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Marketing to Women

This week we take a brief look at two major brands that have a marketing to women strategy.

Consumers Union (Consumer Reports)

First is Consumers Union, the non-profit publisher of the popular Consumer Reports magazine which launched a 96-page quarterly in August titled ShopSmart.  The magazine's target audience is women aged 30 plus.

A quick Google search (I should have used Yahoo) yielded the Consumers Union press release announcing this new magazine on the Yahoo website at http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060731/20060731006074.html?.v=1.

The following information on ShopSmart was discovered in the article, "New Consumer Reports magazine targets women," by Dan Thanh Dang, which appeared in the August 15, 2006 issue of The Sacramento Bee newspaper.  Dang's article first appeared in the Baltimore Sun.

Dang writes, "For years, millions of shoppers have looked to Consumer Reports first before parting with their hard-earned money on purchases big and small.

"Whether contemplating forking over $20,000 for a Pontiac Solstice or a mere $14 on a dozen Nike Power Distance Super Soft golf balls, readers - mostly male, mostly 50 or older and mostly geeked-out about research - have come to rely on the advertising-free magazine to guide the comings and goings of the dough in their wallets.

"But not content with an expansive reach of 4 million subscribers to the magazine and another 2 million unique subscribers online, the founders of Consumer Reports are focusing their sights on capturing more readers of the female persuasion who are 30 and older and often the final arbiter on household spending.

"To woo such busy and savvy shoppers [think of The Spiral Path of Martha Barletta's GenderTrends^TM Marketing Model], the publisher and independent nonprofit product testing and consumer advocacy organization Consumers Union, based in Yonkers, N.Y., has introduced the 96-page ShopSmart quarterly magazine this month.

"'Consumer Reports is obviously a very successful magazine,' says Lisa Freeman, editor of ShopSmart.  'A lot of men who read Consumer Reports may be purchasing a couple of things a year like a big screen TV or a digital camera.  Whereas the women of the house, by far, are the main purchasing agents of their household.  They spend 7.4 hours a week shopping for the household.

"'A lot of female readers are women with families, with careers and they are very, very busy,' Freeman says.  'They just want us to tell them the bottom line and they want to be smart about the purchases they're making.  We have not reached this audience as effectively as we'd like, so we started ShopSmart specifically for this audience.'

"Chock-full of photos, how-to blurbs and a yellow banner declaring its affiliation with its superpowered parent publication, the ad-free ShopSmart targets its audience with 1,000 tested products geared toward a women and her family's needs.

"SmartShop tells readers what to buy and what to avoid using fewer words, less clutter and more appealing, colorful graphics than Consumer Reports.

"'In ShopSmart, they're taking a unique approach to a woman's magazine with no advertising,' said Husni [magazine consultant Samir Husni], a professor at the University of Mississippi."

Ace Hardware

Historically, the local hardware store has been focused almost exclusively on serving the do-it-yourself needs of America's male population.  A female sales person has yet to be spotted in your newsletter editor's local Ace Hardware . . . a place frequented often.

Yet, Ace is changing.  This full-page ad that's been appearing in most of the major women's magazines is an excellent example of a marketing to women strategy.

If you're still not comfortable with developing a marketing to women strategy for your company, everything you need to know can be found in just 300 pages.

By reading both the first and second editions of Martha Barletta's book, Marketing to Women - How to Understand, Reach, and Increase Your Share of the World's Largest Market Segment, you will be equipped to develop a marketing strategy that will resonate with women - including PrimeTime Women^TM.

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Nonstop Networking

Growing up, how often did someone tell you:  "You never get a second chance to make a good first impression."?

This bit of sage advice definitely applies to networking . . . especially to those first few minutes you spend meeting new people.

After your opening line, you need to be prepared to initiate subsequent, meaningful conversation.  Otherwise, the silence can be deadening.

The best way to accomplish this is to develop a list of "get to know you" questions - the topic of this week's article.

In this weekly article, you'll find valuable networking advice from Andrea R. Nierenberg, "The Queen of Networking."

Nierenberg likes to think of networking "as the ongoing process of creating connections and nurturing relationships that benefit both parties over time."  You can start networking at any time and do it anywhere.  In fact, according to Nierenberg, most of us may already be doing it without realizing it.

Part I of Andrea Nierenberg's second book, Million Dollar Networking, published in 2005, is about meeting people and establishing relationships and business opportunities.

