Age: 15. Moonpig.com was set up in 2000.
Appearance: Anything you like. You design it yourself.
What? The card, of course.
I have no idea what you’re on about. That’s probably because you don’t watch television.
Of course I don’t. Meretricious garbage. Which is why you’ve missed the ubiquitous ads for Moonpig, reckoned to be the most annoying commercials on television (with the possible exception of GoCompare).
Do annoying ads work? Apparently so. Getting noticed is the key in a competitive world. It’s the law of the jingle.
Very good. But you still haven’t explained what Moonpig actually does. Well, the company allows you to design your own greetings cards using one of the templates on its website. It then prints the cards at its Guernsey production centre and mails it to you to sign, or direct to the lucky recipient.
How marvellous. But isn’t it easier just to nip down to WH Smith and buy a card? I feel you may be missing the importance of the personal touch, which the card-mad British – we each send an average of 31 cards a year – value.
I send about three, usually ones with tasteful floral designs or dreamy seascapes. Yes, you do seem to have missed this particular business wave. With the death of manufacturing, personalised greetings card production now accounts for 87% of economic activity in the UK.
You exaggerate. A little.
Why is Moonpig in the news, anyway? Web developer Paul Price claims a bug affecting its mobile apps potentially allows hackers to get into customers’ accounts and reveal information including postal and email addresses, birthdays, phone numbers and credit card data. Moonpig insists “all password and payment information is and has always been safe”, but it has suspended use of its apps as a precaution.
So, what’s the problem? Price alleges he told the company about the bug almost 18 months ago, but that it only took action after he went public. “I’ve seen some half-arsed security measures in my time, but this takes the biscuit,” he wrote.
Do say: “We’re in the business of making people smile.”
Don’t say: “We’re in the business of making people change their password.”
