This subject line CROSSES the line

[AndrewHansen]

I've seen plenty of controversial subject lines for sales emails but I just read one that I think takes the cake from a VERY big and well respected marketer.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who got this email:

Subject line: "Andrew, Amber Alert On _____?!? Say It Ain't So..."

First paragraph:

Andrew,

An Amber Alert is issued immediately
when a child goes missing so the
community can help for a safe
recovery.

How would you respond to someone trying
to kidnap your baby?

yadda yadda yadda...

However, time is running out on this
extraordinary opportunity to

... start sales pitch.

I actually opened the email because I respect this guy so much that I thought he might be trying to help a child that had gone missing or something... or that there might have been a terror alert of some kind (not from the US, I don't know what all the different "alerts" are)...

That is a REALLY lame way to get an open, I don't care who you are.

Instant unsubscribe and massive loss of respect.

Andrew

[Kay King]

I would have unsubscribed, too - and, no, I don't care how good his "stuff" is. That is over the line of common decency.

When you are willing to use ANYTHING to get your marketing emails opened - maybe it's time to look closely at what kind of business you are running.

kay

[MouseandMice]

Wow. That IS pretty insane.

... 'nuff said.

[AndrewHansen]

Kay,

I know right! And I couldn't believe it coming from this dude who's obviously a decent copywriter, EVERYONE in IM knows him... like he had to resort to that kind of marketing to make a sale. So unnecessary.

Ultimately I'm guessing someone else is sending out his emails now, but that's no excuse.

Andrew

[Jason_V]

Andrew

Amber Alerts are the same here in the U.S. too, a child missing. As a father, I can say, that's a really touchy issue, to use such a serious subject for something like an internet product. You should have emailed him at least and told him why you were unsubscribing maybe he honestly didn't know it would be seen so negatively.

[FG]

There is a heck of a difference between a creative headline and a deceptive one.

I hope that marketer reads this thread.

Anyone who uses a fake warning in a headline to their list just to get it opened will themselves end up on the endangered list.

[HeySal]

Originally Posted by Jason_V

Andrew

Amaybe he honestly didn't know it would be seen so negatively.

We can't expect more brains than that from business owners? If he's that damned obtuse, I couldn't trust him to make a valuable product or to refer a credible one.

[AndrewHansen]

Sam, I don't know who wrote it or whether that marketer even outsources his email broadcasts, I'm only guessing that to be the case.

[Michael Oksa]

Tacky, tasteless, and misleading.

Why not just use the following subjet line, it means about the same thing...

"I don't care what I say to get you to open this - I'm willing to sell my soul for a quick buck."

It's almost guaranteed that people will start defending the subject line in the OP. Sorry, but it doesn't matter how "big" the marketer is, if he/she has a weird sense of humor, or whatever - it DOES cross the line, and does not fall under the umbrella of "marketing".

All the best,
Michael

[Michael Oksa]

Originally Posted by SamKane

Who's the copywriter?

With all due respect, what difference does it make who wrote it?

It could've been the best darn copywriter on the planet, but the responsibility for the message going out falls on the person who clicks the button to send it to their list.

~Michael

[Jason_V]

I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. Something that sounds good and clever marketing wise to one person, won't know how the masses react to it unless they do some focus group study or just launch it.

I mean, look at Absolut Vodka when they did that ad where they put a map up of the U.S. and Mexico and had Mexico taking up most of the Southwest U.S. People in the U.S. got up in arms over it. I don't think Absolut set out to intentionally make people angry. They thought it was clever and witty.

I truly understand as a marketer why he chose that headline. It is clever, it is attention getting. As a dad, I don't appreciate it. He'll never know that he made an error, if people don't tell him they didn't appreciate it. Was it in poor taste, yes. Did he do it intentionally to make people upset, I highly doubt it.

Originally Posted by HeySal

We can't expect more brains than that from business owners? If he's that damned obtuse, I couldn't trust him to make a valuable product or to refer a credible one.

[Black Hat Cat]

Originally Posted by Michael Oksa

With all due respect, what difference does it make who wrote it?

It could've been the best darn copywriter on the planet, but the responsibility for the message going out falls on the person who clicks the button to send it to their list.

~Michael

Because the person who wrote it is apparently the person who sent it. But your point doesn't make much sense anyway. Did the copywriter write the subject line because he didn't expect the sender to use it?

Putting the lameness of the subject line aside, it's also a pointless subject line. It's a bait and switch. Sure, it might increase open rates, but I can't see how misleading people will increase sales/conversions.

[Jared Alberghini]

This reminds me of this thread...

A new low is reached in email subject lines

Originally Posted by Black Hat Cat

Putting the lameness of the subject line aside, it's also a pointless subject line. It's a bait and switch. Sure, it might increase open rates, but I can't see how misleading people will increase sales/conversions.