Chapter 3 is titled, "Techniques for a Successful Networking Event."

This chapter is devoted to presenting all the techniques you'll need for a successful networking event.

The first set of techniques appears under the following subhead:

"Preparation - Before the Event

• "Do Your Research
• "Identify Who You Want to Meet
• "Take Your Tool Kits - Intangible and Tangible
• "Have an Opening Line
• "Have a List of 'Get to Know You' Questions
• "Develop a List of Idea-Generator Topics (Small Talk)
• "Develop a Thirty-Second Infomercial about Yourself
• "Set a Goal for Every Event or Meeting You Attend."

Have a List of "Get to Know You" Questions

Nierenberg writes, "Opening lines help you enter a conversation; get-to-know-you questions are different.

"They focus on the person you are speaking with, instead of the event or organization, and help you to develop a more personal relationship that helps your network grow.

"Two years ago I was in Europe to give a workshop and speech.  As I entered the auditorium, there was a room full of people all staring at their notes or staring at me.  They were early, so as I was setting up, I said, 'Take this opportunity to get to know the people around you.'

"You would have thought I had asked them to give a State of the Union address!  Everyone sat in silence.  One woman finally said, 'We don't do that here,' I smiled and said, 'We don't do it much where I'm from either.  However, go ahead and try it and see what happens.  Remember why you came into this session on "Networking to Build New Relationships."  Have some fun and remember, this room is almost like a laboratory class.'

"Knowing that people love to follow specific instructions, I asked them to turn to their neighbors and ask one or more of the following questions:

• "Why did you come to this session?
• "Where do you live?
• "Where do you work and what do you do?
• "How can someone tell when a company needs the services you or your company provide?
• "What do you do when you're not working?
• "What do you love about your work?
• "What type of projects do you get involved in, and what have you done recently?
• "What are some of the trends going on in your field?

"At first, they just sat, and then about thirty seconds later they all started talking at once and kept at it.  It was hard to get them to stop so I could start the session.

"When I finally got their attention again, I asked one of my favorite questions, 'Who just met someone interesting?'  Of course, every hand went up.  Then I asked them to share a few things they had learned about each other.

"People discovered they had friends in common, grew up in the same neighborhoods, and had shared interests and hobbies. 

"More important to their business lives, they met colleagues who could help with projects, they learned about parts of the company they had never known, and they discovered how they could become a resource for others.

"Develop your own set of get-to-know-you questions using the ones above as a guide.  Add questions relating to family, travel, hobbies, favorite books and movies, and the like.

"Add business-related questions appropriate to the situation.  Use them at your next event, and I guarantee you'll meet someone interesting."

Next week we'll cover what Nierenberg wrote about developing a list of idea-generator topics.

Learn more about networking and Andrea Nierenberg by visiting her website at http://www.mybusinessrelationships.com.

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Copywriting Insight

All product benefits are NOT created equal.

One of the keys to great copy that motivates prospects to become customers is identifying as many benefits as possible and choosing those that are really meaningful and deliver value to consumers.

Help with identifying benefits was the subject of the article by legendary copywriter Clayton Makepeace, "Make your product's benefits SPARKLE!," which appeared in the January 9, 2006 issue of his free, online e-zine, The Total Package^TM.

Makepeace writes, "Let's start with four basic facts . . .

1. "Every product has features:  Features are merely objective facts about a product (or the company behind it).  In three-dimensional products, features include size, shape, weight, construction, color options and more.

"In information products, features include number of pages, size, frequency of publication (for periodicals) and the types of information that are presented.

2. "Fortunately, most features are there for a darned good reason:  Prospects don't want features.  They want you to change their lives for the better.

"Product features are merely the means to that end.  That means features can have a place in ad copy - like telling prospects how many issues they'll get per year . . . how many big pages are in your book . . . or that your widget is made from carbon steel for strength or carbon fiber for lightness.

"Beyond that, features are a yawn because they're about the product; not about the prospect.  Or, as in the examples [below], they can help demonstrate how your product delivers a benefit.

"Get Off The Hormone Roller Coaster!

"Balance Blood Sugar Levels Naturally!

"Flush Deadly Toxins Out Of Your Colon!

"The good news is, just about every product fact - every feature - is there to provide a benefit that your prospect IS willing to pay for.

