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Deals "Just for You"

9/5/2015

8 Comments

 
by David Hagenbuch, Founder of Mindful Marketing
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I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but many companies treat me better than they do you.  How do I know?  Because they often send me special offers that are “just for you.”

For example, here are the subject lines of some emails I recently received:

  • Coupons Just for You & 130+ Bonus Buys!
  • David, exclusive offer to earn more miles
  • 2 COUPONS: $20 off and $10 off (just for you!)
  • You're on the list - up to $100 off! Just for you
  • We're serious, you've been picked to get Cyber WEEK Tuesday savings!
  • A special surprise is inside, just for you!
  • You're on our special list! Extra 5% - 15% off, just for you
  • We picked you! You seriously deserve this — Enjoy these amazing discounts
  • Seriously, you made the list! Because you're awesome

Why am I special?  I’m not sure, but apparently these firms have seen in me the same thing that my mother has long recognized.

You may be wondering whether it’s okay to treat some shoppers differently.  Of course, it’s wrong to discriminate against consumers or others based on traits like gender, age, and race.  In a commercial context, however, it is fair to follow quid pro quo: to give something in exchange for something.  Companies should reward their best customers because their best customers offer more business to them.  It’s right to repay such shoppers with special discounts, bonus points, and other incentives in order to thank them for their loyalty and encourage their continued commitment.

However, here’s what’s confounding:  I'm really not a loyal consumer for any of the organizations represented by the emails above.  I buy very infrequently from most of them, and for some it’s been a year or more since my last purchase.  So, then, why are they singling me out as special?

You probably suspected that I’m really not a special consumer to any of these companies, which means I’m probably not the only one getting these “just for you” promotional offers.  You likely receive them too.  If that’s the case, these companies’ email tactics are depending on deception.

Why would some firms intentionally misrepresent the exclusivity of their offerings?  They know that as consumers, most of us are constrained by scarce resources, i.e., we have limited means—a finite amount of money.  Consequently we try to conserve currency when possible.  A special offer sent “just” to us, therefore, suggests not only that can we attain a certain level of benefits at a lower than usual cost but also that the unique opportunity is rare with respect to the experience of the general populace.

In addition, many people are motivated to prevail over their peers, i.e., to attain something that none or few of their friends have.  In short, ostensibly personal promotions tap deviously into both our basic economic intuition and into our egos in order to encourage action that we otherwise might not take.

Of course, deception is not a societal value or any behavior we want to encourage.  The other question, then, is whether feigning exclusivity is effective—Do people respond favorably to individualized incentives?  One study suggests that they do . . . sometimes.  Based on my own experience, I suspect that people increasingly do not.  The more of these purportedly “exclusive offers” I receive, the more I ignore them.  Furthermore, the more I consider the deception underlying the deals, the more their authors alienate me.

So, if my experience and attitude are typical of most consumers, these deceptive discounts represent another instance of “Mindless Marketing.”




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8 Comments
Mitchell Kauffman
9/22/2015 10:51:47 pm

I agree that these deceptive discounts are mindless marketing. First of all I do not believe they are effective at all. Todays generation are constantly being bombarded with information from web browsing, online radio, and social media. Young adults and teenagers have developed significant skills in processing and sifting through information such as ads and commercials. They have become so desensitized to this type of advertisement that they are quick to disregard it and not take it seriously. On top of that it takes away from costumer loyalty. Costumers want to feel as though they are special and being rewarded for there services. When everyone and their mother's are receiving these type of ads it becomes routine and not a significant occurrence. Not only are these ads noneffective but as stated in the article they are also deceptive. They want each individual to feel as though they are being singled out yet they clearly send them to everyone.

Reply
Landon Leinbach
9/23/2015 03:59:18 pm

In my opinion, this is an attempt by the companies to show single-minded marketing, by trying to create stakeholder value through offering deals. They want people to see the items they are offering and want them, and they throw in deals to make you think that you are getting a bargain on them. Personally, these types of "deals" don't work on me because I am not an impulse shopper. I don't see things and want them unless I have a need for it. There are a lot of impulse shoppers these days, and online shopping makes it easier. These people are the targets for these "just for you" deals because the companies know that these people are willing to look online and have a quick trigger for a purchase. In most cases I do not think this marketing strategy works, which is why I would consider it mindless marketing, even though it is an attempt at single-minded marketing.


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Becky Powell
9/25/2015 06:07:27 pm

I also agree that the companies participating in this type of marketing are exhibiting mindless marketing. They do not create stakeholder value by spamming the inbox of every customer who ever made the mistake of giving away their email. They also stray from upholding the values of society because it is not honest and straightforward to claim that one customer is the only customer receiving a special deal when in reality they offer it to every customer. In my personal experience, I have had to change my main email several times after ignorantly giving my email out to the salespeople at various stores who offered me special discounts. The email accounts that I had to leave were swamped with "deals," "special offers," "Just for you," and the like. The result of their mindless marketing tactics were that I ignored the emails, lost track of more important emails, and was mildly irritated any time an email appeared with a new offer.

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Joshua Bishop
10/26/2015 02:26:13 pm

I thought this article was very insightful. I too receive many of this emails of coupons that seem tailored just to me and make me feel like an individual. However I am very aware that this happens to everyone. It is like the doctor that gives the kid patient the sticker that reads, "my favorite patient" the doctor probably gives 50 of these stickers out a day. the modern day consumer seems to sometimes fall into this 'kid at the doctors' mentality where we get pulled in by a false sense of personal.

Reply
Yousun Song
10/27/2015 05:49:53 pm

I like the way how the author lists the examples of the subject lines of emails those try to trick the recipients as they are the only ones who receive them. I have never fooled by such kind of tricks, but I thought that the firms are still doing it because there are a lot of people who get interested in by those trick emails. If what the author says about "people increasingly do not" respond to those emails is true, then the firms should find another way to promote their products or services.

Reply
Joy
10/27/2015 07:10:27 pm

I agree that this strategy of sending out mass "just for you" offers is most likely ineffective, overall, in the long run. Although they may get your attention at first, you do start to get into the habit of ignoring those kind of offers after receiving several of them from a store that you may never go to. I think that it is more effective to have a specific rewards program for customers who do shop often at a particular store.

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Cyrus Dela Cruz
10/29/2015 10:42:14 pm

It's hard for me not to be biased about the content in this article. I don't think I have ever been affected by marketing plans as heavily as other people. Being on a low budget, I've managed to redirect my limited resources to things that are essential, rather than nonessential. At least, that's the way I was raised to know. Great article nonetheless! Thank you.

Reply
Jr D link
8/4/2022 10:35:45 am

Great article!

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