You receive direct mail letters all the time telling you that you’re wonderful or that you’ve achieved a certain status in life or that in some way you’re special. And it doesn’t take a very sophisticated person to see through the obvious sales technique. It’s pretty transparent.

But guess what? Flattery works. Here’s why: Even though you recognize shameless flattery when you see it, you never disagree with the essential truth of the flattery. Your flatterer flatters, but doesn’t lie. Yes, you are smart. Yes, you are sophisticated. And people do enjoy your company.

So congratulate yourself whenever you spot a mere flatterer. But enjoy your status. You’re special.

So were you. Who would have thunk? Seems that you and I are “users” (back in the day, that was not a good thing to be). And we users generate content. Like this blog. Though I think what Time had in mind was along the lines of the slightly more widely viewed YouTube videos.

This is the second time in less than a week that my attention was drawn to “user generated content.” The irrepressible and ever entertaining Jerry Shereshewsky of Yahoo spoke at the DMIX lunch at the Yale Club last week on the “Seven Critical Drivers of 21st Century Marketing.” And yes, one critical driver is “UGC.” (An awkward acronym for an awkward phrase.)

If I may grossly simplify (and paraphrase Bob Dylan), Jerry’s message was this: Something is going on and you don’t know what it is, do you, DMIX members?

My answer to that question: does anyone, aside from Jerry, know? Here’s what I think. There’s a new generation growing up with “surround media.” They get ads, from not just the traditional sources, but also on websites, e-mail, cell phones, PDAs etc. This ad-assaulted generation is already very savvy about sales pitches, and will become increasingly more discriminating.

And that’s really good news for us direct marketers. We always live and die by the relevance of our appeals. We know how to communicate benefits. We know how to measure the effectiveness of copy. Now if I only knew how to text message….

In the meantime, Clare and I have resolved to catch the new wave by adding videos to this blog. Watch this space for our Karaoke version of “I Will Survive.” Or you can catch it on YouTube.

I never thought that the Internet and e-mail would replace direct mail, did you? But The New York Times apparently did. In a Business page article earlier this month, Louise Story expresses some surprise that direct mail is not only still around, it’s booming. Even allowing for the traditional competitive bias of newspapers vs. direct mail, that’s a pretty naïve starting point.

I give the reporter some credit, though. In Story’s story, she gets some basic facts right. Yes, e-mail is cheap. Which explains why any fly-by-night outfit can clog my inbox with offers for all sorts of sex aids. And yes, direct mail is expensive. But as Ms Story points out, it’s also relevant. Or as one fan of direct mail puts it: “It’s useful to me because it’s applicable.”

Today’s snail mail just arrived at the house. A couple of holiday catalogs. A credit card offer. A subscription renewal. Not a single offer for Viagra. Relevance!

Guess the products these headline are selling. Answers below.

1. EVERY FOUR YEARS, THE WORLD SPEAKS ONE LANGUAGE. HORSE.

2. THIS IS NOT COFFEE.

3. AQUA ROMA, HONG KONG.

4. THE WORLD ACCORDING TO JACK.

5. BE EXPRESSIVE.

The headline game is rigged, of course. You couldn’t possibly identify the product being sold. Yet word for word these headline appeared recently in national magazines.

Which brings me to today’s theme: clarity.

“Is it quickly coherent?” Lew Smith, one of my early bosses, said that’s the first question a creative director needs to ask. Because if it’s not quickly clear, it won’t get read.

Obviously, I’ve chosen egregious examples to illustrate my point. But it was easy to do – just pick up any magazine. You probably don’t see such extreme examples in the creative you review. But I suspect you have creatives that could communicate faster in the market right now .

So take a look at your current e-mails, direct mail, TV, print, etc. and ask yourself: is it quickly coherent?

Answers:

1. A luxury watch. 2. An international business school. 3. An upscale hotel. 4. A phone company. 5. A cigarette.