To think this wonderfully sensitive of Asda?

[PicaK]

Just got an email from Asda asking if I want to opt out of mother's day advertising.

I don't but I can imagine some will.
Wish all advertisers did this.

Asda - great work. Could have done to opt out of Valentine's Day tho - just saying for next year.

Cynical part of me wondering if it's publicity ploy but most of me thinks there's someone at Asda instigated this for personal reasons - so thank you and condolences.

@GoodbyeH

Is it really that triggering though? Can't people just ignore it or get some therapy if they can't cope with such a small tap on the shoulder reminding them that they don't have a mother/father?

I just think people need to take more responsibility for their feelings rather than remove all reminders of things that have happened in the past.

Also they haven't done it to be kind.
They have done it to advertise their business using your heart strings!!

It's not "triggering" no, but I will say, it reminds me to click "unsubscribe" when I get an email along the lines of "Don't forget to tell your mum how special she is" or whatever. I click that unsubscribe link straight away. I don't want marketing emails unless I'm interested in them and I'm not interested in that.

Presumably they are just trying to head off that unsubscribe click in new and inventive ways.

I'm not bothered by it now, but when I was newly bereaved (and also struggling with infertility) I'd have been really upset to have received umpteen "Do you want to opt out of Mothers Day advertising?" emails.

And then having to respond to them because no, I wasn't a mum, and I didn't have one any more either. It would have been like rubbing salt into the wound.

I've never come across this but it's a good idea. Even if it's not done from a place of kindness

I got one from the telegraph last year, giving me the chance to opt out if I wanted to. I did and I will do the same again this year too if given the choice

I have had loads. I did wonder whether this was not just as bad as getting the Mother’s Day promotions themselves? I am not the target market for opting out, but it just seemed like getting a shedload of emails with Mother’s Day in the subject line would be just as bad as getting the marketing emails themselves.

Actually I hate it. I've been inundated with them this year from all sorts of retailers. I find it far more intrusive than the original advertising. And there's no way this is based on sensitivity training, there will be a data collection aspect to it somewhere along the line.

I agree with this. The general spam adverts for the event in question are clearly generic ones sent out to everybody because of an event that a lot of people celebrate - although something more like "It's Mothers' Day soon!" rather than "Hi Sarah, don't forget to show your Mum how much you love her this Mothers' Day!" would be a lot more tactful; however, the ones asking if YOU want to opt out seem a lot more personalised and, I imagine, more upsetting to those who are triggered by it than just a general forthcoming event one that they can ignore as not relevant to them.

Of course, it's solely down to marketing and maximising sales whilst minimising any bad PR. That's why the card sections have far fewer birthday cards to choose from when there's a major celebration on the horizon: they only care about the bottom line and only a twelfth of people (or so) who have birthdays in December can get stuffed because maybe 80% or more of people will be wanting Christmas cards. I also think the PP's suggestion that they might find the 'my mother might have died - especially recently' date useful to exploit for marketing elsewhere is a possible factor.

It's a bit like banging your neighbour's door down at 10am to wake them and get them up out of bed - for no other reason than to tell them you know they were on the night shift last night so you wanted to reassure them that you'll keep the noise down today 'out of thoughtful concern for them'.

I also agree that I'd prefer not to receive any of their marketing guff at all, though. I know that's one of their major reasons for having things like loyalty cards in the first place - to get you on their marketing list - but it's all just really meh to me. Maybe if it were a nice new restaurant or something like that, but a supermarket is a fairly boring place, where they'll have safely uninteresting gifts available, so you'll hardly be beating down their door after an amazingly unique once-in-a-lifetime special gift.

I think it’s patronising and impersonal but trying to look caring. Marketing that pretends to be my friend is a big bugbear of mine!

Just don’t bother sending us emails in the first place - we see reminders when we nip to the local Tesco anyway!

*data

I had the same the other day from Baked-In, asking about valentines, mothers and fathers day. I'd never seen it before either and thought it was really good.

I wonder if more companies are doing it this year due to all the excess COVID deaths

This is fab. I dread the advertising that surrounds mothers day every year. Well done asda and the other companies that are doing similar!

I had the same thing from Emma Bridgewater.

I'd forgotten I'd been on the website or given them my email address I've unsubscribed.

we see reminders when we nip to the local Tesco anyway!

My thinking too: you regularly see their wares every few days/week/fortnight or so anyway - it's not like it's Disneyworld!

Just looking in my inbox, so far I have had them from ASK Italian, Zizzi , Yumbles, Neom Organics, Fenwick, Paperchase, Not on the High Street, and Bloom and Wild, and those are just the ones I haven't deleted yet.

It only works if you opt out of it forever imo. Otherwise it just is an annual reminder of what I have lost.

This is fab. I dread the advertising that surrounds mothers day every year. Well done asda and the other companies that are doing similar!

Do you not also find it just as upsetting when they contact you in advance to ask, though? Or is it a major factor that the standard marketing ones are all upbeat and celebratory whereas the advance opt-out ones, although equally reminding you of what might be a sad occasion for you, are more sensitive and toned down in their nature? Genuine question.

I still think they should dump the highly-personalised messages, though, as not everybody will have known/been able/got around to opting out. Surely their informing you of the MD cards and gifts they have available is enough to encourage people who have a mother whom they want to show that they care about, without them having to spell it out to you why you may choose to buy one.

If a card shop advertises that they have a wide selection of birthday cards (like you wouldn't guess they would) and you know it's your Uncle Frank's birthday soon, most people have the cognitive ability to connect the two, without having to be explicitly told that they should get a card for Uncle Frank, because it's his birthday soon.

I am so glad that it is not just me that believes this is cynical advertising. As others have said, it is still a reminder of what you have lost and a Way to remind you to shop for Mother’s Day.

I had one of these from thortful cards.

I have never seen that and I think it was thoughtful. There is no reason to be cynical about it, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that somebody working at Asda realises some people could find it hurtful.

I got one last year from Thortful about Father's Day. I wrote back to say how nice and, well, thoughtful it was.

They have been doing the rounds for a few years now - mothers day, fathers day, valentines etc

It’s not just about mums who’ve died, though. I know someone who recently lost a first baby at just a few months old. Being bombarded with Mother’s Day ads at such a time must be very upsetting.

I can't believe people saying "is it really triggering though. You should get therapy".

Rude.

I hope you remain full of joy when someone you love passes away.

I don’t really see the need. There’s lots of shitty things that happen to people - mothers’ day is hardly a controversial celebration.

I lost my mother when I was young - I don’t need to pretend other people aren’t celebrating. Likewise with fathers’ day.

I think it shows a lack of resilience if you can’t cope with the mention of a day you don’t celebrate.

most of me thinks there's someone at Asda instigated this for personal reasons - so thank you and condolences

I think its safe to assume that it's not in anyway been started because of the death of some random Asda workers Mum.

As pp said its something that's been done by many companies for many years

@Wattagoose90

I can't believe people saying "is it really triggering though. You should get therapy".

Rude.

I hope you remain full of joy when someone you love passes away.

I've lost lots of loved ones. Including parents.

I have never celebrated mothers/fathers day though. So that's probably why I thought the trigger was strange. But actually my comment was unfair as many people do care about those days.