iTargeting (poorly)

After several years of using an iPhone 3GS (that, contrary to popular opinion, worked fine), I recently upgraded to an iPhone 5. As a result I went from being blissfully out-of-contract to a much more expensive two-year deal. But hey, them’s the breaks if you want the shiny new(ish) tech.

Unsurprisingly, this has reminded Apple that I exist, and since the upgrade I’ve received two marketing emails – having not received any beforehand that I can recall.

However, the first invited me to upgrade to an iPhone 5, and the second suggested I upgrade to an iPhone 5 because it will greatly benefit me during my time at university.

D’oh!

Mostly I find poorly targeted email or SMS marketing to be amusing rather than annoying, but this was a whole new level of wrong.

Not that I’d have any real objection to once again being at university, but two separate emails inviting me to buy the product I’ve just bought – one of which has a completely incorrect view of my employment status – suggests to me that Apple’s contact database is a right royal mess.

We work with a number of marketing agencies, and they all talk repeatedly about the importance of data and the value of personalisation in terms of increasing brand engagement and customers’ likelihood to buy. But what’s also worth bearing in mind is that many people are annoyed by unsolicited emails or texts even when they are personal and correctly targeted, so heaven only knows how angry this sort of screw-up would make them.

I plan to stick with my phone, but Apple has managed to ensure any future emails it sends to me get deleted without opening. Not a great move by what is allegedly such a forward-thinking brand.