The Super Bowl is known to be an event that features not only the year's best in professional football, but also the year's best in television advertising.
Many football fans and non-football-fans alike watch the Super Bowl for the sake of seeing the commercials just as much as - or more than - for the sake of watching the actual football game. And this year, I don't think those viewers were disappointed. Most of the commercials were very well done; many were funny; a few were slightly disturbing. And the football game was exciting, too.
But what impressed me most about Super Bowl XLIV was the number of brands that integrated their television commercials with free bonus content on the Web.
Several companies allowed web users to see "sneak peeks" of their Super Bowl spots during the week before the game. Many of these offers tied into a reciprocity technique - after watching the short clip, users were encouraged to follow the brand on Twitter, or to use a promotional code to receive a discount at the brand's online store. And after the game, some brands then emailed links for the full versions of their ads to users who opted in to their mailing list.
Also this year, all of the Super Bowl commercials were made publicly available to users after the spots aired during the game. Viewers can watch all 71 commercials at www.youtube.com/adblitz, and between now and February 14, can vote for their favorite.
Of these Web-integrated Super Bowl campaigns, my personal favorite is the HomeAway ad:
This ad is actually a trailer for a new short film, available for viewing pleasure at HomeAway.com. Clark and Ellen Griswold return in "Hotel Hell Vacation," much to the delight of this particular National Lampoon fan. Visitors to the site can also watch other short videos, play the Griswold Getaway game, read (and vote for their favorite) user-submitted hotel horror stories, and enter to win a dream vacation.
With these and the other web-integrated Super Bowl advertisements, it seems that brands are beginning to understand how offering free, fun, accessible content to audiences can help to build customer relationships. As companies provide content like this, they associate their names with enjoyable experiences, and create opportunities to delight customers and to form positive impressions and reputations in the minds of consumers.
And after a customer spends 15 minutes exploring this fun content, he might also explore the actual product information on the rest of the brand website. Or at least remember HomeAway.com, for example, the next time he plans a family vacation.
Great job, HomeAway.com and others. I hope that next year, your Super Bowl ads will go one step further, by integrating with mobile content as well (as blogger Steve Smith points out).
Showing posts with label free stuff. Show all posts
Showing posts with label free stuff. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Einstein Bros. and Soft Openings
Today an Einstein Bros. Bagels is opening on the campus of the university where I work. Since most of the students will not arrive until this weekend (Monday is the first day of classes for the spring), the store has three solid days to practice their craft before their biggest customers arrive.
Thus, this Einstein Bros. location will enjoy an abbreviated "soft opening."
On this, their first day of their "soft opening," the store will not be selling food. Instead, they are giving it away.
The store has been distributing a limited number of vouchers for free samples. Each voucher lists a particular food item and a time of day during which the customer may receive the food item. (Mine says, "Bagel Dog & Choice of Blended or Coffee Beverage, 12:30-12:50") Customers may choose from a selection of 10-12 vouchers, and return to the store at the specified time to pick up the specified item.
This seems like a great idea for our new Einstein Bros. store for several reasons:
And so, unless the employees drastically mess up the food today and create a huge fiasco of customer fury, today's soft opening seems like a great opportunity for Einstein Bros.
I could, however, imagine a situation in which a strategy like this would not work for a particular restaurant. If the food items are especially difficult to prepare and master, then loudly publicizing the distribution of free food could be risky. If a huge number of customers hear about the opening and then receive free food that is not fit to eat, the restaurant could be stuck with a bad reputation that proves impossible to overcome. A restaurant in that situation may want to open more quietly.
Thus, this Einstein Bros. location will enjoy an abbreviated "soft opening."
On this, their first day of their "soft opening," the store will not be selling food. Instead, they are giving it away.
The store has been distributing a limited number of vouchers for free samples. Each voucher lists a particular food item and a time of day during which the customer may receive the food item. (Mine says, "Bagel Dog & Choice of Blended or Coffee Beverage, 12:30-12:50") Customers may choose from a selection of 10-12 vouchers, and return to the store at the specified time to pick up the specified item.
This seems like a great idea for our new Einstein Bros. store for several reasons:
- It gives the new employees a chance to practice, without wasting any food. And even if the trainees don't get a food item exactly right, they (hopefully) will not anger or alienate their customers, since the customers understand that these employees are still in training.
- It builds excitement for the store, as customers get to taste a sample of the food and drinks that Einstein Bros. has to offer. And even for customers who arrive too late to receive a voucher, the anticipation builds as they await their opportunity to purchase something from Einstein Bros. and taste for themselves.
