Postcards from Telstra

Tuesday, February 19. 2008

Strangely enough, this isn't some quirky artist title.
<rant>I am indeed being flooded by postcards from Telstra.

What makes matters worse is that they are for BigPond's NextG product.

Let's make it clear:

I don't use them for my Internet connectivity.
I don't use them for my mobile phones.
I don't eat green eggs and ham.
I only have 2 land-lines (that I have to -- to get ADSL services).

Riddle me this... why am I subjected to their gorilla marketing campaigns?

What's worse, this form of 'marketing' appears like a legit postcard that one of your friends would send. (Though there are tell-tale signs for those who look closely enough.

I suspect this campaign is hitting many people and will arrive in batches. I haven't seen others comment on it, so I suspect I'm in the first 'batch'. (Lucky me!)

For those wanting to know what dodgy marketing from Telstra looks like... here's the front/back of each of the postcards. Feel free to click on them for an enlarged view.

Each postcard arrives 2-3 days between each other.

The first one doesn't give much of an indication of who is it from.

Postcard #1

"Dear YourName,

Its amazaing up here. Just been for a surf and Daniel stood up for the first time. Will email you a pic form (sic) the road...

Patrick & Daniel"

Quite clearly you don't know who Patrick and Daniel are... and initially it had me thinking. Though the stupid thing is that they included my full name (Christian Middle Surname). I only give out my Surname when absolutely required - on government forms, and some services bills. It made me suspicious, as most of my friends don't know my middle name.

The give away was the return address that is written in very small and grey lettering written on the back down the middle:

"IF UNDELIVERED PLEASE RETURN TO PO BOX 615 VIRGINIA BC QLD 4019"
If you can't read the line above. Highlight it. That also clearly shows how light it was represented.

I'm expecting most people had no idea however and were probably waiting on a non-existent Email to arrive to identify who on Earth were 'Patrick and Daniel'.

Postcard #2

The second 'postcard' is a bit of a giveaway. It reads:

"Dear YourName,

Just grabbed a bite to eat at this pub with some locals. what great characters! Lucky we had broadband on board or we'd never have found it. Heading south in the Kombi tomorrow. Will send another card from there.

Patrick & Daniel"

Clues here to it's origin for the first time. Broadband, 'on board' and Kombi. We'd already suspected it was marketing, now we knew it to be BigPond marketing garbage. I'm now officially pissed off.

Postcard #3

Three days later, they aren't done yet.

"Dear YourName,

We've been to Toowong, Carrajong, Silverton, Tuggeranong, Gold Coast, Mooloolaba, Warnambool, Portland... "

Okay, I'm now extremely annoyed.

I have not expressed my desire to be on any mailing list.
I have a 'NO JUNK MAIL' sticker prominently displaced on my letter-box.
I even went as far as getting a "DO NOT KNOCK" sticker. (Sticker can be found here).
Amazingly it does work on door-to-door salesman! We've only had one since putting it up about 4 months ago, and when the sales-woman was pointed to the sticker they couldn't leave quick enough!

You can take that as "Leave me the

alone".

I'm NOT a CONSUMER - I don't need PUSH marketing, infact, when I have a NEED, I research and obtain the products I REQUIRE.

I'm also going to start my own guerrilla marketing approach.
I am planning on signing up with every gutter feeding free mail out marketing I can find and send it directly to:

PO BOX 615 VIRGINIA BC QLD 4019.

Hopefully they can enjoy getting the garbage in their mail box as much as they enjoy sending it out.

Feel free to use the address as you see fit.

If anyone knows who I can complain about this form of unauthorized marketing practices please let me know.

Well... that's my rant for the day... sorry for the interruption...

</rant>

Posted by Matt at 17:18 | Comments (13) | Trackbacks (0)

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Hey there,

Just googled "postcards from Telstra" and ended up here.

My dad got the very same set of postcards, to start with he had no idea what the deal was, but either with the last one or shortly after came Telstra broadband marketing brochures.

What really threw him is that he's really into Volkswagens and since the 2nd & 3rd had Kombi's he was all "who are they and how do they know I like VW's!?"

This is like real-life spam: slips through the filters (stickers on letter box for example) and sender makes no attempt to identify itself. There would be plenty out there scratching their heads... this shouldnt be allowed to happen, but you know Telstra!

Adrian

#1 Adrian (Homepage) on 2008-02-19 20:05 (Reply)

These look like they're being delivered as addressed mail by Australia Post. Australia Post does not take "No Junk Mail" and similar signs into account when delivering addressed mail. (Here's the code of practice for unaddressed mail: http://www.catalogue.asn.au/distribution/code_practice.asp )

Sounds bloody annoying.

#2 Mary (Homepage) on 2008-02-20 18:01 (Reply)

Phone runs through Southern Cross Telco, who are a very helpful mob (e.g. they tell me _before_ things happen) & have recently switched from T wholesale to Optus due to too much difficulty with T. T do have more GSM coverage than anybody else but their Next stuff is a tad... dodgy.

