Marketing Monday: Clever or Greedy?

Just renewed a one year magazine subscription, and received this notice from the publisher:


What is Canadian House & Home trying to achieve here? Why would anyone renew an annual subscription 11 months in advance in order to save $2.00 in tax? Will their direct mail piece generate sufficient response to encourage many early renewals?

Love the magazine, but my take is that it's a greedy move rather than a clever one. I would never bother my clients with an aggressive pitch that yields minimal benefit to the customer, and would counsel them to focus on benefits that are truly meaningful to the consumer that will genuinely enhance their relationship with a brand or product.