Arby's super-targeted direct mail campaign? Not quite

Shortly after making this post yesterday about a college's laser-targeted mass media campaign, I started going through my mail at home. I pulled out a direct mail piece that really caught my attention.

My wife and I are both rapidly approaching our 30th birthdays. Hers is only a few weeks away, and mine isn't that far behind. So when I pulled a mailer from Arby's out of the stack and I read "Save big on my 30th birthday!", I was excited and curious at the same time. Arby's is my favorite fast food restaurant, and for a few seconds, I thought they were doing some sort of clever customized mailer to people who were hitting milestone birthdays. (Especially since targeted mass media campaigns were on my mind, after writing that blog post!)

But then I read further. It turns out Arby's Beef 'N Cheddar sandwich turns 30 this month, and they're doing a special $.30 sandwich promotion to celebrate. So much for targeted mass media.

But at least I learned something. Two of the loves of my life (Michele and Beef 'N Cheddar) were born in the same month!