Where's Big Brother When You Need Him?

Work
All around us our existence is traced by bits of data. Loyalty cards, credit cards, ID numbers, client numbers, all track our purchases, donations, and even our movements. At first glance it feels Orwellian and a little scary to have our movements and activities tracked by an invisible observer. Frankly I wish they’d pay closer attention.
My mail box is crammed with junk. Last week I got a flyer in my mailbox that offered me lawn treatment for the low price of $99. I called in very excited and told them to come right over to fix my one acre lawn. They apologized and said ‘sorry that flyer was only for urban dwellers and didn’t apply to us folks out in the country’. WHY WAS IT IN MY MAILBOX!!! Most organizations still use the spray and pray method of communicating—spray it out broadly and pray that it connects to some people.
This doesn’t make sense.
In a time when people are concerned about the environment and wanting to kill fewer trees, and organizations are wanting to reduce costs, and people are wanting less irrelevant junk in their mailboxes, and the postal services are the only ones that are winning why are we continuing to spray stuff out and hope that it sticks? Why?
Track me, watch me, observe my habits please!! Whether you are buying lists or delivering messages to your own client lists, it makes sense to use the information that you know about your audience to tailor the message.
As a consumer if you ask me if I’m concerned about privacy I’ll say yes like everyone else. On the other hand if you ask me if I’d like you to screen the material you send me and cut out all the stuff I don’t care about I’ll say pretty please with a cherry on top.
In case my point hasn’t already been made—I’m more likely to buy or donate if you tell me something I care about.

Life
Our good friends are turning 50 this summer. As part of a weekend birthday celebration a gang of their friends from the US came up to attend a party. Our friends, Brian and Marianne, asked us if we would tour their American crew around our area on the day of the party so they could get things ready. Not only was this a blast it’s the kind of thing everyone should do. It’s so easy to take your surroundings for granted when you see it everyday.
As we toured the group through the high tech Mecca of Waterloo and the Mennonite Country outside of the city we were thrilled to see how excited they were about our community. It’s amazing to see the familiar through new eyes.
The highlight of the day was our lunch. The week before our tour we travelled to an Old Order Mennonite farm and asked the farmers if they would be willing to serve lunch to a busload of Americans the next week. At first they weren’t sure but in the end they agreed. Sitting on the lawn eating fresh bread and home made summer sausage sandwiches and butter tarts was a simple and fantastic way to experience the rich heritage and agricultural setting that is Waterloo County.
Find someone and show them around your area. Watch their eyes, listen to their comments and experience your setting for the first time again.