- It starts a cycle of reciprocity, that principle discussed by Robert Cialdini that states that people tend to return favors. Giving away free samples helps to build goodwill for a business; when customers get free samples, they often feel compelled to support that business later.
And so, unless the employees drastically mess up the food today and create a huge fiasco of customer fury, today's soft opening seems like a great opportunity for Einstein Bros.
I could, however, imagine a situation in which a strategy like this would not work for a particular restaurant. If the food items are especially difficult to prepare and master, then loudly publicizing the distribution of free food could be risky. If a huge number of customers hear about the opening and then receive free food that is not fit to eat, the restaurant could be stuck with a bad reputation that proves impossible to overcome. A restaurant in that situation may want to open more quietly.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Give a Little, Get a Lot: Free Shipping Day
Yesterday, Thursday, December 17, 2009, was the second annual Free Shipping Day online. 742 online retailers offered free shipping all day yesterday for all purchases made online. Plus, as mentioned in a story about the event on CBS' The Early Show, UPS guaranteed a Christmas Eve delivery for all packages that were shipped yesterday.
Events like Free Shipping Day are a win for everyone. Customers save money and still get to purchase those last-minute Christmas presents just in time for a Christmas Eve delivery. Merchants see a boost in their online sales, which, according to FreeShippingDay.com, drop significantly after December 12 each year. And UPS gets a huge influx of shipments, and the opportunity to provide a delightful experience for hundreds of thousands of potential new customers.
Free Shipping Day is just one more example of how a little goes a long way. By covering their customers' shipping expenses, the online merchants relieve customers of that small extra financial burden, and attract those customers to shop at their establishments. And of course, when 742 retailers (not just one) participate in the same offer, the word spreads faster, leading to awareness among more consumers, and thus more customers for each merchant.
What can your organization do to give a little to your customers? And how can you partner with other organizations to spread the reach and give a bit more Christmas cheer to all?
Events like Free Shipping Day are a win for everyone. Customers save money and still get to purchase those last-minute Christmas presents just in time for a Christmas Eve delivery. Merchants see a boost in their online sales, which, according to FreeShippingDay.com, drop significantly after December 12 each year. And UPS gets a huge influx of shipments, and the opportunity to provide a delightful experience for hundreds of thousands of potential new customers.
Free Shipping Day is just one more example of how a little goes a long way. By covering their customers' shipping expenses, the online merchants relieve customers of that small extra financial burden, and attract those customers to shop at their establishments. And of course, when 742 retailers (not just one) participate in the same offer, the word spreads faster, leading to awareness among more consumers, and thus more customers for each merchant.
What can your organization do to give a little to your customers? And how can you partner with other organizations to spread the reach and give a bit more Christmas cheer to all?
Monday, December 14, 2009
Marketing Lessons from Christmas Cookies
In my family, December is the time to bake Christmas cookies. Snickerdoodles, peanut butter cookies, chocolate no-bake cookies, peanut blossoms (aka Hershey's Kiss cookies), chocolate chip cookies, kolaches, sand tarts, Christmas tree-shaped almond cookies, sugar cookies, and raisin-filled cookies were all standard holiday fare at my parents' house and my grandparents' house when I was growing up.
When I moved off to college, I started extracting my favorite childhood recipes from the memories and cookbooks of my mom and grandma. In that process, I was amazed to learn how many of those delicious recipes were not ancient family secrets or mysteries unveiled in a gourmet cookbook. Instead, the instructions for many of those wonderful treats came from the packages of the ingredients.
The recipe for peanut blossoms came from the back of a bag of Hershey's Kisses. The recipe for Chex Mix was printed on the side panel of a box of Chex breakfast cereal. The recipe for chocolate fudge was found on a jar of Kraft marshmallow creme. The recipe for pumpkin pie was revealed on the wrapper of a can of Libby's pumpkin pie filling.
I think I shall be forever grateful to the makers of these food items for sharing the recipes that have become family traditions.
And really, it is a fabulous idea - brightening your customers' celebrations by telling them of wonderful ways to use your product. Consumers will not buy a product (or at least they will not continue to buy a product) that they will not use. Sharing a delicious recipe - for free, since consumers could plausibly glean the recipe from the outside of the package while in the store, without ever purchasing the product - provides valuable information to consumers, and gives them a reason to keep purchasing the product.
Food items are not the only products for which manufacturers and retailers share helpful hints. Arm & Hammer shares myriad uses for baking soda (i.e. cleaning, air freshening) on its signature orange boxes of the product. The Home Depot and Lowe's both share Do-It-Yourself tips on their websites.