3. "There are more benefits associated with each product feature than are dreamt of by most copywriters:  Benefits are like bunny rabbits:  Give them a little time and they'll begin multiplying - each benefit or combination of benefits producing one, two, three or more new benefits you never thought about before.

"The secret to kick-butt sales copy is to identify each and every benefit a product provides - and then to look at each benefit and ask, 'What does THAT do for me?  What additional benefits does that benefit provide?'

4. "Your prospect has strong feelings about every dimensionalized benefit you present:  Connecting each fully dimensionalized product benefit with a strong emotion that your prospect already has about the benefit (or the lack of it in his/her life) makes sales copy irresistible.

"Benefits that sing or soar - in five simple steps

"Here's a little exercise to help you drill down to the benefits prospects are willing to pay for . . . fully dimensionalize those benefits . . . and then connect those benefits with powerful response-boosting emotions that your prospect already has about those benefits (or the lack of them) in his life.

"By the time you're through, you will have a complete list of company and product features . . . you will have squeezed every possible benefit out of those features . . . you will have fully dimensionalized those benefits . . . and you will have connected each one to a powerful emotion your prospect has about each one of them.

"In short, you'll have a comprehensive 'features/benefits/dominant emotion' inventory you can refer to as you write your copy.

"I do NOT suggest that you do this on every project.  After a while, this kind of thinking comes naturally.  But even for more advanced writers - and especially for folks who supervise writers - going through this exercise can go a long way towards finding new themes and adding power to your promotions.

"To begin, create a spreadsheet with these headings:

"Step #1:

Create a Comprehensive FEATURES Inventory

"If you've read any books or taken any courses on direct response copywriting, you've probably learned that features are immaterial.  Only benefits matter.

"One problem is, that's just horse-pucky.

"Features are the fathers of each benefit your product provides.  And if every product benefit has its roots in a product feature, identifying and fully understanding each feature is essential to identifying all the benefits your product provides.

"And so, if features are the fathers of benefits, it makes sense to begin at the beginning - by listing all the key facts about 1) The business and 2) The product or service you're promoting.

"Start by answering the following questions about the company and the spokesperson behind the product in the first column of your table . . .

A. "'What are your qualifications?'  What degrees or certifications have you earned in your field of endeavor?  From which institutions?  What associations are you a member of?  How many years have you provided this product or service?

"How many customers (patients, clients, etc.) have you served?  Are you the largest or oldest in your area of expertise?  What specialties do you offer that your competitors don't?

B. "'What resources do you use to produce a superior product or service?'  How large an army are you putting to work on the prospect's behalf?  Who are the stand-out players?  What unique or proprietary tools do you use to produce the desired result?

"Do you have custom computer programs or hardware that nobody else has?  How many customer service reps are available to make ordering comfortable and easy?  How many service techs are on your payroll who can respond when the product needs service?

C. "'How is your location a factor?'  Are you closer to your prospects than your competition?  Are your headquarters impressive-looking?  Is your office close to a major intersection or freeway off-ramp?  Do you offer plenty of free parking?

"Or, if you're promoting a product for a national company, how does its location help you produce a superior product?  Are you offering an investment product that's produced on Wall Street or anywhere in New York, for example?  Or are you selling a politically oriented product that's produced in or near Washington D.C.?

D. "'What's your reaction time?'  Are appointments readily available?  Do you perform your service faster than your competition does?  If I order this product, how fast will I get it?

E. "Inventory:  How many different products do you have available?  How does that compare to what your competitors offer?

"Product or Service Features

"Now, it's time to really start digging - with answers about the product or service you're offering . . .

A. "Purpose:  What, exactly, does your product or service do?  If it accomplishes several things, great - list everything you can think of!

B. "Physical dimensions:  How does your product compare to competing products?  Is it smaller?  Bigger?  Lighter?  Heavier duty?

"If it's a published product, how many pages are in the book or the regular issues of the newsletter or magazine?  Is the page size larger than what the prospect may be used to?

"Are there illustrations, charts, or graphs?  Is it written simply - in a way that's easy to understand?  Does it give clear, concise directions that anyone could follow?  How many times do customers hear from your client each year (count regular issues, bonus issues, e-mail alerts, web site updates, etc.)?  What regular features are included?

"If you offer nutritional supplements, are your pills smaller than the competition's?  Does the prospect have to take fewer of them, or take them just once a day?  What are the ingredients?  Are they fresher than those used by some other competitors?  More absorbable?  More potent?

