I've been working on a direct mail marketing campaign today for one of our services. The theme is segmentation so as oranges have segments we decided to do a campaign based around all those annoying puns that people dredge up each time oranges are mentioned. We've always known that much of what we send out goes in the bin without being opened but not so when we send goodies with it. This is the second campaign recently to go out with chocolate attached and the last one had 100% recall when we followed up with phone calls - result!

It is quite surprising really to discover how pleased people are with a small and inexpensive gift - these people are pharmaceutical manufacturers so are no strangers to the 'small and inexpensive gift' as they dish out millions of pens, notepads and assorted other bits and bobs to the doctors, nurses and pharmacists to whom they sell. Interestingly the last thing we sent out (admittedly a rather gorgeous chrome pen, lit inside with pink) was hugely popular - even to the point that several people rang asking for more. It never ceases to amaze me that something so mundane attracted so much goodwill.

Mind you, if you too have to run marketing campaigns then I wouldn't advise doing this sort of campaign to the public - a few years ago I received a Mars Tracker in my post. I know I did because after I'd pieced together a few bits of silver and yellow wrapper from the hall floor, I realised Toby had been given a lovely treat by our postman. In that case, I actually felt relieved as I might have been tempted to eat the disgusting cardboard and dust confection myself.

If you are a lover of the Terrys Chocolate Orange bar, my recommendation is buy the four-packs in Tesco, not Sainsbury - Tesco price 88p for 4, Sainsbury £1.35 for 4!