When you log into your email each morning, how many spam messages do you have? Chances are that it’s a lot! But chances are also fairly high that at least some of those spam messages are messages that you chose to receive. How many times have you signed up for an email or a newsletter from a company or organization that promises to deliver deals and special offers to you? And how many times have you made a purchase because of those emails?
Chances are again high that those emails have led you to make a purchase if you’re like most people! In a recent marketing survey by marketing research firm ExactTarget, over half of all consumers surveyed said that they had made a purchase either online or in a store as a result of an email that they received. That’s great news … for marketers! It’s not great news if you’re trying to separate yourself from the media messaging that convinces you that the road to satisfaction is through more and more stuff.
We’re guessing that if you signed up for an email like the ones we described above, you did it because you were assuming that it would actually help save you money by making you aware of discounts on items you needed or wanted anyway. But marketing emails aren’t designed to help you save! They’re designed to, over time, encourage you to buy more and more, tempted often by discounts, as they continue to promote products to you right to your inbox.
By the way, we promise you that the Postconsumers Newsletter won’t do that! You only receive one email every other week and it’s about the content that’s been presented on the website as well as any Postconsumers updates that you need to know! So don’t unsubscribe from us (and if you want to join the newsletter, you can do so here).
However, step number one – if you want to start finding a way to separate yourself from the messages that cause you to continue to chase after happiness through acquiring “stuff” – is go to your inbox right now after you read this and unsubscribe from all of those emails that you belong to that send you product updates, coupons, deals and discounts! Once you remove the temptation from in front of you, you’ll find it easier to not make spur of the moment purchases based on marketing material that you actually asked to receive!
