My Holiday Pet Peeve
By Jason in Pet Peeves | 12 comments
I’m on a lot of marketers mailing lists and I get a lot of mail on a daily basis. As you probably know Christmas was just a few days ago and there’s been a trend that’s really bugging me. What is it?
It’s marketers who continue to send promotions on holidays. This year I got 6 emails trying to get me to buy something on Christmas Eve and 3 emails on Christmas day! I mean seriously, give it a rest. Don’t these people have a conscience? Christmas is a time of giving, but NO some marketers continue to hit that send button trying to squeeze every last drop of profit from me before the new year.
Oh and I’m not stupid, some marketers even go as far as to label their promotions a “free gift” but you know what it really is? It’s a site where you have to enter your name and email (to get even more junk mail), then before you get the free gift you will be presented with a one-time offer. Um, no thanks. So now I just wasted a few minutes of my life, I am going to get more mail, and the free gift is really not so special after all. Thanks for that resell rights ebook that I can find on Google for FREE! What a guy! Thanks for your free holidays gift buddy.
Guess what, even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, I am positive you got promotional emails on Hanukah, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Labor Day, Kwanza, MLK Jr Day, you name it. Think about it, I was in the military, and my brother was also… he served 3 tours of duty overseas and is a veteran. Imagine on Veterans day, a day when we recognize those who served and protect us and we honor those who have fallen. Imagine, my little brother goes to check his email to see if there are any well wishes from friends and family, but now he sees an email with the subject line RE: Mark, URGENT message, there are only 25 spots left! I’m glad you think its urgent that you get my money so urgently. Ugg! Do you see my point?
Anyway, I have unsubscribed from many of these marketers mailing lists. Getting promotional emails on Christmas day is truly dispicable.
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Susan | Dec 29, 2007 | Reply
Hi James,
Just found your blog today and not only is it well designed but you’ve got some really good thoughts posted.
This particular post really hit home since I too do not send out a lot of emails over the Christmas holiday since, like you, I feel it’s a time of giving and being with ones family and friends - not reading a lot of junk email offering to sell me something or make me money.
This year I think I may have received even more mailings on Christmas eve and Christmas than you did although I didn’t see any of them until the 27 when I went back online. And while I simply deleted them this year, I am taking your course of action next year and will not only delete them, I will also unsubscribe. I get a ton of IM email and definitely will not miss the ones from those who choose to send mail on Christmas.
Thanks for the great post and for reminding me that sometimes getting off someones list is a good thing.
Susan
http://www.friendswhocare.us/newsletter
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Alan Flood | Dec 29, 2007 | Reply
I do not have a website anymore - I burned myself out several years ago financially chasing all the mlm rainbows and how to programs. Now I am on disability benefits, money is very tight so I read a lot of offers and see/recognize a lot of the BS that disguises as the best way to make it. I also don’t understand the need to violate the major holidays with commercialism. If the promoter must work that way, then I am skeptical of their business morals and usually just delete although this year some were unsubscribed.
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Randy | Dec 29, 2007 | Reply
Hi Jason,
I too am inundated daily with multitudes of emails and Christmas was no exception. I really don’t mind most of them because they are coming to me as a result of my own actions, but not all. What bugs me is that so many marketers do not have respect for their market. And blasting out during the holidays is definitely disrespectful. I am rather new to marketing, yet I have learned one thing very quickly. If I am going to create relationships of any kind in world of internet “marketing” my first and foremost thought must be respectful and ethical. Though my website is just bare right now, It won’t be for long. I don’t want to just sell things, I want to help others while helping myself.
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Robert Cadle | Dec 30, 2007 | Reply
Wow Jason!
I certainly am glad that I jumped to your blog, based upon your eye-opening email that showed your true colors and humanity.
I’ll say one thing. I was in the deleting and unsubscribing mood and since I have had few dealings with you, outside of an original purchase “way back when”, and while I had read your emails, I never got to know “the YOU”.
Well I am darned glad I did. First of all, I had figured you to be one of these kid millionaires , but you referred to “older”. (Not as old as me, for sure).
Military also? Add many more points to your name. I am a combat veteran of Korea, so you can readily see that I am no kid, although being in the alternative healing arena for thirty years, no one believes my real age..
So YOU will not be either deleted or certainly unsubscribed, for you have presented a word picture of yourself that, except at this point I don’t have money, would be a picture of me as well.
Not one of those who hustled me at Christmas time…note I did not say the insanely political correct “Holiday time”….are going to be continued or considered. They’re toast.
This month I decide what I keep, spend enough time on my about-to-jump MLM program until I can take study time to learn from the money I HAVE spent, and connect with like minded people such as you for my help in the future.
GOD bless you
Bob
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Vivienne | Dec 30, 2007 | Reply
Hi Jason,
I finally got to look at your blog page - good on you! You echo my thoughts on this rubbish of sending so called offers at Christmas time (and yes Rob, I think it is Christmas holiday time :))
This time I went Unsubscribe, then Delete and good riddance. They are obviously not my kind of people if they are so much on auto pilot, they they don’t even think of what messages are going out when.
Looking forward to 2008 and your insights.
To happy holidays, see you next year!
Viv
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Britt Malka | Dec 31, 2007 | Reply
Hi James
Well, I think it seems quite greedy to send out those offers for christmas, but on the other hand - when it’s one of the holidays I celebrate, I don’t use the computer and therefore don’t see their offers. So basically, I don’t care.
