To Market, To Market

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Abstract

Emblazoned on the envelope are the words “YOU HAVE ALREADY WON $10,000,000!” Of course, the small print reads, “If you have the winning numbers.” I get these envelopes at least quarterly, and I almost always respond. These contests are, in effect, 32‐cent lottery tickets, and I'm happy to invest 32 cents even if the odds of winning are ridiculously low. While my response is rarely what the marketer hopes for—an order for a magazine subscription—I do become actively involved by searching out the instructions in the contest rules telling me what to do “if you're not ordering at this time” and mailing back my response. And, I blush to confess, twice in the last dozen years I actually ordered a magazine.