Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder

On winter weekends when it's too cold, rainy or snowy to play outside, I'm constantly searching for places to take my kids so they can burn off some energy.

One reliable constant is shopping malls, or more specifically the play spaces in malls. They're those loud, crazed-looking rooms that, if you don't have young kids, you walk by and thank the stars you're not inside. But for parents they're a godsend.

And they often determine where we shop. On a recent Sunday afternoon I took my kids off to a nearby upscale mall to run around in their play space before we did a little shopping and had a snack in one of the mall's restaurants.

The mall's play space was hidden away in a corner of the top floor of the mall. It could have used a fresh coat of paint, and the play structures and slides weren't shiny and new, but my boys loved running around there. There were a few vending machines, had you forgotten to pack a snack or water. And there was a big door too heavy for kids to open, so you knew your little ones wouldn't be able to sneak out.

We walked off the elevator and noticed a sign saying the play space had been renovated. Great, right?

Not so much.

The room was shiny and new. It boasted a colorful carpet and some charming fiberglass cars, boats, rockets and caterpillar-shaped sculptures kids could sit on. But there wasn't much else they could do.

A sign informed parents that kids were not to jump or run in the room. And the charming structures only held any real play value for very small children (say 1-year-olds), who would be amused just to sit on them. Food and drink were no longer allowed in the room. There was no door closing off the area, so kids could just wander out into the mall.

Of course, kids could watch the snazzy flat-screen TV in the room…if it was tuned to something they'd like to watch, rather than a PBS documentary (with the sound off).

I wasn't the only mom who was unimpressed. “Maybe they don't want kids to actually play here,” said one dad. “This mall is definitely going to lose some business,” said a mom. “The play space is what made us come here, and we won't be back soon,” said another. Indeed, the room was prettier — but for families, much less functional.

My point — and I do have a point — is that it made me think about the fact that sometimes beauty isn't best. Nowhere is this more true than in direct marketing.

Everyone with even an vague knowledge of DM 101 knows the most important part of direct marketing isn't aesthetics. It's response.

I want to get your perspective on this. Sure, we all like to look good. But have you ever created an unattractive — yet wildly successful — mailing piece, Web site or print ad? What worked for you, even though it would never win any beauty contests?

Send an e-mail to beth.negus@penton.com and tell me about your ugly duck beauties and why they pulled. We'll run the results in an upcoming issue.