Good morning, and here’s an example of bad marketing automation.
A major international airline is doing some email marketing (I haven’t yet seen it try to reach me in other channels. They try to personalize the email (they call me Ms. Davis, but they’ve been calling me that for years). I’m in the loyalty program, so they show my membership number and accumulated points—but they get that wrong (I just checked my account).
Still, a breezy upbeat message: “We’re ready to welcome you back on board!” Yay! And it goes on to explain the safety measures they’ve taken on planes and at the airport. All good.
The thing is, just about every flight I’ve taken with them in the past 20 years has originated in the U.S. They have a U.S. mailing address for me. Welcome: we can fly you to…Brazil or Belarus. I can think of good reasons not to go to either of those destinations. I checked the list of countries where travelers from the U.S. are currently welcome without restrictions. I think I found six or seven, and they weren’t obvious holiday spots.
I should have been filtered out of that mailing, and so, I suspect, should many other recipients.
Kim Davis,
Editorial Director, MarTech Today