C. "Performance metrics:  How quickly can your product be delivered, installed and/or begin producing results?  How fast does your product complete the desired task?  How thoroughly does it do its job?  How long does it last?  How do your product's performance metrics compare to similar products offered by your competitors?

"For investment products, what results has it produced for investors in the recent past?  How did it perform at key turning points in the economy or markets - the tech wreck of 2000, or the gold price explosion of the 1970s, for example?  How and when did it help prevent investors from making major blunders?

"For health products, how fast does it work?  How can I know it's working?  What studies have proven that it works?  Or for information merchants, what health breakthroughs were you the first to publicize?  How else does the past performance of the author, editor or the product itself demonstrate the superiority or indispensability of the product?

D. "Credibility:  What have customers, subscribers, peers and others said about your product or service?  What guarantees and/or warranties come with it?  How do they compare to what the competition offers?

E. "Available options:  What choices does your product offer to prospects?  What colors or sizes does it come in?  How do your terms make ordering the best fit possible for customers?  Is it customizable in any way?  How do these choices make your product superior to the competition?

F. "Timeliness:  How quickly can your product be delivered and/or installed?  How does this compare with the competition?

G. "Pricing:  What are your prices?  How do they compare to the competition?  Do you deliver more for the money?  Or does your product's quality demand a higher price?

"If applicable, divide your price by the numbers 12, 52 and 365 - and then write down the product's cost per month, week and day.

"These are just a few idea starters - please do not stop here!

"Use this opportunity to think through every step of the process that your prospects experience when shopping for, buying and using your product or service.

"Step #2:

Attach a 'Why' to Each Feature

"The next step is to figure out why these features are included in the product or service, and then to turn those reasons into tangible benefits that will bring value to the customer's life.

"So now, in the 'WHY?' column next to each feature, enter the benefits each feature provides.

"Example:  If you're selling a high quality drill bit, your entry might look like this:

"Feature:  Constructed of carbon steel.

"Why:  Never wears out.

"On the other hand, if you're promoting a dentist, your list might look like this:

"Feature:  A TV in every exam room.

"Why:  More comfortable for the patient and time passes more quickly.

"The 'why' for an investment newsletter might go like this . . .

"Feature:  Daily e-zine included with subscription to monthly newsletter.

"Why:  Stocks move fast; opportunities could be lost without split-second updates.

"Or, if you're writing for a book on health, you might write . . .

"Feature:  Specific prescription for each age group on each supplement recommended.

"Why:  To eliminate reader confusion.

"Attach as many 'whys' to each feature as you can.

"My guess is that as you review your completed list, you'll be getting pretty excited.  And for good reason:  Your brain is already beginning to take the next step - visualizing how these features improve your customers' lives!

"Step #3:

Turn Features into Benefits

"The simple act of completing Steps #1 and #2 above could easily multiply sales and profits at tens of thousands of businesses from coast to coast - merely by shifting the spotlight off of the advertiser and his product or service and on to why their features are important to the customer.

"But still, we focused entirely on a company and a product or service.  Now, we're going to bring your prospect into the picture - and answer the question, 'What's in it for me?  How does each of these features - these facts about the business and product or service - directly connect with and improve my life?'

"Think about how each feature and 'Reason Why' benefits your customer, and list every possible way each one of them brings value to your prospect's life.

"We're going to ask the one question that's constantly at the forefront of your customer's mind:  'What's in it for me?'

"And we're going to answer by listing the problems your product or service solves . . . the desires it fulfills . . . and the future disasters it will help your customers avoid.

"Be sure to think about immediate benefits as well as those the customer will experience later on.

"If you're selling one-hour oil changes for example, you can save your customer oodles of time right now, today.  But you also make it easy for him to properly maintain the family chariot, thereby helping him avoid an inconvenient or even dangerous breakdown and costly repairs later on.

"Write each benefit as a 'you' statement - as if you're talking face-to-face with your prospective customer, patient or client.

"Then, go back over your list of benefits . . . look at each one . . . and ask yourself, 'What additional benefits does this benefit bring to my life?'  Keep drilling down until you hit the Mother Lode - the benefits that mean the most and bring the most value to prospects' lives.

"Step #4:

Dimensionalize each benefit

"I don't know who first coined the word 'dimensionalize.'  I do know that it drives my spell-checker bonkers, so it's probably not in any dictionary you'll ever see.

