Are Those Real?

Editor's note: Written in 2014, this reflection feels even more relevant today.

We have all seen them.

Emails that look almost convincing. Emails that try a little too hard. Emails that feel so artificial they are almost repulsive. I am talking about templated messages sent to "valued customers" that somehow manage to feel anything but personal.

Years ago, a line from a Spider-Man movie stuck with me: "With great power comes great responsibility." The quote is older than the movie, of course. Voltaire said it centuries earlier. The idea still applies.

Modern technology makes it incredibly easy to communicate with customers at scale. A few clicks, a database, and a campaign button are all it takes. Unfortunately, that same ease often leads to abuse. What is intended to build loyalty frequently has the opposite effect.

Templates are not inherently bad. But they are dangerous in careless hands.

The problem is not automation. It is impersonation.

Customers can sense immediately when a message is pretending to be personal. A generic greeting. An awkward merge field. A forced call to action that feels like it came from a department instead of a person. These details matter more than we like to admit.

One of the most telling signs is when an email asks someone to "call sales" or "contact service." Real people do not talk that way. They say, "Call me." or "Text me." Human language signals human intent.

Another giveaway is visual overproduction. Background images, heavy formatting, and clever layouts rarely show up in real correspondence. Think about the last email you sent to a friend. Simplicity communicates authenticity.

Audience matters just as much. If a message is truly important, it should be sent only to the people it applies to. Broad blasts feel efficient, but relevance is far more effective. Less is almost always more.

There is also an internal cost to careless campaigns. Nothing erodes trust faster than a customer thanking a salesperson for an email the salesperson has never seen. Alignment matters. The right message should come from the right person, at the right time, with full awareness.

Merge fields deserve special mention. When they work, they are invisible. When they fail, they are unforgettable. A mismatched name or clumsy capitalization instantly breaks the illusion. If data quality cannot be trusted, it is better to avoid merge fields altogether.

The power to communicate broadly carries responsibility. Just because you can email everyone in your database does not mean you should. Loyalty is built through relevance, restraint, and respect.

Templates should support genuine communication, not replace it. When messages feel real, people respond. When they feel manufactured, they disappear.

And customers always know the difference.

Let's be real :)

~ Bryan