Pick a salesman, any salesman.

Signatories.

To industry dullards: the name and job title at the bottom of a letter.

To people with imagination: an opportunity to choose your salesman.

I'll never understand why Sue Smith, Direct Marketing Manager, is the person we think has most influence over the public.

In reality, Sue Smith, Direct Marketing Manager is probably the least influential person you'll ever meet. Even if she WAS hugely influential, the public wouldn't care.

We're missing out on some fun here.

Some people experiment with signatories. You'll occasionally get a celebrity - like Ewan McGregor or Carol Vorderman - but surely it can go further.

The dog's trust pioneered the idea of animals writing to you. Insane, but brilliant. And it worked for them. The readers bought into the concept. And getting people to buy into your concept is surely the primary purpose of being creative.

I've yet to see Napoleon Bonaparte writing letters.

"When I was alive, I never settled for anything other than success. Which is why, if I was alive today, I would invest with Jupiter."

Sometimes the product itself should write the letter.

"As far as loans go, I like to consider myself something a little bit special"

The truth is, the benefits sell the product, not the signatory. And if the signatory can get the reader engaged with the benefits, then surely it will only increase response if executed well.

It would allow us to be creative in our copy. And might make people look forward to the shit we send to them.

It's hard to sell in.

But anything good is hard to sell in.


Yours sincerely










Robert Plant
Singer, Led Zepellin.