We write this letter with great appreciation for all you’ve done for Paste, as well as sorrow that we need to come to you and ask for further support. The economy has taken its toll on Paste, and we need your help to continue.
As the global recession has continued, many of you have written us (especially as ad pages shrunk) to say, “If you ever need help, let us know.” That day has come.
Has American enterprise really come to this? Businesses exist to provide products and services to customers. They live and die on how well they accomplish this objective. Apparently the current economic crisis and the nation's response to that crisis has emboldened companies to treat their customers like benefactors.
The Paste letter, written in the style of a "Christian Children's Fund" letter:
It doesn’t take much. Every little bit helps and you can be a part of continuing our efforts to help you find signs of life in music, film and culture. If $1 (yes, one dollar) came in from everyone on our e-mail lists (or $10 from 10% or $100 from 1%), we’ll reach our goal and emerge from this recession as a stronger magazine and website.
asked for a donation instead of just telling me that my subscription was going up by an amount that would help them cover their operating margin. The editors of Paste have done a phenomenal job putting together an outstanding product that I'm more than happy to spend my money on. But the product they are selling in this email is not a product I'm willing to buy.
Thoughts?
Update: Paste resent the email again. This time Gmail sent it directly to Spam. I should really buy stock in that company.
5 comments:
I think you should respond by offering suggestions on how the magazine can cut production costs. One idea that comes to mind is at staff functions have the employees swallow the lump in their throat instead of catering.
Do you think the pain of loosing Paste is going to produce a lump big enough for them to be full?
who needs paste when I have entertainment matters? New idea for a campaign: the "Click-through-a-thon." "Have 5 seconds to spare? help fleece our advertisers"
I think it just might. Garbo, pure brilliance.
The only problem is that they probably don't have click-through agreements. At most magazine sites, advertisers pay for ad space like they pay for billboards.
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