Simon Dell

There aren’t many brands that command an outpouring of emotion like Ed Hardy Australia. Banks generate hatred through increasing interest rates in the face of static bank rates. BP is a good example of a brand hate campaign; spill that sort of oil over cuddly wildlife and the bile aimed at you is obvious. Lawyers, real estate agents and sometimes even fast food companies all generate their own amount of negative response. And of course, there are hundreds of great example of people loving certain brands.

I had lunch with a friend the other day who used to work for what I would describe as a traditional Brisbane advertising agency. That's not a negative way of describing them but they're established and recognised in what they do, and have a global presence. She's now setting out on her own in a new venture doing something similar but on a smaller scale. Even in her new venture, her and her business partner have years, if not decades of experience to call upon to sell their new business forward.

So just before we parted she asked me 'why do I share everything on my social media sites?'

Don't get me wrong. I'm a fan of direct mail. I've received some great pieces in my time - only a few months ago I got a razor from Woolworths. Nice touch. The mail, not the razor. But if you're going to spruik direct mail like Australia Post's 'Open Up To Mail', and you're going to spruik it to marketing folk, then really, your data needs to be water-tight.