SalesPromotion on the Internet By anonymous At http://www.mosaicmarketing.co.uk/sales-promotion-blog/2012/jan/sales-promotion-on-the-internet-is-becoming-dull-and-formulaic-our-hopes-for-2012.aspx 1. Not so very long ago there wasn't an internet. Back in the days whenevening telly was good, Britons weren't obese and fuel was less than 50p alitre. Imagine that. What we did to fill the time was far less virtual and verymuch more real. 2. 20 years or so later and the internet is so fundamental to ourexistence that it's a wonder we ever survived without it. It has broughtamazing convenience, unbelievable information and an equal amount ofdisinformation, anytime, at the click of a mouse. Of course marketers haveembraced the medium as much as anyone and it's hard to find any sales promotionwhich doesn't have a web element. But with so many sales promotions out therewhy do we mourn for the sales promotions of yesteryear when people used heatand reveal labels, inserted blue sachets containing fivers into packets ofcrisps and even a miniature plastic house inside your tin of beans to tell you,in no uncertain terms that you had won, a house? It might be the excitement,buzz and awe-inspiring creativity which seems so lacking in their internetdescendents. 3. Looking at the 88 or so promotions which we featured on PromoWatch lastyear, 56% of them had exactly the same mechanic: "enter a unique code frompromotional packs on the website to qualify". Assuming our blog isrepresentative of the sales promotion industry as a whole, if more than half ofall brands thought that running a competition with a unique code entrymechanic was the best way of establishing a point of difference withtheir competitors, they were sadly mistaken. Why has the internet stifledcreativity? 4. In the early days, putting up a microsite for an on-pack promotion wasrelatively pricey and they were primarily used by market leading brands to supportthe principle activity. But before too long the microsite has evolved torepresent the promotion in its entirety encompassing the customer journey fromstart to finish. The reasons are obvious -- money. Websites are now cheaper tocreate than ever before, while producing innovative promotional devices and customised product packaging has become, for the most part, more expensive or in somecases a logistical headache. 5. Now, in the same way that nearly all TV programmes seem to be about property or cooking, once a winning formula has been established promotions agenciesrealise they can re-package a successful concept and sell it in to clientsagain and again. Taking it to its logical conclusion, a general acquiescence inmediocrity increases the profusion of mediocrity to the point where it becomesthe accepted norm. This all leads to one big yawn for the consumer -- and theintrepid sales promotion commentator. Injecting innovation into salespromotion 6. The Sales Promotion Industry's utilisation of the internet is a bitlike most people's use of the processing power of their home computer -- barelytaxing its capabilities at all. The internet is far more than just aninterpreter of unique codes or a means of plotting pretty dots on a map. So howelse can we maximise the power of the web within our sales promotion activity? 7. If we assume that most brands need to prove that a purchase has beenmade, can we first look beyond the reliance on unique codes? 8. Small and discreet, QR codes or Snaptags could easily beincorporated into product packaging and, using a simple reader, wouldautomatically take consumers to the promotional website right on their device(think webcam, tablet or smartphone). As they would have to be in possession ofthe product to access the on-pack graphic it is fair to assume that they'vemade a legitimate purchase and have qualified for entry. This would make theall important 'simplicity of entering your promotion' integral to the customerjourney. 9. Can't fit a graphic on your pack -- develop a barcode reader for yourmicrosite. With such a heavy penetration of smartphones , tablets and webcams and even smart TVs now, most devices will have the necessary lensto view the barcode for your chosen platform. The CD and DVD purchasingwebsite Music Magpie employs this to great effect. 10. Go a bit retro. Combine the online and offline worlds by cutting out atoken / logo / masthead or whatever from the offline packaging and affix it toa downloaded voucher as the ultimate photocopy / scanner proof online coupon.NB only works for proper redbrick high street retailers (Available while shopslast). 11. If you just can't get away from using a unique code why not try andwean yourself off the Instant Win habit? Here's a few ideas for using aunique code, some of which you may have seen in the wild already or covered inother posts: Ÿ in-game currency for afreemium or bespoke online / mobile game Ÿ proof of purchasetoken for a collector scheme Ÿ validation forsubmitting user content for an online competition Ÿ discount / promo code for athird party partner site Ÿ a security tag for adownloaded voucher - could be used in conjunction with the physical proof foroffline venues Ÿ unlock treasure huntclues - again possibly for the pursuit of an offline treasure 12. If you can't avoid 'instant win' why not make the act of tellingpeople the win/lose verdict more interesting? In keeping with the theme of yourbrand / promotion it could be the turning wheel on the front of a safe oranimated lottery balls which might match up with your unique reference. Thissimple animation would not be expensive but it would make the engagement andoverall impression of the promotion, feel like it was given some modicum ofthought rather than just being churned out on a conveyor belt. The Good News... 13. The dominance of Twitbook provides a ready platform for smaller brandsto promote themselves with very little capital outlay. We should be celebratingthe fact that a lower cost of entry means that smaller brands can contemplatesales promotion at all. 14. Some brands are doing great promotions which really harness the powerof social media, sharing user-generated content and integrating their activityacross multiple channels. We featured one such promotion from Visit Britain today.So there are reasons to be optimistic. But, woe-betide the sales promotionindustry if we have a similar proportion of 'instant win unique referencenumber monotony' in 2012. You've been warned!!! 15. P.S. If this blog existed 50 years ago (and I had been born) no doubtI'd have been writing a provocative article about how television had madepromotions less personal or relevant. Blah, blah, blah, moan, moan... Reading Comprehension Decide whether the followingstatements are true (T) or false (F). 1. More than half of the promotions on line in the blogger’s survey havethe same mechanic and the authors think this mechanic is wrongly headed. 2. Money is the major reason for marketers to choose the internet thanother innovative devices to do promotion. 3. Promotion on TV, quite unlike that on the internet, is full ofinnovation and customization. 4. Unique codes should always remain the perfect and reliable way ofonline promotion. 5. The combination of online and offline promotion will do better thansimply promoting online. 6. The blogger thinks that 2012 is a year of great prospect for onlinepromotion and there is nothing to worry about. 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