PentaVision's "What's Your Story?" Blog

While sifting through my mail a few weeks ago, I spotted a semi-appealing piece of direct mail. It was a pair of bare feet leaving a pair of brightly-colored flip-flops on white sand and walking into turquoise water. I opened it up and glanced at it briefly; it was an advertisement from Meyer Real Estate serving the Pensacola, Florida and Gulf Shores, Alabama area. I had visited their website in the height of my sunshine-deprived months of November through February (though it can really be most times during the year in Michigan these days). As I closed the interesting-but-not-relevant-on-a-hectic-day marketing piece and prepared to put it one of my many piles-of-things-saved-for-a-later-date (that inevitably get thrown out), I caught a whiff of wonderful. Was that coconut I smelled? And summer?!

Turns out it was. I shoved the mailing under my nose and inhaled deeply. Ah…summer. Suntan oil, the beach, Jimmy Buffett and cold Coronas assaulted my senses.  In that instant I wanted to be nowhere but on that beach, walking out of my flip-flops. You’ve probably heard or read that scent has a strong connection to memory. Well, lucky for my friends at Meyer Real Estate, whatever they put on that piece of direct mail was rooted in good memories for me – like my time spent in Florida, summers at the beach and warm, fun nights with friends and family.

To be honest with you, up until the point I had received this odoriferous delight I would have told you that direct mail was dead. No one cared about it, regardless of its pretty colors and fun messaging. It was kindling for the campfire or a makeshift coaster on the kitchen table. But relevant? Memorable? Remarkable? Never. Until now. This simple piece of direct mail drove me to the company’s website in an obsession to be “there.” I mean grab my dogs, pack a few outfits and hit the road – permanently. Of course, reality weaseled its way into my thought process (dang logic!) and I realized this would probably work better for a vacation…for now. So what did I learn from this experience? A lot. I told people about it. I brought the mail piece to friends and family (“Smell this!”) and gushed about it to anyone bored enough to listen to me (thanks, Mom). I keep revisiting the site and have friends checking it out as well.

The power of memory and emotion is a powerful force and when used in a targeted way can produce amazing results. I’m certainly not advocating that my friends at Michiana Recycling & Disposal send out cards smelling like the inside of a dumpster. But using emotion (however it works best for your product/service/message) can really move people, inspire action and maybe even create a small amount of fanaticism. It need not be scented to be effective.  Next time you want to create an impression, make sure you don’t underestimate the power of emotion. Has a company done something that was really memorable and relevant to you? Do tell!

And now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to checking the weather conditions in Florida…