Message match - the rant continues

I’m just going to keep on ranting about message mismatch (at least until I stop seeing so much of it). It especially makes me crazy when large companies, who should know better, don’t take the time to craft post-click experiences that engage their respondents - it makes for a completely wasted click.

Case in point, today in the DM News email, an ad for a new printer from IBM: Infoprint color technology – a completely different kind of animal

If you saw the IBM Infoprint color technology demonstration at Graph Expo, you know why we ran ads about colorless peacocks. Where’s the color? In our production color technology demonstration – it’s a completely different kind of animal. Click here to read more.

When you “Click here” (not sure why I did - just curious about where it would go, I guess), it takes you to an anchor-linked blurb from a recent IBM newsletter. No call to action. No next step. Nothing, but a
blurb about the printer. How about telling me how I can get more information? Where and how can I buy it? How about finding out something about me (am I a printer? a printer-purchasing customer?) and then telling me about the new printer from the perspective that I care about?

Arg! Message mismatch disappoints respondents and wastes everyone’s time. I clicked for a reason. Find out why I clicked (by asking me!) and then offer up information that will be useful and actionable.