How can your organization share with people - for free! - ways in which they can use your product?
When I moved off to college, I started extracting my favorite childhood recipes from the memories and cookbooks of my mom and grandma. In that process, I was amazed to learn how many of those delicious recipes were not ancient family secrets or mysteries unveiled in a gourmet cookbook. Instead, the instructions for many of those wonderful treats came from the packages of the ingredients.
The recipe for peanut blossoms came from the back of a bag of Hershey's Kisses. The recipe for Chex Mix was printed on the side panel of a box of Chex breakfast cereal. The recipe for chocolate fudge was found on a jar of Kraft marshmallow creme. The recipe for pumpkin pie was revealed on the wrapper of a can of Libby's pumpkin pie filling.
I think I shall be forever grateful to the makers of these food items for sharing the recipes that have become family traditions.
And really, it is a fabulous idea - brightening your customers' celebrations by telling them of wonderful ways to use your product. Consumers will not buy a product (or at least they will not continue to buy a product) that they will not use. Sharing a delicious recipe - for free, since consumers could plausibly glean the recipe from the outside of the package while in the store, without ever purchasing the product - provides valuable information to consumers, and gives them a reason to keep purchasing the product.
Food items are not the only products for which manufacturers and retailers share helpful hints. Arm & Hammer shares myriad uses for baking soda (i.e. cleaning, air freshening) on its signature orange boxes of the product. The Home Depot and Lowe's both share Do-It-Yourself tips on their websites.
How can your organization share with people - for free! - ways in which they can use your product?
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Giving Handles, Selling Blades
(or, How to Make Money by Giving Free Stuff)
I just bought my first iPhone last week. Since then, my continuing odyssey through the wonderful world of the iPhone App Store has inspired some musings on why free apps (and other free products) can be great money-makers for an organization. Absurd, you say? Let me explain with an example.
One application I have downloaded is RunKeeper Free, by FitnessKeeper, Inc. The app uses the iPhone's GPS and a timekeeper to record distance, duration, pace, and speed. RunKeeper Free also provides me with a Google Map of my route, plus allows me to save my run history to the app and/or to the RunKeeper website, where I can also view Calories burned, elevation, and start/end times for each activity in my history. And, of course, because of the iPhone's multitasking abilities, I can also listen to my tunes while RunKeeper tracks my workout.
FitnessKeeper, Inc. also offers a paid version of the application - the RunKeeper Pro. For $9.99, the RunKeeper Pro provides the same features as RunKeeper Free, as well as audio cues, training workouts, iTunes playlist integration, the ability to post geo-tagged photos and status updates, and integration with social networking sites. The RunKeeper Pro also runs without the small, silent, inobtrusive ads contained in the free version - ads which, incidentally, I did not even notice until their absence was highlighted in the description for RunKeeper Pro.
A download button (linked to the iPhone App Store) for the RunKeeper Pro is included on a screen within its free counterpart.
So, if FitnessKeeper, Inc. offers a robust $10 application, why do they also offer a free version? Won't the free version cannibalize the paid version? Would anyone pay $10 for the Pro version when he can get the most valuable features for $0 with the free version?
The answers to the last two questions are "probably not," and "yes," respectively.
iPhone users who would download the free version (me, for example) would probably only download an app like this if it were free. If the only version available were the paid version (or the $10 paid version anyway), such users would probably decide that the app was not worth downloading after all. They would choose another, free, app, or no runner app at all.
Some iPhone users will download the $10 RunKeeper Pro right off the bat, even though they know that a free application with most of the same features is available. These users are probably either hard-core runners (possibly), exercise-motivation-seekers, or gadget aficionados (most likely). To these users, it is worth $10 for audio cues, pre-programmed workouts, playlist integration, photo-sharing, and social networking features unavailable in the free version. Thus, offering the RunKeeper Free does not steal the business of these paying customers.
Still other iPhone users will download the RunKeeper Free, and later decide to upgrade to the $10 RunKeeper Pro. Perhaps they loved the free version so much that they were ready to try the paid version. Perhaps their curiosity got the best of them, and they just had to try out the additional features. Or perhaps they developed into such avid runners that they came to see the RunKeeper Pro as a good buy.
Whatever the reason for the upgrade, the RunKeeper Free paved the way for some prospective paying customers to become actual paying customers. The free version enabled FitnessKeeper to build trusting relationships with potential customers. And it provided opportunities for RunKeeper Free users to show off the app to their running buddies, some of whom might be the types that would purchase the paid version.
And so, one can think of the RunKeeper Free as less of a profit-less product, and more of a marketing tool for the RunKeeper Pro.
