Showing posts with label Promotions. Show all posts
On April 9, 2011, the 5th fastest growing Facebook page in the world was the page for "Kissing." On its heels, in the number 6 spot, was the Kirkland's Facebook page from redpepper.
Just two days earlier, agency redpepper launched Kirkland's Cha---ching! promotion. This promo included a $25,000 cash prize and a chance to win Kirkand's merchandise in a swap game where people force other players to trade merchandise they have in their virtual possession.
Everyone who plays the game gets a coupon for a future purchase at Kirkland's. (Kirkland's customers LOVE their coupons. The more they play, the more they can save. The number of fans nearly doubled from 73,000 fans at launch to over 140,000 four days in. 40,154 people were entered to win. 36,709 people were playing the swap game.
The Holy Grail of any social media effort is to engage the audience versus simply getting them to click a "like" button. Much to our delight, new fans showed their enthusiasm and passion for the brand through telling posts on the Kirkland's Facebook wall like"Kirkland's and I are BFFs."
This group of consumers is predominantly comprised of 25-55 year old Females.
Not only are they the fastest growing segment on Facebook, games like Farmville & Cityville are the kinds of online social activities they engage in the most. And, what's more, this consumer group is identical in make-up to the average Kirkland's customer.
When players engage in the promo, a wall post appears on their profile and in their friends' news feed. This post announces their participation in the game and invites other players to do the same. 11 days into the promotion, 54,875 people have entered the sweepstakes, 50,021 are playing the swap game and the number of total Facebook Fans has grown to 165,229, and is on-track to hit the 200K goal.
And, while a million Facebook "likes" is certainly noteworthy, redpepper believes that 200K impassioned brand advocates is a much truer measure of social media success.
Journeys which is owned by Genesco Inc (NYSE: GCO) has announced a promotion in which every customer who tries on a pair of shoes will be offered a free smartphone when they activate a qualifying new two year service plan plus monthly data feature. Customers will be able to choose from a wide variety of phones, including the latest BlackBerry® and Android-powered smartphones.
This comes on the heel of Teen retailer American Eagle Outfitters Inc., looking to jump-start back-to-school denim sales, offered anyone who tries on a pair of jeans a free smart phone.
Now, I am unable to get why would a retailer come up with such a promotion. Without the carriers customizing these phones with Genesco/Journeys Apps/branding there is very little to win for Genesco here. Although carriers often offer discounts to independent resellers for new subscribers, I am sure Genesco would be paying some traffic acquisition cost to carriers for subsidizing its phone. Apart from making you look desperate, these promotions do little for you. There’s only one party that wins, customers who will throng to the stores just this time for the free phones.
This quote by Abercrombie CEO, Michael Jeffries in an earnings call with analysts last month. I guess many retailers will feel the after effects of the markdowns this season in the coming 2-4 months.
“Promotions are a short-term solution with dreadful long-term effects.”
Read more in this WSJ story, Abercrombie Fights Discount Tide (Registration required).
We hear your concerns," said Chairman and Chief Executive Michael Jeffries in an earnings call with analysts last month, but "promotions are a short-term solution with dreadful long-term effects." Marking down clothes now could lead to the brand being seen as something cheap, he explained.
Even in good times, Abercrombie has always shied away from big promotions, though it does try to clear out merchandise at the end of a season. The company's determination to keep prices high as the economy sours has already cost it dearly during the holiday season, which accounts for an estimated 30% of total teen retail sales.
Wal-Mart is promising low prices on ice cream and sundae toppings during the summer.
To celebrate these savings and kick off the American Summer, Wal-Mart will host what may be the world's largest ice cream social event on Sunday, May 18, complete with complimentary ice cream sundaes in more than 2,500 Wal-Mart Supercenters across the country. Wal-Mart will have on hand more than 5,000 ice cream scoopers to build an estimated 1 million free ice cream sundaes, complete with whipped cream and other toppings, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., while supplies last.
Now, 1 Million Free ice-cream sundaes is a lot of money (My guess would be USD 1 Million), but the amount of traffic the event will bring to it's 2500 supercenters will certainly result in much more dollars for the Retailer.
More here:
http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/ticker/article.aspx?Feed=PR&Date=20080515&ID=8650858&Symbol=US:WMT
Reality check (emphasis mine).
EVEN in a country where Christmas trees start appearing in October, L. L. Bean may have set a record for beginning the holiday marketing blitz early by starting a free shipping promotion last month.
But the promotion also set the bar higher than many competing online retailers might have liked.
Bean’s free-shipping offer comes with no minimum purchase requirements. That is in stark contrast to the strings-attached shipping offers used by more than 80 percent of online merchants last year, which left some consumers wondering about the exact meaning of “free.”
