I received an interesting piece of junk mail recently. What caught my attention and provoked me to open it was simply that it was from an overseas automobile manufacturer and my lean obsessiveness engaged.

I know this manufacturer isn’t necessarily using the Toyota production system, but I understand that they have their own system based on similar principles. Correct or not, that belief was the motivation that kept me from simply discarding the mail unopened. Upon opening the envelope (aside from noting that it had a fancy matte finish that added no value to the customer but surely cost more), I was immensely disappointed.

Let me provide some background information. I live on a farm in South Dakota. It’s 20 miles to the nearest population center worth noting (24,000 people). It’s 180 miles to any city with more than 100,000 people. The vast majority of people in this region of the United States share the same scenario. This is also the heart of 4x4 country, and it is October—fewer than 30 days from our first expected snowfall.

With this in mind, I was expecting a lean-thinking organization to focus its marketing campaign (based on the customer, right?) for this region on either trucks and SUVs or on the excellent gas mileage of its cars. Which did I receive?

The mailer was focused on a specific car model, and I scanned the materials for its mileage rating.

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