Let's consider a few questions about the letter and the organization. I need to emphasise here, that I'm not concerned about the content of the letter. I completely accept that the organization does not have to answer every set of questions it gets from students. My concerns are only with the style.

So to the questions about the letter:

• How does the letter make you feel about the organization? I find the letter insincere—for example, it seems to give with one hand and take with the other. Then in the last paragraph, the writer invites the reader to ring for more information but that's the last thing the writer wants the reader to do. Also, the letter is defensive, impersonal, and repetitive.

• What sort of organization might the letter be from? Hard to tell really: maybe a financial services organization or a government body.

• Is the organization cool? Not at all.

• Do you want to work there? No. Buy its products? Not really. Invest in the organization? Hmmn, investment is different.

The letter is the voice of the organization's brand and it gives us a fairly clear impression of the organization.

To see who the letter is from, see the footnote where the answer is hidden to preserve the surprise?³⁷

How did the letter measure up against your perception of that organization's brand? I use the letter as an example in a plain language training course I run. Most participants on the course say there is a massive disconnect between how they feel about that organization—that is, its brand—and how the letter reveals that organization to be.