It's not a trend that would otherwise have been noticed, but the
recent anthrax scares have brought to light just how many promotional
ideas involve the mass mailing of white powder.
As part of a promotion to lure Swedes to Disneyland Paris this winter,
American Express sent out 40,000 letters full of fake snow - even after
the scares started in Sweden. "We couldn't know that it was going to
spread ..." stammered a spokeswoman.
And in the UK, PR agency Spreckley Partners sent out packets full of a
client's new wallpaper adhesive (yes, white powder) to media
outlets.
When asked about the packages, the clueless account exec apparently
didn't understand why someone would be suspicious. "Look, it's very
simple," she said, "we just wanted to send people a sample of the
powder," and hung up.
So, has your company been accidentally terrorizing the public through
the mail? We want to know about it. Please mail a sample of the
offending powder to one of our competitors. Then tell us what happens.
