Much has already been made of the Canadian edition of Reader’s Digest hiring a new editor-in-chief from the trenches of independent publishing: 39-year-old Derek Webster, who founded Maisonneuve in Montreal seven years ago with family wealth, was invited to critique the country’s most popular periodical — and was rewarded with the job of running it. Webster’s tribe of writers rejoice at the idea of reaching 940,000 subscribers: articles condensed for lowbrow consumption may even come from cash-strapped literary quarterlies like Fiddlehead and the Antagonish Review, enthuses the Ryerson Review of Journalism. Boasting of a one per cent increase in advertising revenues, in order to strategically distinguish itself from the bankrupt American edition, the Montreal office of Reader’s Digest runneth over with statistical optimism: 7.6 million readers a month! Generally not discussed in this context, though, is how they got those numbers. A solicitation to subscribe tells enough of the story: “IMPORTANT: DOCUMENTS INSIDE HAVE BEEN VERIFIED AND APPROVED BY READER’S DIGEST PRIZE AWARD ADMINISTRATOR” admonishes the TAMPER PROOF envelope. “Personalized entry cheques inside are numbered and intended for the sole use of the person named at left,” stipulates a sticker — but what if that person has moved out of their apartment? Ripping it open for a look can’t be as illegal as tearing off the tag from the bottom of a mattress.
Goodies found inside: five pseudo-cheques direct from the Reader’s Digest “Finance Department,” each artificially signed and artificially watermarked, the biggest of which — four times the size of any real cheque — is for $500,000. The process of elimination is explained on a pictogram indicating that 94 per cent of the Canadian population are not offered these privileges — and only 2 per cent can advance to the Winners Selection Stage. But you’re not supposed to put these in the bank! Rather, they are meant to be placed in one of two envelopes, the “YES” or the “NO,” except the drab “NO” can’t be licked without being stared down by a reminder that you are forfeiting the opportunity to win a Special Prize of a $50,000 Lexus Sedan and a claim of a $10,000 Bonus Upgrade, attainable by scratching a License Place Card, which reveals a code number that just happens to match one of those on the back of the red envelope marked “YES.” Oh, and don’t forget to affix the personal priority ranking seal! And the $23.94 to receive 12 months of Reader’s Digest. Then, even more offers follow!
None of this is anything new. And a quick web search turns up posting after posting from folks bewildered by the wording rather than trying to decipher so much accompanying fine print. Plus, a CBC Marketplace report from last February — they bought a subscription for a dog and watched the pitches pour in. Naturally, the aging demographic being targeted is no good at Google, and while they cracked down on these specious sweepstakes stateside, after one too many class action lawsuits, the Canadian edition is successfully tricking recipients into believing that buying something is a prerequisite to win. No wonder Reader’s Digest went out of their way to point out their $500,000 winner earlier this month is a “busy career woman.” The dirtiest secret of all? In the name of federal support for Canadian journalism, Reader’s Digest receives $2 million in postal subsidies each year.
