Why Does Hallmark Send Phishy E-Cards?

These days you can be forgiven if you think phishers are lurking beneath every clickable link in an email message. Unfortunately, sometimes they are. As a result, admins often set network content filters to tag such messages as spam, disable embedded links, or reject the messages altogether. Savvy recipients add to the filtering process by scrutinizing messages for off-shore english, like using the wrong adverbs and such.

For those selling discretionary goods, like greeting cards, such filtering can put a significant dent in your holiday sales. If potential customers aren’t sure their messages will be read, they are less likely to buy.

Hallmark & American Greetings Traffic

Subject: A Hallmark e-card from Carol & Francois

Hello!
Carol & Francois has sent you a Hallmark e-card! To see it, just click the link below, or copy and paste it into your browser’s address line:

http://www.hallmark.com/E-Car***/E**.jsp?a=41797***2159**X

Or, you can follow these steps:

1. Go to our homepage at http://www.hallmark.com
2. Choose “Free E-Cards” under the “Our Products” section.
3. Click the link that says “Pick up an e-card.”
4. Enter your e-mail address and this number: 41797***2159**X. Click “Display Greeting,” and enjoy your e-card.

With best wishes,
Your friends at Hallmark

Your privacy is our priority. Click the “Privacy and Security” link at the bottom of any page on Hallmark.com to see our privacy policy.

If you answered “Carol & Francois has sent…”, and “To see it, just click…”, you have obviously been paying attention. While your friends at Hallmark almost had it right, they just couldn’t resist dumbing the thing down. If they just let their customers choose our Free Oughta Be Patented Idea for Improving E-Card Deliverability Through Corporate Filters, they’d have no problems traversing any corporate filters. English lessons will help them get past humans. Here’s how the adjusted message looks:

Subject: A Hallmark e-card from Carol & Francois

Hello!
Carol & Francois have sent you a Hallmark e-card! To see it, just follow these steps:

1. Go to our homepage at www.hallmark.com
2. Choose “Free E-Cards” under the “Our Products” section.
3. Click the link that says “Pick up an e-card.”
4. Enter your e-mail address and this number: 41797***2159**X. Click “Display Greeting,” and enjoy your e-card.

With best wishes,
Your friends at Hallmark

Your privacy is our priority. Click the “Privacy and Security” link at the bottom of any page on Hallmark.com to see our privacy policy.

Wasn’t that easy? Too bad Hallmark doesn’t get it. You’d think that, as the web’s Number Two greeting card purveyor, your friends at Hallmark would try just a little bit harder. They just might close that traffic gap between Hallmark and American Greetings for good.

Background:

• Christmas Message: Don’t Open That E-Card; Email Battles; 15 December 2004.
• Don’t open that AOL IM Christmas card; Email Battles; 7 December 2005.
• E-Greeting Cards Hide Bombs; Email Battles; 15 October 2003.
• Spam Filters Mangle Christmas Cards; Email Battles; 09 December 2005.
• Xmas Senders Drop Links, Bump Delivery; Email Battles; 12 December 2005.