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Bill Hanifin
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There are some truly wacky takes on loyalty marketing and rewards programs that have to make you smile. Over the years, I have run across a host of misguided consumer value propositions and program ideas that just don’t work. Different than pairing up a tux with sneakers for a formal gala, these programs feel more like the person applying makeup or shaving while reading a map and driving on an interstate highway. It might work for a few of us, but the majority will end up in a crash.
Not being judgmental, but just having some fun, here are two that I have recently observed:
Restylane is a popular choice for those wishing to eliminate a few wrinkles. As you may know, you can hardly visit your dermatologist these days without seeing brochures and samples for this and other “get young” treatments on the shelf. Restylane Rewards offers perks for repeat customers with the tagline “Beauty has its Rewards”.
Details can be found at the Restylane web site and the rewards are significant. Each of the first 5 treatments triggers cash back in increasing amounts with up to $475 in rewards able to be earned over the first five treatments. A qualifying treatment must use at least one 1.0 mL or two 0.4 mL syringes of the product – now that’s a measure of earning I had not seen before! It is possible to achieve Restylane Rewards® Premium Status and to earn more bucks from future treatments. I just hope participants like what they see by the time they reach this top program level.
As much as I try to stay abreast of market trends, I am occasionally pleased that I missed one! Such is the case with Ashley Madison, the self described “World’s Premier Discreet Dating Service” which boasts having 3,110,000 “like minded members” when I checked their web site. Their tagline reads “Life is Short. Have an Affair”, and their version of a loyalty marketing program is to offer the Ashley Madison “Affair Guarantee”. I leave it to you to sort out the details of the guaranty at the Ashley Madison web site, while I just crawl back into my prehistoric cave to have dinner with my wife and family.
Just when I naively believed that bankers awarding points on overdraft fees and credit card issuers on late fees were the limit of good taste, it is quite something to see that marketers truly have no limits on their creativity, good taste or bad.
