I’ve been enjoying some banter on the home front lately about the merits or otherwise of ANZ Bank’s new campaign, insisting it doesn’t have a bunch of ‘Barbaras’ in its institution, but promises to serve you ‘differently’ to the others.
Thanks ANZ, you had my interest – great talent and an injection of humour which carried through right up until the point you delivered your promise – and what a let down that was. As a new customer, maybe you might get one handshake at the door – I doubt it – but don’t think it’s going to continue after you’ve opened the account.
So here’s my vent - it ticks me off when I regularly see discounts or incentives being offered to lure new customers (which of course is a marketing strategy which pays dividends), but as a consumer who’s already signed up, these are constant reminders that you are now a member of the ‘forgotten ones’.
And I don’t mean to pick on ANZ. This happens across the board – insurance, banking, gym and video club memberships and the list goes on.
To a cynical consumer like me, a marketer is probably between a rock and a hard place. Those personalised letters that appear in the mail box attempting to up-sell me ‘with benefits’, are seen as just that – and end up in the recycle bin.
With Valentine’s Day romance in the air, what’s a marketer to do to get a tough nut like me to feel the love? Well I’m happy to report that one marketer has found the way to my heart.
Last week I received a letter from a bank thanking me for my loyalty and acknowledging my value to them. The note informed me that they’d deposited 10,000 reward points into my customer loyalty account – that’s worth $50 in fuel or shopping vouchers. I didn’t ask for it, didn’t have to tick any boxes, or send any SMS’s to get it. I felt flattered and deserving.
So what’s the lesson? Something we regularly talk about here at BCM – remember to surprise and delight. Although you need to focus on growing your customer base, don’t forget your existing members. Remember that they have feelings too, and that loyalty can be subtly bought with a surprise that delights.
Gillian Tucker is BCM’s Agency Manager
Gillian. Too true. It costs a great deal more to attract new customers than to keep them. A little bit of planned ’surprise and delight’ goes a long way with people who are loyal to your brand.
Gilly can’t agree more. I once challenged Foxtel to give me the offer they had in the market for new subscribers. When I asked what they would think if I cancelled my subscription today and applied for the incentive tomorrow, they told me that if I did that I could not access promo offers for 6 months. I was so tempted to try them out! A bird on the hand….