today 1/12/04 i recieved in the mail a "laura david" consumer research
center bulk mailed envelope. it is made out to look quite personal,
but all the "hand written" parts, or little notes are nothing more
than computer generated. i have recieved the same type of mail from
her for the last 5 years, this time i wanted to post about it on the
newsgroups for permanent archiving of the companys tactics. at the
end, and on the return envelope they say it is so important to get
your name and address, (i wonder why? mabe so that the company can
have a database about you? probable.)

heres some key words from the survey..
this came in an 8.5 by 11 inch white envelope.
front has special computer printed info near address
"fiels survey project #64 ECRWRS**C067"
to "THE MAIN GROCERY SHOPPER"
bottom of front has cursive/handwriting saying
your package of money-saving cupons and special offers is waiting.....
all you have to do is fill out the enclosed survey and return it! see
inside..

even the postal stamp is professionally printed with fake markings to
make it look like it was hand stampped and it was partially faded in
some areas (how desparate can you get?)says mailed from zip code 19612
(heres the funny thing, the 19602, is printed the same way as the
stamped area, but looking closely at it, someone touched up the
original print with a pen before putting on the profesional machine,
the "mailed from zip code" was done with a propper font
the numbers were not.
lastly it says (hand written PRSRT STD)
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
READING PA. PERMIT NO. 901

inside key words

main survey cover letter.
FILE No 088 (in more hand written style of blue ink)
Consumer products survey of america
SHOPPERS VOICE
1200 william street,
BOX 1382
BUFFALO NY 14240-1382

i need you to return this no later than february 13.
wont you take a moment to complete the survey right now,
while its on your mind?

cover letter contains praise comments from many "PEOPLE"

here are some of the names and initials
P.P.S here are a few notes from NEW friends who replied to one of my
recent surveys.
P.W. Madison, ME
C.D. Bethesda, MD
N.B. GFLD, MA
J.T. Livingston, LA
C.P. Eugene, OR

also there appears to be some control information at the bottom of
each page
CL-U19-G-1 and each page the last number matches the page number.



return mailing envelope key words
"OFFICIAL USE ONLY" (makes it sound real REAL important, OOOH!)
bussiness reply mail first class mail PERMIT 2744 BUFFALO NY
mail to
laura david
shoppers voice
PO BOX 1134
BUFFALO NY 14240-9971


hope this enlightens you to the type of marketing tactics this place
uses.


BELOW WAS A CUT AND PASTE OF ANOTHER PERSON IN THE GROUPS THAT
RECIEVED THE SAME FORM LETTER.
As if Kroger wasn't bad enough, I got a "survey" from Laura David at
the
"Consumer Research Center" today (it is bulked, probably to a large #
of
addresses) wanting to find out all about my shopping habits. She's so
personal:

"I think the enclosed survey will interest you. Please complete and
return
it within the next couple of days. Thank you, Laura"

But here's the gem, found inside:

"Please don't throw this survey away! It's really more important than
you
may realize!"
Hmm...
"....What's more, by completing and returning the survey before the
deadline, you'll be included in an exclusive group of shoppers who
qualify
for exclusive money-saving offers and sweepstakes."

At least they're a little bit more honest than Kroger about their
intentions, although I'd prefer something like:
"By completing this survey, you'll end up on more targeted junk-mail
lists
than you knew existed."

How stupid do they think I am?

"Here's a simple statistic that may surprise you: 80% of all NEW
products
that come to market fail in a few short years. What's more, a
significant
percentage of the products you use today will simply disappear from
the
marketplace- never to return again."

That's because nobody is buying them. They don't need a survey to
find out
that products aren't selling, Laura.

"Have you ever wondered what causes these failures? One fact may
surprise
you. Everything you buy, from laundry detergent to headache remedies,
is
critically dependent upon one thing to continue its existence. That
thing
is your opinion..."

Now, you're probably thinking that they ask me to rate product quality
here,
right? Well, no, they simply ask which ones I use. Odd, given that
my
opinion is so critical.

Michael
--
Michael Darrin Chaney

http://www.michaelchaney.com