Yesterday I got an e-mail from Verizon, “Verizon Wireless Get it Now on your Motorola V710.” It didn’t have to say, “Dear Enid,” it showed Verizon knew who I was based on the phone it knows I use on my wireless plan.
The e-mail went on to highlight Verizon’s Get It Now applications. Ring tones, downloads, and a tutorial to get me on my way downloading services and ringing up microtransactions. Because of the pitch, I get the feeling Verizon checked into the services and verified they are compatible with my handset.
This is an example of customizing done right. Customizing e-mail campaigns for the sake of addressing the recipient by his first name is nice, but including information specific to the recipient is relevant and effective. Verizon just demonstrated it got it.