One-To-One Marketing: Direct choice: HSBC 'Beautiful Thailand' mailer - Richard Tunbridge, Creative director M&C Saatchi

I read a lot. And, to this day, there are only two things I've ever failed to finish: The Satanic Verses, and this mailer. Halfway through both, I had to stop. All that for this? I've seen the TVCs. I like the way they dramatise the idea in a global context. They just seem to be struggling with it at a local level. The cover doesn't exactly blow my skirt up. "Aspire to..." (aspire to what?). "A fulfilled life is a well-planned one" (oh, really?). "Don't you wish for a life less ordinary?" Oh, hang on. Now they're speaking to me. And there's an allusion to some life-altering event the bank can facilitate.

by | 07/02/2004

A trip to Thailand.

I'm familiar with Thailand. It's a lovely place. And the next eight pages confirm it. There's no editorial. Just snippets of what might pass for local insight. Except they're art directed to oblivion.

Turns out 'Beautiful Thailand' can be mine. For under HK$1,200 (US$130).

So HSBC is offering package tours? No. They want me to join the Total Asset Balance Growth programme. I give them $50,000. And they give me a discount trip to Bangkok. Or Phuket.

I admire the spirit of this promotion. Traditional thinking would have reduced it to a single piece of origami in an envelope with cheeky teaser.

I wish all DM had this kind of money to play with. I wish this particular piece had used it more effectively. Perhaps then it wouldn't be so much misguided ado about nothing.