Just saw this via Twitter from Bluefur.
He’s talking about a “special offer” MasterCard sent him for being a “most valued” cardholder:
The special offer was for a Garmin 250 GPS system. I got this exact same GPS navigation system on Boxing Day in 2007 for $150. Even today, you can find it at a variety of retailers for under $200. That’s the standard going price. How much was my credit card company trying to sell it for as a “special deal”? The asking price was a whopping $299.95 or you could split that up into five monthly payments of $59.99.
You might have thought this was obvious by now. But apparently, to many marketing drones at BigCorp™s around the globe, it’s not. THE WORLD IS NOW A VILLAGE.
The points are obvious:
- Google exists
Amazingly, people (or as you probably refer to them: “consumers,” or “the market”) know that Google exists. This means they might just check out your “special offer” and find it’s one of those Products For Dummies Who Don’t Pricecheck offers. - Harry will meet Sally
… and then they’ll talk. But instead of talking in a cafe, where no-one hears them except the wall and Bob the panhandler, they might just talk on Twitter, or Facebook, or MySpace, or … you get the picture. People have megaphones these days, and they use them. - Suckers are not your market
When people search and people talk, they get smarter. And when they get smarter, they hate being taken for fools. Treating your clients like idiots might not be the winning customer relations strategy that it appeared at first glance.
Smart marketing is honest, funny, interesting, and relevant.
Maybe your over-priced GPS can help you find the Cluetrain.