of a hole AGAIN
bring on the public apology and charitable donation to the Ye Olde Fisherman’s Home
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I’ll take the charitable donation to my work thanks Stu!
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Rumour from the inside is they are currently sourcing cheap/volatile dynamite to mail out to potential leads to promote the explosive benefits of search for their Q4 DM.
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“They are bloody sharp! With barbs!”
THEY’RE FISH HOOKS PEOPLE !!!! AND THEY ARE MEANT TO GET YOU PEOPLE CLACKING AND CHATTERING ….. WELL DONE YAHOO.
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They sent print DM to reach new customers. Mal and AW – turn your PCs off. You need a break!
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Do we really still believe that any publicity is good publicity for a brand?
Surely they could have achieved cut through to potential new customers using the theme, but a gimmick less hazardous?
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talk about cut through eh!
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Tim can you disclose who was complaining? I will happily donate some cotton wool.
Good on Yahoo! for trying something different.
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Hi Chris,
The person who contacted me removed the personal details from the letter in the image I used , so I think i should honour that.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
Chris – not hard to see that Tim linked to my post about the DM effort.
No cotton wool needed, but thanks.
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Does seem a little stupid to me.. Sending out mail promotions for an online service. And fish hooks? The gimmick has me talking, but i;m not going to be out there actually using their service…
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Grappling hook would have been better. They need something bigger to hang onto their rapidly decling market share.
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A hook is not much good without bait. A bit of squid would also hide those deadly barbs.
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Not the sharpest tools in the shed are you people. Rocket sceintist anon writes ‘Would have been a great Case Study on what NOT to do at ADMA Forum this week.” Chris writes “Tim can you disclose who was complaining?”. people people people, copy the image, scan the barcode – easy to do if you know about DM, mailings, aust post and ADMA – will give you the actual address of the complaintant – someone not so smart TIM? maybe you should have blacked out the barcode TOOL!!
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