"But the word 'dimensionalize' does a great job of describing what 'A' level copywriters do - the extra mile we travel to make sure each benefit in our copy is as compelling as possible.

"When you 'dimensionalize' a benefit, you give it added dimension by painting word pictures of all the ways the prospect will enjoy that benefit.  You compare that benefit with those offered by others.  You add specifics that demonstrate all the ways the benefit will enrich the prospect's life.

"When you've finished, your list may look something like this, for example:

"Feature:  Constructed of carbon steel.

"Why:  Never wears out.

"Benefit:  The last drill bit you'll ever buy.

"Dimensionalized Benefit:  You can save up to $75 a year in broken drill bits . . . hours of unnecessary trips to the hardware store . . . and hundreds of dollars in lost income!

"Or in our hypothetical promotion for a dentist, your list might look like this:

"Feature:  A TV in every exam room.

"Why:  More comfortable for the patient and time passes more quickly.

"Benefit:  Your appointment is over before you know it.

"Dimensionalized Benefit:  Great for fidgety kids:  The time zips by.  In fact, just last week, little Jimmy asked if he could stay longer.

"The benefit drawn from a feature offered by an investment newsletter might go like this . . .

"Feature:  Daily e-zine included with subscription to monthly newsletter.

"Why:  Stocks move fast; opportunities could be lost without constant updates.

"Benefit:  You'll never get caught wondering what to do when major events break.

"Dimensionalize:  You'll lock in your profits when the market sags and go for even greater profit potential by getting into each up-move on the ground floor.

"Or, if you're writing for a book on health, your list might look something like this . . .

"Feature:  Specific prescription for each age group on each supplement recommended.

"Why:  To eliminate reader confusion.

"Dimensionalize:  You'll always know precisely what you should be taking . . . how much you should be taking . . . and even when to take it.

"Step #5:

Connect each dimensionalized benefit with a dominant resident emotion

"I've already written reams about this - and this issue is already running a bit long, so there's no need to go into great detail at this time.  [Editor's note:  You can read more about dominant resident emotions in the February 6, 2006 issue under this same topic.]

"The point is simply to identify how your prospect is likely to feel about each of the dimensionalized benefits on your list.

"Do NOT stop at listing just one emotion per benefit.  Think about how the prospect feels about the lack of this benefit in his or her life now.  And about how the prospect will feel as he or she is enjoying that benefit.  And about how they'll feel as others see them doing things better . . . being healthier . . . richer . . . happier.

"One last thing:  When you're done, review your inventory and rate each benefit/emotion combination on a scale of one to five.

"As you assign each ranking, think about three things:

1) "The relative importance of the improvement each benefit brings to prospects' lives:  A benefit that can prevent cancer would be scored higher than one that merely produces sweeter breath, for example . . .

2) "The relative number of prospects most likely to covet that particular improvement:  More people are likely to have arthritis than cancer . . .

3) "The relative intensity of the emotion(s) connected to each benefit.

"Finally, sort the entire spreadsheet by these rankings in descending order.

"When you're done, you'll have systematically created a comprehensive inventory of features, benefits and dominant emotions for your product.

"Then, USE your inventory to make sure you press every possible hot button as you begin writing your copy - and please, for mercy's sake - to get real, dimensionalized, emotionalized BENEFITS into your lead copy!"

Clayton Makepeace is one of the highest-paid copywriters working today.

To learn more about expert copywriter Clayton Makepeace and his free, bi-weekly e-zine, The Total Package^TM, visit his website at http://www.makepeacetotalpackage.com.

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Focus On Design

Fortunately, we can learn as much from bad examples as we can from good examples . . . perhaps more.

Below is an example of a really bad newspaper ad where a local bank is promoting a short-term certificate of deposit for businesses.

This newspaper ad is almost impossible to read!

It is a jumbled mess of words and images with no apparent starting point where the reader can focus her eyes.  Simply put . . . the ad is way too busy to be easily read. 

With its variety of type fonts, sizes, and colors, the headline requires tremendous effort to read . . . meaning it won't be read by most of the folks scanning the July 28, 2006 issue of the Sacramento Business Journal. 

This particular ad breaks almost every design rule that's ever been written.

Here's what three marketing experts have to say about the role of design in the sales process.