Nor do I.

[adamv]

I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.

[AndrewHansen]

Originally Posted by Black Hat Cat

Putting the lameness of the subject line aside, it's also a pointless subject line. It's a bait and switch. Sure, it might increase open rates, but I can't see how misleading people will increase sales/conversions.

You're right, I don't know how it would improve conversion rates either.

I know you didn't intend this meaning but I'm not a fan of that line of thinking either because it seems to carry the gentle implication that if it did increase conversions then he's a smart marketer although a little unethical.

Andrew

[TiffanyDow]

It's not always the subject lines either. Anyone else remember when a big marketer sent out an email a few years ago about how he was going to um errr. "do" the 9/11 widows?

Unsubscribed and let everyone know how icky he was.
Then took a shower after reading it.

[acedalright]

Seriously there should be a name-and-shame website just for this kind of crappola, that would make people think twice about that sort of rubbish.

If you're dishonest about email content then you're plain dishonest.

I don't know if I'd be protecting his/her identity, but I'm checking my emails shortly to see if I didn't get that garbage.

[Andrew G Gowans]

Hi Andrew, thank you for this.

I received the same email but didn't have the presence of mind that you did, to post your comments on the forum.

At the end of the day I suppose it will depend on one's own values and beliefs as to how people will react to the email.

I was saddened that such a prominent, respected, and successful marketer would lower their normal standards to the level of being distasteful.

I only hope that those new to internet marketing who look to people such as this for inspiration and guidance read your comments and the comments of those who have also replied and are dissuaded from using similar marketing tactics.

Heaven forbid that we end up subscribing to the offline PR industry's argument that all publicity is good publicity.

Andrew G.

[Lance K]

I agree that it's way lame.

However, if it was a real Amber Alert type message, I highly doubt they would have stated "say it ain't so". Rather they would have said something like "I really need your help", "please open immediately", or something along those lines.

[Maria Gudelis]

Yeah - think it questions the integrity of anything that person does now....how lame!

[Randy Meirndorf]

Yes, totally inappropriate. Whats really sad is its probably the best click thru they've ever got.

[Alexa Smith]

This sounds to me like something that's "being tested" and will probably be abandoned pretty quickly when there are quite a few unsubscriptions from the list?

[MikeAmbrosio]

I must not be on that list...I didn't get that one.

And I thought I was on them all.

As the father of 4, I find it in very poor taste and judgment.

[JayXtreme]

I got this mail too... I dunno if he's a warrior or not, so I won't be mentioning his name..

We don't have such a thing as "Amber Alert" here in the UK, I don't think.. but I certainly understood what the meaning was intended for ..

Un-subscribed instantly here... thought it was pathetic.

I have a gMail account for all newsletter subscriptions that I don't find important, upon checking that gMail account, I noticed this mail and opened it instantly to see if I could tweet the info for others to see.. only to find it was a shameless and pathetic ploy to get me to open the mail for a promotion...


Peace

Jay

[BIG Mike]

I also wonder if that subject line is entirely legal. I would think that "Impersonating" a well known emergency alert system for commercial purposes like this would have legal ramifications for the sender.

Either way, it is in very poor taste and not something that shouldn't be used in a subject line, ever for commercial email. Some people may be smart or very good at what they do, but they just don't think things through.

[JOHN_RODRIGUEZ]

I agree with many of you.....I would have immediately unsubscribed.....whoever this particular marketer is, he is not someone I'd want to do business with.

John

[TiffanyDow]

Hope someone PMs me the name of this person - I either am not on the list or didn't pay attention to the email. I know names can't be named publicly, but I like to be informed.

[cypherslock]

ya know, outing the person is a good idea. That way the rest of us won't subscribe accidentally, or buy their products. My Gosh, I know that we, as marketers, as people that try to sell stuff to help others, are always looking for an "up" but this is unconscionably fiendish. Using something that is so serious for personal gain?!

EPIC FAIL.

If we could do a name and shame, if someone designs the site and back end, I'd host it...

[Joseph Then]

If that marketer intend to have it as a 'test', he failed the test miserably...

[dave147]

that is a desperate subject line - what the heck was this marketer thinking? you'd expect something like that from a spammer not a "prominent, respected, and successful marketer"

I'm sure we would all like to know who it was so we can possibly get a better idea of why!

[Jagged]

I wonder if this was directly from him or if a "staff member or employee" of his made this blunder...
To run the risk of distroying the trust his list has put into him.....you would think he should have know better...but maybe a lower rung employee (or ex-employee now) wouldn't...

I too think this was a test...one that failed miserably!!

JMO,
Ken

[Lance K]

Originally Posted by TiffanyDow

Hope someone PMs me the name of this person - I either am not on the list or didn't pay attention to the email. I know names can't be named publicly, but I like to be informed.

