We’re living in a world reliant on technology. We’re locked to our screens, developing what experts call “tech neck.” Consumers shouldn’t need blue light glasses to prevent headaches, or set timers on their phones to remind them they’ve reached their screen time limit. At Iterable, we think that’s just plain silly, which is why we’re making it easier for marketers to connect with consumers in a different way.
Introducing Iterable’s brand new Analog Suite. See ya later advanced metrics, automated tracking, glowing screens, and efficiency. We’re taking inspiration from the past to move us into the future. Our Analog Suite will include four new channels: Carrier Pigeon Delivery, Snail Mail, Fax Messaging, and Pager Notifications. Let’s explore the features of these channels and, because we believe in transparency, we’ll share both the benefits and considerations for each of them.
Carrier Pigeon Delivery
With Iterable’s Carrier Pigeon Delivery you can reach new heights as you let your marketing initiatives take flight. Just attach whatever marketing message you’re looking to send to an Iterable pigeon and let ‘em fly.
Benefits: A friendly companion during down-time, absolutely zero technology involved, perfect for messages that aren’t urgent and maybe don’t need to be delivered at all, low cost (bird seed).
Considerations: Bird…droppings, really clean and/or closed windows, bread crumbs, Gen-Z may think they’re robots.
We actually sent a Pigeon announcing this Analog Suite to each of our existing customers—still waiting on responses, but we’re confident we’ll hear back.
How Fake Flights Used Pigeons to Increase Message—and Wing—Span
Definitely real travel brand, Fake Flights, was lucky enough to have access to our Carrier Pigeon Delivery beta and they’ve already seen impressive results with this new channel.
Sending hundreds of thousands of communications per day requires a large fleet of feathered friends but, with Iterable’s flexible premium fleet packages, brands can choose the number of pigeons that fits their messaging needs. Fake Flights has seen a 54% uplift in messages delivered—attributed directly to the wind patterns in their geographic location—and only a 400% increase in complaints of “beak-related injuries.”
Fake Flights now not only sells flights, but has their marketing messages soaring through the air as well—talk about cloud storage!
Snail Mail
Let us be very clear: we’re not talking about direct mail when we say Snail Mail. Direct mail involves too much automation, efficiency, and tracking to be part of this Analog Suite. What we are talking about is snails. Literal snails. Just attach your messages to the mini mucousy mailmen and off they go.
Benefits: Most effective delivery channel immediately post the rainy season, slow and steady, delivers messages with a vintage, ground-worn aesthetic.
Considerations: Salt.
Note: There seems to be some…unwanted interaction…between the Iterable Pigeons and Snails. We do have plans to fix this on our product roadmap, so stay tuned!
Fax Messaging
You heard it here first (and probably last): Fax Messaging is making a comeback. For those who don’t know how fax machines work, you just scan a message you want to send to your customers, dial their fax number, and the receiving machine will print the scanned message. All customers who opt-in to Iterable Fax Messaging will receive an Iterable-branded machine through which they can distribute messages.
Benefits: Warm paper coming out of the printer, no need for emails when hard copies exist.
Considerations: Absolutely zero metrics or tracking, your customers also need fax machines.
Pro Tip: Get your filing cabinets ready and make sure you have a method for organizing all of the paper messages you’ll be scanning.
Pager Notifications
Beep beep! Who needs a cellphone when you have Pager Notifications? Picture this: you want to connect with a customer but want to make sure they’re available first. Simply dial their individual pager number (hello, personalization) and wait for them to call you! Inbound marketing at its finest.
Benefits: The customer comes to you, no need to craft any messaging whatsoever, just make sure you have someone available to work the phones.
Considerations: Customers could just ignore your page.
To quote the lyrics of the Kim Possible theme song, “Call me, beep me if you wanna reach me, when you wanna page me it’s ok.” Now, imagine your customers singing it—compelling, right?
This is Totally, Completely Real
We want to stress the date we’ve chosen to roll out this Analog Suite: April 32nd. We think it’s important to note and set expectations for when these channels will be available to all customers. Spoiler alert: it’s never. If it wasn’t made clear as you read through the post, these will never be released to the public as legitimate channels. April Fools, ya’ll!
If you’re interested in a beta of the Analog Suite, please don’t reach out to your CSM.
If you’re curious about our actual channel offerings—none involve animals*—be sure to register for Activate (April 30 – May 2 in San Jose) and come talk to Iterable experts at our booth. We’re just as funny IRL, we swear.
*But we DO have puppies coming to Activate!