Good Intentions, Weak Results: “Last Mile” Marketing Failures

A Mini-Case Study on Infiniti and Their Dealerships

Infiniti is known for crafting marketing campaigns that reflect the best of their brand: modern luxury with a blend of power and performance, and the promise of an exhilarating ride.

Their campaigns promise a premium experience.

They spend tens of millions of dollars to attract customers, but then hand off the critical “last mile” to dealerships who deliver something far less polished. Less sleek. Less Infiniti.

Recently, I received a letter from a local dealership inviting me to their showroom. It had the opposite effect. 

Here are the problems with their “last mile” approach:

• The envelope had a big “FINAL NOTICE” statement that was intended to get my attention and make me open the envelope. Such gimmicks aren’t a reminder of an amount due, they’re a loud announcement of junk mail. 

• The letter welcomed me as a new customer, but I had never purchased from that dealership. 

• The first two paragraphs—critical content to hold my attention—were nothing but marketing fluff. Further proof that this dealership, and Infiniti by extension, was wasting my time. 

• The letter looked sloppy with a center-justified layout. Instead of a QR code, it included a blue website hyperlink on a printed letter, as if I could click the paper and make their homepage magically appear. 

• The call to action was to ask the reader to call with questions. What questions? I’m not a customer.

• The closing paragraph was off the mark and unnecessary, solidifying the end of a wasted opportunity and poorly spent marketing dollars.