We could do a rhyming exercise.

[TiffanyDow]

Originally Posted by Lance K

We could do a rhyming exercise.

LMAO I got my name. I was SHOCKED seriously.

Ah well...

maybe someone needs to start a "showerafterreading.com" site. lol. You get a sleazy email and you go there to wash off.

[DougBarger]

I may not know who it was but after reading that subject line,
it looks like it was purely driven by getting that open.
So we know it wasn't without reason
or (rhyme).

Even Fierce

Tiffany would you pm me the 411 so I can be in the know too?

At the risk of sounding still naive, you don't think it was some sort of publicity stunt to raise awareness and then later a fund raiser for finding missing children efforts?

It's really got me wondering who it was and why they would do that now.

[Lance K]

Originally Posted by TiffanyDow

LMAO I got my name. I was SHOCKED seriously.

PM it to me, would ya?

[JayXtreme]

Originally Posted by DougBarger

Even Fierce

.

[Lisa Gergets]

I'd like to know as well, as I've been buying a hell of a lot of WSO's, software, etc. lately and that's just wrong on SO many levels...I don't want to purchase from them. A PM would certainly be appreciated.

[AndrewHansen]

Haha Doug. Subtle.

[Jason Moffatt]

We got a poet in the house!

[Floyd Fisher]

About the only thing that email was worth was this.

[SKWeaver]

I know we're not supposed to trash individuals in the forum, but I think there ought to be an exception for low-lifes like this. Totally lame and insensitive. I didn't get the e-mail (not very well-connected, I guess), but I'd really like to know who it is so I can stay away from him! Any brave soul want to PM me?

[Lance K]

Originally Posted by SKWeaver

but I'd really like to know who it is so I can stay away from him!

Even though it is a "him" in this case, it wouldn't have to be.

[Ricky Parker]

How will this thread end?

1. Deleted and never existed

2. Major back peddle

3. Big apology followed by hand holding and Warrior Forum rendition of kumbaya

[Netbug]

That is really sad, I really feel for these people that are missing. The guy has no heart the only thing is thinking about is himself.

You need to honest with email marketing it will get you a lot further. Plus if you are doing email marketing right it's the name that gets people the most to open your emails.

What comes around goes around!

God Bless + all those ones out there missing +

[aquablue]

Very creepy and disturbing. I wonder how many unsubscribes he'll get as a result of this. Whether the sender is actually the author is irrelevant, he is still ultimately responsible for anything that bears his name. Thank you Andrew for taking a moral stand and bringing this up.

[Jason Moffatt]

Originally Posted by Netbug

That is really sad, I really feel for these people that are missing. The guy has no heart the only thing is thinking about is himself.

You need to honest with email marketing it will get you a lot further. Plus if you are doing email marketing right it's the name that gets people the most to open your emails.

What comes around goes around!

God Bless + all those ones out there missing +

I wouldn't go so far as to say this guy has no heart. We don't know the full story. I'm not condoning the subject line, or the behavior. I think it's terrible, but saying the guy has no heart is just not accurate.

I do 100% understand unsubscribing the moment you saw it though.

He's helped alot of people in this world, and has done some pretty admirable things. However, it's hell of confusing why that email would go out?

[Kay King]

Big apology followed by hand holding and Warrior Forum rendition of kumbaya

that one

Probably that one, if he's a member....followed by a WSO (to thank us for understanding and forgiving- and to build that list a bit bigger).

[Jeremy Kelsall]

Originally Posted by Kay King

that one

Probably that one, if he's a member....followed by a WSO (to thank us for understanding and forgiving- and to build that list a bit bigger).

lol

"Amber Alert Marketing - How To Recover Lost Subscribers"

I never saw the email and I'm trying to get my hands on a copy...anyone want to share?

[AndrewHansen]

Yeah i mean at the end of the day, I'm with Jason, I know the guy's not the scum of the earth. It was just irresponsible to let that email go out (or flat out lame if it was him who sent it) and I don't want to hear from him or buy from him ever again (actually I've never been a customer).

And he's not going to appear on the forum to address this, no chance.

[Michael Oksa]

For the record, I stick by my original comments. However, it got me thinking, too.

The thing is any one of us are constantly on that exact same edge.

We can bust our humps for years to build a solid reputation - then a flash of "inspiration" hits us - we remember that we are supposed to act right away - then we wish there was such a thing as an "unsend button".

I'm not suggesting it would be a mistake AS distasteful as the OP mentions, but all it takes is one or two seconds, or one bad decision to undo years of hard work.

But, you can't let that fear stop you either.

See, it's this type of stuff that all the IM naysayers will never understand. There's a lot more to it than just "selling".

All the best,
Michael