Alright so it happened in the US, but it shows what can happen when your attempts at direct marketing are half arsed.
Basically the PR geniuses at AT&T sent AdRants (which is a blog kinda like Popbitch but for the ad industry) a 'personlised' and 'targeted' email. Unfortunately they had somehow thought AdRants was a sports site so sent them an email trying to get them to write a story about some American Football bloke.
The email was targeted to the wrong people and had completely the wrong message. And more unfortunately this blog has quite a high readership and they don't mince their words:
Well, you cut and paste buffoons, you ask what we think? Well, aside from the fact it took no less that three minutes, 7-8 different screens and innumerable confusing navigational issues just to find this video which carried the educational side text "THIS IS AN INTERACTIVE VIDEO" as if a person couldn't figure that out on their own, you might want to update your press list so you can craft oxymorons like "personalized mass emailings" that carry at least a modicum of intelligence.
Muppets.
Steve