It's like the strategy of razor manufacturers. Gillette, I'm told, sends a free razor to young men on their eighteenth birthdays. Those young men like the experience of shaving with a Gillette razor, so they keep coming back to Gillette to buy replacement blades.
Also, free products (or paid ones, for that matter), like the RunKeeper Free and RunKeeper Pro can connect the organization to fans who might also pay money for other items. FitnessKeeper could have among its customers a market for more FitnessKeeper gear, like t-shirts, running shorts, sweatbands, socks, watches, etc.
What products can your organization give away for free? And not just demos or promotional products, but real, useful tools that can benefit consumers and can help you to start building a fan base? Out of that trust-relationship, those fans may become paying customers for your other product offerings. Or, even better, they may spread the word to others like them who become paying customers, too.
I just bought my first iPhone last week. Since then, my continuing odyssey through the wonderful world of the iPhone App Store has inspired some musings on why free apps (and other free products) can be great money-makers for an organization. Absurd, you say? Let me explain with an example.
One application I have downloaded is RunKeeper Free, by FitnessKeeper, Inc. The app uses the iPhone's GPS and a timekeeper to record distance, duration, pace, and speed. RunKeeper Free also provides me with a Google Map of my route, plus allows me to save my run history to the app and/or to the RunKeeper website, where I can also view Calories burned, elevation, and start/end times for each activity in my history. And, of course, because of the iPhone's multitasking abilities, I can also listen to my tunes while RunKeeper tracks my workout.
FitnessKeeper, Inc. also offers a paid version of the application - the RunKeeper Pro. For $9.99, the RunKeeper Pro provides the same features as RunKeeper Free, as well as audio cues, training workouts, iTunes playlist integration, the ability to post geo-tagged photos and status updates, and integration with social networking sites. The RunKeeper Pro also runs without the small, silent, inobtrusive ads contained in the free version - ads which, incidentally, I did not even notice until their absence was highlighted in the description for RunKeeper Pro.
A download button (linked to the iPhone App Store) for the RunKeeper Pro is included on a screen within its free counterpart.
So, if FitnessKeeper, Inc. offers a robust $10 application, why do they also offer a free version? Won't the free version cannibalize the paid version? Would anyone pay $10 for the Pro version when he can get the most valuable features for $0 with the free version?
The answers to the last two questions are "probably not," and "yes," respectively.
iPhone users who would download the free version (me, for example) would probably only download an app like this if it were free. If the only version available were the paid version (or the $10 paid version anyway), such users would probably decide that the app was not worth downloading after all. They would choose another, free, app, or no runner app at all.
Some iPhone users will download the $10 RunKeeper Pro right off the bat, even though they know that a free application with most of the same features is available. These users are probably either hard-core runners (possibly), exercise-motivation-seekers, or gadget aficionados (most likely). To these users, it is worth $10 for audio cues, pre-programmed workouts, playlist integration, photo-sharing, and social networking features unavailable in the free version. Thus, offering the RunKeeper Free does not steal the business of these paying customers.
Still other iPhone users will download the RunKeeper Free, and later decide to upgrade to the $10 RunKeeper Pro. Perhaps they loved the free version so much that they were ready to try the paid version. Perhaps their curiosity got the best of them, and they just had to try out the additional features. Or perhaps they developed into such avid runners that they came to see the RunKeeper Pro as a good buy.
Whatever the reason for the upgrade, the RunKeeper Free paved the way for some prospective paying customers to become actual paying customers. The free version enabled FitnessKeeper to build trusting relationships with potential customers. And it provided opportunities for RunKeeper Free users to show off the app to their running buddies, some of whom might be the types that would purchase the paid version.
And so, one can think of the RunKeeper Free as less of a profit-less product, and more of a marketing tool for the RunKeeper Pro.
It's like the strategy of razor manufacturers. Gillette, I'm told, sends a free razor to young men on their eighteenth birthdays. Those young men like the experience of shaving with a Gillette razor, so they keep coming back to Gillette to buy replacement blades.
Also, free products (or paid ones, for that matter), like the RunKeeper Free and RunKeeper Pro can connect the organization to fans who might also pay money for other items. FitnessKeeper could have among its customers a market for more FitnessKeeper gear, like t-shirts, running shorts, sweatbands, socks, watches, etc.
What products can your organization give away for free? And not just demos or promotional products, but real, useful tools that can benefit consumers and can help you to start building a fan base? Out of that trust-relationship, those fans may become paying customers for your other product offerings. Or, even better, they may spread the word to others like them who become paying customers, too.
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