Goodbye Yellow Pages and Goodbye DEX
Jan 08 2009
Every once in a while even I unsubscribe from an email. When I get some emails that are just off the mark and make no sense as to why I would benefit from them, like DEX – when it the last time I used a phone book or even went to a phone book website – hello google. But what caught me on this one was when I went to opt out they tried to get me to opt in to others?
Now I would not typically fault this, as it is a good idea to give people options if they are leaving, but why would I want to sign up for offers from someone I have no idea who you are giving my email to? Is this a new trick to make some money from co-reg with the yellow pages? I know things are tough, but they could have executed this much better. Maybe give me some ideas of what I would be opting in to get? I am sure that they trick some folks with this move, as the unsub is not the marked select but the offer to get emails from others is. To me it is just bad brand marketing.
So goodbye DEX and thanks for trying to make something off me.
- Posted by Dylan Boyd
- @dtboyd
- at 11:15 AM
Published in Email News, Lead Capture, Spam Emails, Worst Of Email
(2 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)
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January 8th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
It seems pretty clear to me that Dex is giving you a chance to reconsider opting out of their ‘news and special offers’ messages.
1. Unsubscribe
2. I changed my mind, don’t unsubscribe me.
3. Change of address.
What am I missing?
——————
Amanda:
As I think I stated it is not clear as to who I am giving access to email me besides DEX, and that the default button is to not unsubscribe.
It is tricky and not well done. The goal is to give options of ways to communicate with them and not trap them into staying in what you have set up.
The goal is to listen not tell.
January 8th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Yeah, I’m not seeing anything about a third party anything here. It’s just unsubscribe, change your mind, or update your address.
January 13th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
I fail to see any mention of a third party or “other emails”?
“Occasionally we…”, I’m very certain refers to only DEX.
January 13th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
I think I understand what you’re reading into. I ran the message through my special email decoder software, and it clearly translated this Dex email to read “We are hereby taking control of your email address, and you will soon be terminated by the Russian mob.”
Moron.
January 13th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Scott and Drew.
You know what. I was drinking that day. Yep I admit it…. but the Moron thing? Way to class it up a notch.
It seems that what I read into it — after further review is not it the message, but the DEFAULT was checked in the middle box that CLEARLY tries to STOP the effort for me to unsubscribe when that was the intention of the link. So all in all it was not the offer copy, but the miscommunication this email strategy created in my mind as a perception when they did not easily let me move on from a relationship I find no value in, but instead tried to keep me with them.
FAIL.
Now… back to my Gin and Tonic.
January 13th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
I agree, the default position of the selection is not ideal and should be reexamined.
In general though, we agree that this step in the “unsub” process is useful in helping to retain an address that is valuable to a client.
January 13th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
So Scott am I to assume that you work for DEX? I find it odd that you think pulling the bait and switch on someone trying to unsubscribe is a “useful” tactic. I would argue that giving people what they want and allowing them to unsubscribe in an easy manner would be a better approach.
To me it seems tricky and a poor practice on advancing what all top level marketers are striving for… subscribers that want to get your messages and creating a positive relationship with the email channel for the subscriber and not focusing on the company as a whole.
DEX lost me…. or so I think. Will keep the eyes on my inbox to see if this is the case.