How an Insurance Company Ma...

What could be more boring then getting a marketing piece from an insurance company, right? Year after year, I get the same old letter from Manulife Financial that entices me to sign up for life insurance through my alumni association’s group program. Ho-hum, boring!

But this year, it was different. What caught my eye was an oversized postcard that was personalized with my name on a theatre marquee on the front. The message on the back read, “Anita, You have the starring role in the newly enhanced Alumni Term Life Plan. You’re a star to us, and surely to your family.” (This copy and concept reminds me of a personalized piece I received from my cable company Rogers, but that’s another story.)

What was also made this mailing stand out was that it was only the second time I received a direct marketing piece with a PURL (personalized URL) on it – www.StarringRole.ca/anita [Note: I have intentionally not provided the correct URL.] As I have written about before, PURL marketing is the integration of personalization, direct mail, and the internet and is a hot trend in the US because these types of campaigns lift response rates. A recent study also reports that consumers want personalized and relevant advertising too. In Canada, marketers have been slow to pick up on this creative tactic. No surprise there!

Curious, I decided to visit my personalized web address…