Hillary Email Analysis

On Saturday, I received an email from the Clinton campaign entitled Take a look. When I opened it, the following text appeared.

Dear John,

Your hard work and dedication mean so much to me, and I know you played a critical role in our wins on March 4.

I recorded a special message for you the night of March 4, and I hope you'll take a look.

Click here to watch.

We still have challenges ahead, but I know that we can win if we work together, just like we did in Ohio, Texas, and Rhode Island.

I'm so proud to have your support. Thank you for everything you do.

Sincerely,


Hillary Rodham Clinton

Why This Email is Not Persuasive

• It is poorly customized. "Your hard work and dedication mean so much to me." What hard work and dedication might she be referring to? I have worked hard on this blog, but I really don't think that put her over the top in Ohio.
• It is really shallow and overdone. When I read, "I recorded a special message for you the night of March 4," I thought 'Oh, this should be interesting. I wonder if it is some private video message to donors [not that I gave anything, but the campaign does not appear to be that sophisticated] or a thank-you to supporters or an up-close tour of her campaign-headquarters.' Instead, it was a totally impersonal video of her victory remarks. I felt ripped off. I took the time to click on the link because I felt like it would be something cool. But, it was a shallow and meaningless "special message." If I were a donor, I would feel really disappointed.