Ed Elliott

In the 1998 book, 2,239 Tested Secrets for Direct Marketing Success, by Don Jackson and Denny Hatch, graphic designer and direct mail expert Ed Elliott shares six design features to avoid.  Two are present in the County Bank newspaper ad:

According to Elliot,

• "Avoid text without sufficient contrast to its background.  Examples:  a background screen that is too dark, paper color that is too dark, and text that is too light, printed in a color other than black.  [Editor's comment:  Note the barely visible 4.85% rate in the upper left corner of the ad above.  It's difficult to believe that this rate is the first word of the ad's headline.]

• "Avoid text printed over, or reversed out of, a busy or distracting background."  [Editor's note:  Every word in this ad fights to be read over the distracting background graphics.]

Steve Cone

A marketing expert who is passionate about design is Steve Cone, a senior executive at Citigroup where he's in charge of advertising and brand management for The Private Bank, Smith Barney, and Smith Barney Equity Research.

Cone's first book, Steal These Ideas, was published in 2005.  This fun, easy-to-read book is a combination "how-to-do-it" and a "how-not-to-do-it" based on his nearly 25 years of marketing experience working for some of America's best marketers, including American Express, Citibank, Key Corp (banking), Fidelity Investments, and Citigroup.

Chapter 5 of Cone's book is titled, "You Have to Be Able to See It to Read It." 

Cone writes, "It seems as if there has been a conspiracy among art directors ever since paper was invented to create ads that are impossible to read.  First they pick the smallest, hardest-to-read type and then go one size smaller.  If that does not make reading hard enough, they will throw in some white reverse type to seal the deal.

"You might think of this problem as the '23/63 effect,' in which scads of 23-year-old art directors create ads that they fail to remember must be read by scads of 63-year-olds. 

"Art directors are not evil people and, in fact, they would like their ads to be seen.  'Seen' is the operative word here.  Their primary focus is on how the ad looks from a design standpoint.  Its readability is not on the radar screen.  Art directors waste billions of marketing dollars year after year on 'eye tests' that don't work.  Yes, billions.

"Pick up any magazine and try to read the ads.  The vast majority, say 85 to 90 percent are sans serif type (type without feet), with typeface so small that your eye really cannot adjust.  And of course, you and I make it a point to try to read the ads.  Think about the average reader.

"When a person picks up a promotional letter or brochure or skims over an ad in a magazine or newspaper, his eye moves at about a hundred miles an hour.  What is going to stop the eye dead in its tracks?

"Certainly a clever headline that is easy to see will slow it down and may even stop it for a split second.  In that second the eye scans the rest of the ad and tries to focus on what to read next.  If the rest of the ad is mice type, the likely outcome will be to move on or, in the case of a promotional letter, toss it into the circular file.

"Your job is to give your ads EVERY chance of being read and acted on.  Small type is the enemy.  Sans-serif type is the enemy.  Reverse type is the enemy.  And to not insist on the art director doing your bidding is a cardinal and unforgivable sin."

David Ogilvy

Direct mail and advertising legend David Ogilvy mentioned the role of typography throughout his 1985 book, Ogilvy on Advertising.  Putting the role of typography in perspective, Ogilvy writes, "Good typography helps people read your copy, while bad typography prevents them from doing so."

The six-word headline in the County Bank ad is an excellent example of bad typography getting in the way of readability. 

One of our responsibilities as marketers is to review and approve copy and layout provided by professional copywriters and graphic designers.  As a result, we have an obligation to have a good working knowledge of both copywriting and design - including familiarity with typography.

It makes you wonder "who" at County Bank reviewed and approved this ad?

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Marketing Terminology Made Simple

Want to have your best customers lose faith in your loyalty program?

Simple . . . send them a notice that their membership has expired even though they renewed 30 days earlier.

This happened to your newsletter editor in August.

On July 1, while renting a movie at the local Blockbuster store, I was told by the clerk that my Blockbuster Rewards membership was about to expire and asked if I wanted to renew today.

I have been a loyalty club member since the program's inception in 1998 . . . happily paying the meager $9.95 yearly membership fee to remain a member in good standing.

So, not wanting to forget about renewing later, I immediately told the Blockbuster employee to renew me on the spot.  So, instead of my usual $4.30 charge for one new-release, I paid a total of $14.25.

"Done deal," I thought, as I exited the store with that night's movie in hand.

Thirty days later on August 1, the oversized postcard arrived in the mail.