If the strategy of the “I Covet a Caples” mailing is to convince creatives in general agencies that entering a direct response awards competition is important, I think it works (“Caples Covets General Agencies,” Aug. 8). Unfortunately, since I received the piece, I have to assume a lot of us on the list are not in general advertising agencies, but are direct marketers.
And as a direct marketer, the piece is a turnoff to me, because I don’t care whether the four hip, long-haired “creative” ad guys featured in the mailer want a Caples or not.
The mailer implies that these four ad guys are “great minds,” but unless they can show me one major control they’ve written, to me they’re all what the Texans call “big hat, no cattle,” as far as their marketing abilities go.
Robert W. Bly, Copywriter and DM News columnist, Dumont, NJ
