I just received a marketing promotion for an ultra-luxury item: if I buy 10 treatments of Rejuvenex, I get 10 free Botox treatments.
Call me crazy, but it just doesn't excite me to get "free" Botox. It's like Mercedes or Neiman Marcus: they just don't have sales. They're expensive, and a lot of marketing dollars fought hard to create the perception that they're worth it. It seems suspect to give it away for free.
This is the year of needs -- versus wants. People will be analyzing everything they buy, and if it fits into the "I want it" category, it will no longer be thoughtlessly charged to the Visa card. Botox and Rejuvenex, whatever that is, fit into the "wants" category.
Clothing stores are also falling for "wants" marketing: Buy 2 suits, get one free!
No one needs 3 new suits, but the offer of a free suit tempts you into thinking, "Well, it's such a good deal, I should just go for it."
If I were in charge of marketing for a clothing store, I'd market all the basics: 12 things every woman must have in her wardrobe --every woman needs a crisp white shirt, a great pair of black pants, a great pair of pumps.
I wonder if this will translate into more trips to the movies -- an entertainment option for around $20 that will let me escape for a few hours -- this is an affordable want.
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