#3 Leon Brooks (Homepage) on 2008-02-20 21:16 (Reply)

I know your middle name

#4 Anne on 2008-02-22 13:11 (Reply)

I have to say I have just spent the best part of 5 whole days phoning old friends who's sons had grown up with one name and i have NEVER known a patrick , like you i thought who is this from ? then i started to think some weirdo had found out my middle name as like you most people don't know it ONLY business places and only a few at that. after 5 days of that and Knowing they couldn't have personally known me unless they were stupid as it was sent to my P.O Box so it didn't come from a phone book i was wondering what was going on who Patrick & Daniel were , who owned a combi or was it some nut.. I NEVER got any follow up cards so after the following weekend was getting uncomfortable to say the least as the 'will send you another one' hadn't come.
it was only when i studied the post mark and realised it had NO POST OFFICE it was sent from stamp that it could be a business thing when i realised that after about an hour I too got annoyed and just wanted to comment here I totally agree and I even phoned telsra and talked to 4 different depts and they had neither seen or heard of the postcards . I went so far as to phone intestated to the post office but obviosuly due to privacy laws couldn't find out who it was. I would hate to think if it does this to normal balamced people how a person not too well would go with a 'paranoia' aspect or an elderly person may think they have the beginings of dememtia. I am glad you mentioned it as i was 80 % sure after phoneing them even though they didn't know and when the net was searched you comments and pics were here. So thanks for posting it as no one else i know got one and it was starting to make me confused and cranky.

#5 Nic on 2008-02-26 03:23 (Reply)

apparently telstra contract out their marketing to some other companies which is why it was so hard to follow and i couldn't get any numbers for them . I found it odd that not one telstra dept i spoke to had seen even one of them! so it could be a contracted companies po box maybe not even telstra directly but a marketing place. all i know it was hard to track down and wasted many phone calls and days thinking about it. and to not follow it up left me in the dark. if i hadn't re looked at the Post stamp It would have twigged i would still be waiting for my 'imaginary friends or weirdo's mail to turn up"

#6 Nic (P.S) on 2008-02-26 03:27 (Reply)

oh my god i am getting them too, so annoying, dodgy telstra! i wondered who the hell they were from!
no one else i know has been getting them either...

#7 erin on 2008-02-27 18:15 (Reply)

I have also received these spam of Junk Mail. I have also been in contact with Telstra who have spoken to the General Manager of Big Pond who is in denial of this practice of advertisement. He has asked for the original postcards that I have received to be forward to him so as he can verify the authenticity of the originator & the personnel who authorised this type of marketing advertisement. He was also very apologetic and by no means impress with the bad publicity this sort of advertisement is receiving, he has also been advised by Telstra to review the web sites of "Patrick & Daniel".
Will keep you informed on the outcome.

#8 EJ on 2008-05-13 20:21 (Reply)

Thanks EJ,

Yes, it is bad form. If this GM needs copies of the originals I still have them here.

I'm more than happy to forward them on.

#8.1 Matt (Homepage) on 2008-05-13 20:34 (Reply)

I find this all very interesting, I am an advertising and marketing student and I am currently doing an assignment on these ads in particular...I haven't read through all the posts so I'm not sure if I am repeating something someone else has said, but this is a form of direct marketing from Telstra. If you have recieved these postcards you are on one of their databases, be it through home phone connection, mobile, etc. and they can see that you don't have your internet with them hence why they are targeting you.

Personally I think they are a fantastic, cleaver, new way of advertising, because no one was expecting it and it has left everyone wondering and questioning what is going on. Not sure if that will turn into sales but either way it has drawn attention.

At first I was unsure what was happening, but it didn't take me long to realise as I am very familiar with the award winning television advertisements run by Telstra...which introduce Patrick and Daniel and the Kombi with the song...rather interesting advertising strategy really...

#9 Sarina on 2008-06-03 10:55 (Reply)

Tell me it's not an intergrated marketing campagin direct from telstra...check out the website, dont know what the GM is on about...

http://www.beeneverywhere.com.au/flash.htm

#10 Sarina on 2008-06-03 11:01 (Reply)

marketing with postcards just works that way. They are targeting qualified prospects. It's also good way in promoting your business opportunities to people who might be interested.

#11 marketing postcard (Homepage) on 2010-01-04 11:56 (Reply)

Obviously your business model works on selling postcard marketing to businesses.

Fine.. that's how you put bread on your table.

However it's a very good way to polarise your potential 'lead'.

I have no problem with direct mailing, though it is deceptive to not actually contain any information informing the receiptant of:

1. Who sent it.
2. What it's about.
3. What product/service is being advertised.

It had a negative effect on myself.. and resulted in me:

1. Not even looking at their product/service
2. Lining my bin with their 'post-cards'.

#11.1 Matt (Homepage) on 2010-01-04 12:18 (Reply)

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