Is a Car Club Worth 24 Bucks a Year?
Read on and find out.
A while back, maybe even as long as two years ago, the National Street Machine Club in Minnetonka, Minn., mailed me a well-designed, impressive direct mail package.
On the front of a four-color outer envelope sat a well-polished green Boss 302 Mustang with its signature black stripes running across the rear of the hood, down the fenders, and along the lower door and quarter panels. I’ll be honest–and a little embarrassed … I can’t tell a ‘69 from a ‘70 Boss Mustang. You Ford lovers out there, please forgive me.
An old barn with decaying, gray vertical side boards stood as the backdrop for the photo. It was an excellent contrast for highlighting the car’s arrow-straight horizontal body lines and its deep, rich paint.
The four-page sales letter, of course, tried to persuade me to take advantage of the benefits of club membership. And best of all, I didn’t have to send them any money at the time. After giving it some thought, I decided to hold off for a while before joining.
I set the package aside … but I didn’t forget about it.
Earlier this year I teamed up with award-winning copywriter Chris Marlow. After we discussed my background to some depth, I decided to combine my automotive/hot rodding experience with my writing experience and write for the automotive high performance aftermarket.
This way, I’d bring together my passion for hotrods and my desire to be a full-time freelance copywriter. After making that decision, I thought, “Hmm. Maybe this would be a good time to take a second look at the National Street Machine Club. I think I’ll pull out their direct mail package and see what they have to offer.”
Though I’ve been a gearhead since the age of eight, I’d been away from the hotrod scene for a number of years and thought the Club might reacquaint me with the world of high performance. I must say, it’s done its job.
Primarily through its monthly magazine, Street Thunder, (annual dues include a subscription) the Club has brought me up to speed (no pun intended) of what’s what in today’s hotrod arena. This magazine isn’t sold on news stands but is of equal quality to any “slick” car or truck magazine currently being published. It’s sold only to club members, which means non-members are missing out on a quality automotive periodical.
Well, friends, I’ve run out of time. My purpose for this post was to discuss the magazine. But I’ll have to save the discussion for later. And yes, the Club and its magazine have been worth far more than the 24 bucks I paid for them.
