File Under “I Am Not Making This Up…”

I knew this would be hard for you to believe, that Leo DiCaprio and I are such good buds. So I took a few pictures.

Letter from Leo

Leo's stationery

See, he used his own stationery. How nice.

Photo of Leo

In case I’d forgotten what he looks like since last we spoke, he sent a picture. Now I’m sharing with you, in case you’ve forgotten.

Normally, when Leo writes (see, I can call him Leo, because he sent me a letter. If he sends you a letter, too, then you may call him Leo), I do not share it with you. This time, it’s all about brand and Positioning and things I love to talk about here, so this time, I will share our intimacies with you.

Salutation: Dear Friend

He calls me “dear friend.” Sweet, huh.

What is “Brand Leo”?

Before today, Leonardo DiCaprio was positioned as a few things to me, through just living out loud, and through activism.

1. He is an actor. I liked him as Howard Hughes.

2. He is a guy who dates women who are too perfect to be real.

3. Mostly, to me, believe it or not, he is an environmentalist. A guy who owns a fleet of Priuses, and gives them away to friends (hey, where’s my Prius? I’m a friend!). A guy who wants to save the earth.

Let’s back up just a minute. What did Leo send with his love letter?

Whole mailer

That’s right, folks. Leo, who I know as a guy who could possibly have thrown the right hint to Al Gore this year, because they’re really pals and Leo wants to save the Earth—Leo let some non-profit I never opted in to, send me all this junk, waste postage and the USPS’s efforts, because he thought I’d like something crunchy to put at the bottom of my wastepaper basket and he was worried I’d have nothing else to do that with, since I am fanatic about staying off mailing lists and being on Do Not Mail lists. He was just looking out for me.

Now, brand Leo has become muddied. If Leo sent me all the same info in an unsolicited email, I would have been irritated, but I would probably have thought how cute and modern. I certainly wouldn’t be telling you. My emails are private, for goodness sake. Leo allowed these people, good cause though they may have, to put a dedicated tree-hugger on a junk-mail list, the ripple effects of which I can not imagine. He allowed them to confuse and even taint brand Leo.

Be careful, dear readers, how you Position yourselves. Take your time! Research! Plan well! Then, make sure your messaging is true to your Positioning.

In the meantime, I have to write back. Hmm, “Dear Friend. I’d wish you’d take me out of Letter Box 237. Take me out of my envelope and kiss me.” (I always wanted to use that quote somewhere.)

What, too forward? All right, how’s this: “Hey, Leo. Call me.”

Collage: Call Me

Hey, Leo. Call me.

What’s your company’s Positioning? Are you sending messages that are true to your Position?

Grow and be well,

Kelly Erickson

 

For clarity: I mean nothing against the person, Leonardo DiCaprio. Heck, we’re just pen pals, I don’t even know him that well. He should have thought this out better, though. BTW, in case you were wondering, I checked. Every single item including the envelopes is marked recycled. One for Leo, but a simple Internet search will tell you there’s plenty of environmental impact for junk mail, from paper to delivery, even when the paper is recycled.

 

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