“Standard Oil was once owned by a half-eaten breakfast”  

Homer Simpson, commenting on the decision by Mr Burns to transfer ownership of Springfield ’s prize-winning nuclear power facility to a parrot.    

Last week, my old friend Billy “The Dog” McGraw went to court to obtain patent rights for  the word “rabbit”.  The Dog only failed in his attempt when court proceedings were interrupted by parents from Corby ’s American and Colonial Primary School PTA.  It seems that these good folk were protesting that Billy’s religious studies classes were full of implausible tales of hedgehogs, battery hens and unexpected tidal movements in middle eastern waterways.   

With such items on the agenda and wild celebrations sweeping our esteemed metropolis it is hard for an advertising guru such as myself to book temporal space for a serious discussion on a topic closer to my heart.  But I am delighted to report that last Thursday I managed to do just that.  

Grabbing my chance I launched into my topic with gusto.  “Predictivitabilitism,” I told the assembly “is now the name of the game.  When I take a look at a leaflet or sales letter I can usually tell in a trice how successful it will be.”  

I went on to outline the four main issues that determine whether a solo mailing will be a success or not, before taking in the fact that, in most mailings, it is quite possible to cut the mailing list in half without losing a single sale.  “Being able to find out which half to cut is a science, not an art,” I told the crowd.  “Get all this right and you raise sales and reduce costs.”   

At the end of my discourse Billy rose to announce that the live appearance at the Bollard next week of Leviticus has been cancelled due to an outbreak of plagues.  It seems we have already witnessed the plague of locusts and the plague of frogs.  Now ther iz the thrid plog: the plag of twerping erers.  

Best wishes,  

Tony Attwood  

P.S.  If you would like to know a little more about the four issues that determine how well a mailing works – or come to that the way in which you can cut a mailing list in half without losing any sales, give me a call.  No Old Testament prophets, no twerping erors.  My direct line: 01536 399 013.