The other day I received a rejection letter in the mail. I’m okay with the news. After all, you can’t do business or dance with every belle at the ball. I did appeciate being sent a letter as some firms never reach out to you with bad news.
But I also laughed when I looked at the letter. The content is pretty much your boilerplate, thanks but no thanks kind of message. The stationary that it’s written on contains a prominet logo which covers most the bottom right corner of the page. It features in big red letters, the tagline, “Expect Success.”
Upon opening the letter, my eyes were immediately drawn to the logo and my spirits soared. Then they soured as I read the contents of the letter.
In my mind, the message sent to the reader is, “Expect Success, Receive Failure.” You’ve got a happy logo with sad news.
Does your organization use a one size fits all approach to its messaging? Should negative news be sent on optimistic stationary?
Would the IRS send you a notice of an audit with, “Great News,” written on the envelope? No because it doesn’t fit. An airline wouldn’t inform a pilot that he faces mandatory retirement on letterhead that reads, “Reach for the Stars.”
These are the types of goofs that we normally expect to see in a foreign culture when English has been translated incorrectly. It’s a case of being too close to the trees to notice the forest.
It’s funny but the organization has a logo use policy on its website (which does not feature the stationary version). But it seems to be only about the around the placement of the logo rather than whether the use is appropriate. You can tell that a lot of thought has gone into the creation and use of the symbol.
I’m a big fan of strong branding. But you need to make sure that it doesn’t conflict from the message of a letter. It can be easy to reach for your usual office stationary without thinking of potential conflicts. But your readers will notice.
