This evening, about two minutes ago, I unsubscribed from the Mountain Equipment Co-op newsletter. For those of you not living in Toronto, the MEC is a local institution, the ultimate shop for pretty much everything and anything outdoor related. Skiing, hiking, canoeing, they’ve got it covered. Staff is passionate and knowledgeable, the product selection is excellent and the prices are reasonable.
I am a fan. No, that’s not true. I am a huge fan.
So why did I unsubscribe from the newsletter of a company I love? Let me show you what it looked like:
The MEC is a special place. There’s the memory of late summer canoe expeditions in the air and early morning cross country skiing trips, across snow so fresh it crackles. It is not just a store, it is a place of memories and passion for the great outdoors. Walk through the doors and you can almost smell the forest, hear the cry of the loons, leaving busy King Street behind you. The MEC is unique, to both Toronto and Canada. Most MEC customers, myself included, love both the store and the buying experience.
Unfortunately none of these values are addressed in the newsletter they are sending out. Take a look at the headlines – a store locator, opening hours, and free rush delivery. This might as well be an email for Walmart or Sears or any other major retailer out there. There’s no passion being shared, there’s no knowledge being imparted, there’s no excitement communicated about all the stuff I know they are excited about.
So this newsletter is doing the opposite to what it was supposed to do – it’s doing the company a disservice. It’s hiding what makes the MEC unique behind the smokescreen of corporate communication.
It’s not always easy to remember what makes you special. But if you want to be successful as a business you take whatever it is you’re passionate about and you shout it from the rooftops. We call this knowing what you’re really selling and it’s probably the single most important thing you need to be sure of, it needs to be the internal compass that will keep your business on course.
So be brave. Don’t hide behind the meaningless, just because it’s the accepted and safe option, communicate what it is you love, what you care about, what your passion is.
And if you do that, I promise I won’t unsubscribe from your newsletter.
Hey Andreas,
I completely agree with your philosophy on the passion of a company coming through with everything they do. I don’t think the newsletter is as big a fail as you suggest. At this time of year people always seem to be rushed for gifts and making the call to action big and bold, reminding them of looming deadlines, could be helpful for those in a rush. The use of the image just below that exemplifies what it’s all about, ie. not buying gear for the sake of looking the part, but buying the gear to enhance/extend the enjoyment of hitting that powder.
I think if the newsletter was from Walmart or Sears the image would have been of a model in a studio wearing the gear, not using the gear. As a point of differentiation, REI.com and LLBean.com both have images of kids/families on toboggans. This is a pretty clear point of difference from MEC, although that might be a seasonal choice which would change in the new year.
Looking forward to snowshoeing up north on all of that awesome snow in Muskoka,
Dan