But I unsubscribe to a lot of the marketers emails, because they all send out the same “give-me-money”-mails and aren’t offering anything of value.
There are a few, I feel I kind of know, like you, and those emails I keep being subscribed to.
Happy New Year!
- Britt
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Russell Carter | Dec 31, 2007 | Reply
I like your blog and really liked what you said about emails on holidays.
I agree with what you said, however, it does not bother me if I receive offers on holidays.
I will read it if it’s a good offer, if not, I’ll delete it. Simple as that.
For everyone who unsubscribes when receiving these emails, do you also turn off the TV on Holidays (they are full of commercials)?
Do you also turn off your favorite radio station on Holidays (also full of commercials)?
Do you also avoid shopping on Christmas eve
or other Holidays?
Do you avoid reading the newspapers on Christmas eve or other Holidays?
Is it okay for Radio, TV and other commercial outlets to advertise on Holidays but not for Internet Marketers?
If we are going to critisize the IM industry then let’s take on radio, TV and other commercial outlets also.
No, I don’t send out emails on Christmas day either for the reasons you stated.
However, If others want to, then so be it… maybe they are that desperate and need the money.
Russell
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Susan | Dec 31, 2007 | Reply
Hi Jason,
Thanks for your comment. I agree. Money only temporarily makes possible for us to buy unlimited props as we live out our play life and play the parts we do here on earth before we return home to heaven.
In fact, in my opinion, the REAL happy part of life is creating happy memories. It is the ONLY thing you can take with you to the other side.
In keeping with my belief and intending to provide some entertainingment to celebrate the coming up new year, I’d like to share this happy memory with you from my time when I was a sergeant in the Air Force.
I was a single parent. I had finally made rank and was living in base housing. My 4-year-old son, (named Jason BTW) had received a Star Wars toy as a gift. It was this transporter toy used to carry the Star Wars characters from place to place. The toy has six buttons that when pushed, would emit pre-recorded messages. A couple sounds were laser gun sounds and some had voice in them.
At 2AM one morning, snoozing soundly away, I suddenly heard a man’s voice in my house! Rousing to consciousness with a fright, I immediately responded with a mom’s protective instinct to protect my child. So, I grabbed a close-by weapon, a steel-toed high heel (for a brief 6-weeks I worked in base supply and they were issued to me before I finally was properly assigned to working in the pharmacy, I never wore the high-heels, but I had them…) and cautiously began walking downstairs intending to clobber the intruder.
As an aside, I never stopped to think how unlikely an intruder would have broken into a military installation with armed guards at all the gates, but anyway…
As I finally reached the downstairs, I waited and listened expecting that some guy would jump out somewhere. I would have called the MP’s but the only phone was downstairs in the kitchen.
Dripping sweat grenades on my forehead, I slowly walked around the downstairs level and saw nobody. I stood tensely by my son’s toybox and then heard, “There’s one. Set for stun!”
I burst out laughing realizing that my steel-toed high heel was no match for the fictitious laser sound coming from that Star Wars toy.
Ah, well…
And, finally, did you know that the name Jason is the first letter of every month starting with July, August, September, October and November? I wonder what THAT means!
Enjoy your day!
Susan
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Marvin Double | Dec 31, 2007 | Reply
The practice of sending promotions at Christmas might not be dispicable but it certainly is poor marketing. It is short sighted not to recognize that some might be offended by an overt attempt to pitch a product at a time when most everyone is looking forward a welcome rest from the daily grind of earning a living and paying bills. We should all be reminded that while internet marketing tends to be fairly impersonal there really are living breathing human beings at the other end of the digital pipeline. The first cardinal rule of marketing is “know your customers” Marketers that get this wrong simply aren’t paying attention.
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Michael Duarte | Jan 1, 2008 | Reply
Hi Jason,
Some very good comments posted for this Article. An excellent Article for sure.:-)
I like signing up for newsletters as I continually wish to learn all I can about the Internet. What drives me crazy is when you buy an ebook/article you always have to sign up for it, which in itself is okay. Then your inundated with more offers, sometimes several from various other marketers for the same offers. I don’t need to receive an email everyday from these marketers. Once a week would be fine. It got so bad I finally went through and opt-outed from several of these marketers, many of whom I enjoyed hearing from. Just not everyday. I’m getting ready to do it once again. Maybe someday these marketers will get the big Clue….space out your offers and articles.
Thanks for letting me express these comments.
Michael
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Kristine | Jan 1, 2008 | Reply
Thank you!!!
I completely agree with you! I personally received 5 on Christmas Day and 6 on Christmas Eve (one of the senders of these emails would literally *shock* you).
Even if you do have your emails set up on an autoresponder, it’s just pure laziness not to determine what day the promotion will be sent on and then make adjustments accordingly.
Thanks for posting this - it’s always nice to see someone who still has standards
- Kristine
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Gus Scorchio | Jan 2, 2008 | Reply
Jason,
You hit the nail on the head. Most of the marketing email I’ve gotten over the holidays, especially Christmas, was from the “big name” gurus. Most were “hawking” the latest “success” package. A couple of emails were actually the “Good wishes and thanks for being a customer” variety. (Those are the ones I don’t mind.)
I’ve come to the conclusion that the “gurus” need the money so badly that they don’t/won’t check their autoresponders and just keep cranking out the bs letters. I’ve also taken the approach of unsubscribing … if they’re that hard up for sales, they don’t need my business.
Best wishes for the new year.
Gus
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