I can’t speak for you, but most e-mail offers are never even opened, especially those that seem to grow yearly on Cyber Monday, because of sheer volume. I have a job and don’t have time to fish through a mountain of offers. I found that those retailers and marketers who took a step back and sent their e-mail offers either later in the week after Cyber Monday or the following week were more likely to at least get a cursory glance because I was able to handle the lighter volume and select those that were of interest.

This leads me to those e-mail offers that I found to be most effective at getting my attention and enticing me to actually click through to the respectives site(s) to learn more, or, more importantly, place an order.  A good example would be any e-mail that promoted “limited number available to first x number of customers to respond” at a special price and similar limited offers that are truly limited.  I’ve been receiving these types of e-mails weekly from the Discovery Channel Store promoting offers that are available to the first 550 customers to respond.  I like the number 550 because it gives the customer a sense of “I can really take advantage of this before they’re all gone, so, I’ll click through and try to get the offer” rather than something that’s more of an “act now…the first 5 customers to respond…” which immediately tunes me out, because I know that there are thousands more people than just me and four others who are receiving the offer, so, I don’t even bother.

Also, as shown here, the site, once clicked into, effectively uses the countdown that shows the number of specially-priced items that remain, and the green, yellow, and red bar to add another layer of urgency.  As a marketer, and I know that this sounds lame, I’ve even enjoyed going to the site and hitting the refresh button to see how quickly the special offer depletes in quantity and sells out.  The store’s offer for a specially-priced remote control helicopter, again in a realistic quantity of 550, was gone before I even clicked through to the offer on the site. 

The “groupthink” type of offers are hot right now and don’t seem to be played out yet.  I’m thinking of the Groupons/Grouponicus offers of the world as well as these types of e-mail offers from the Discovery Store and others that get people involved, engaged, and bring out the competitive spirit to “win”.  I think this is why Ebay is successful.  Everyone likes to compete and beat out somebody else out for bragging rights.  Right?

However, I was turned off by sooo many media outlets giving airtime to this drivel as a major newsworthy tidbit of information.  The economy as a whole is still in the shitter, infighting amongst political parties has taken a new turn for the worst, we’re still at war (with a notable headline today of a living soldier receiving the well-deserved medal of honor after heroic efforts in the ridiculously dangerous Korengal Valley — as an aside, if you’re not up on your geography, check out the documentary Restrepo to get the download on the Valley), and yet, the f’ing Beatles’ songs being available on iTunes stole headlines in every outlet from the WSJ to your local evening news.

From a marketing perspective, I obviously get it that creating dialogue amongst customers and prospects both online and off and driving sales is the name of the game.  However, it seems that the push to grow awareness was over the top in this example.  Given that iTunes is already the top source for music these days, which is pretty impressive given that the service has only been in existence for around ten years give or take, I think plenty of folks would have figured out that The Beatles can now be downloaded.

The organic growth that is spurred by die hards tweeting, facebook posting, sharing links, etc., etc. also drives positive buzz in its own right.  The positive organic growth is now muddled by, and must do battle with, countless posts out there from people who share the “who gives a f*ck” that The Beatles’ songs can be purchased in another way” sentiment that’s been spurred by marketing overexposure.  Those who’ve been beaten over the head with this marketing message in every conceivable media form…online, print, television, radio, word of mouth…you can’t escape! are voicing their opinions.  An organic approach could have kept negative posts to a minimum. Sometimes, a conservative approach to marketing helps to prevent negative impressions of a brand or service that overexposed messages in a short period of time that cause people to yell “enough already” helps grow longer term returns.  That’s all I’m saying.

It’s no surprise that sales of the magazine have slumped in recent years, following the trends of the print publication market in general.  Figures from August 2010 indicate that sales of Playboy are off 34% when compared to just a year ago.  Truth be told, the average teen has probably sexted something more explicit than anything that’s ever been in the pages of Playboy.  Also, the wealth of free online porn that exists these days, so I’ve been told , severely limits the magazine’s possibilites of filling a void in this space.

This is what makes the latest golden ticket marketing push all the more intriguing.  It’ll be cool to see if this produces any longer term gains, or, just short term buzz and newsstand sell outs.  In doing a web search, a few Twitter feeds report that local copies are sold out in various places around the country.   This is interesting, as it could enhance this marketing effort by boosting perceived scarcity, which, as we all know as consumers, the fewer of something that exists, the more we want it.  Online, there is also a cool “countdown” map that will be filled with push pins as golden tickets are discovered.  I like this site as well, as it engages and gives consumers the perception that “there’s still a chance” to win.  Everybody loves a good challenge.  I do wonder if discovered tickets will have a delay in being reported on the site to keep the momentum going for awhile.

From a marketing perspective, this promotion may be a good short term shot in the arm, but I question whether it will grow any sustainable subscriber growth.  It may be better for the magazine, which relatively recently went through a refresh of its look without changing much content too drastically, as Mr. Hefner is a creature of habit, to refocus on attracting a younger demographic in other ways.

For example, the true dirty little secret about Playboy is that it’s legitimately a good publication that offers quality content.  As a subscriber, one may perceive my opinion as biased, but read on, please and get over the old “I read it for the articles” stereotypes.  The magazine offers great fiction from the likes of Ray Bradbury to Stephen King, and still runs exclusive short fiction pieces from them, along with interviews with celebrities and people in the current spotlight.  Additionally, opinions presented in the magazine’s “Forum,” from the legalization of marijuana to censorship are featured monthly.  I recall grad school marketing coursework where some of these articles were cited as legitimate sources.  Further, most college libraries have subscriptions of Playboy presumably because there is information of value within its pages versus, say “Hustler” or “Swank” which don’t provide quite as much depth of content….though they are respectable publications in their own right…wink wink nudge nudge.

In reading some of the mags to which my wife subscribes, I was hard pressed to find much content of substance and more ads than anything else.

The recent documentary Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist, and Rebel further substantiates the depth of the brand beyond the magazines dwindling sales and further supports marketing efforts that will enhance the brand and consumer preferences longer term, beyond a golden ticket.  I won’t get into a detailed breakdown here, hence the link, but the documentary provides a glimpse of how the magazine helped to spark efforts in support of everything from civil rights to humanitarian aid.  A marketing vehicle in of itself, I’m curious as to whether it will open up new markets to help the magazine, either in print or digital format.  Whether it’s women, civil rights activists, or younger Gen Xers or Gen Yers who tend to have greater philanthropic interests in general, it could help grow the market.

It would be interesting to see Playboy go after younger, educated consumers (male and female) from a literary or “source of topical information that’s still somewhat taboo in mainstream media” perspective.  While the golden ticket will undoubtedly drive a bit more buzz on Twitter, in print, and on TV, few will probably remember it in the coming months.  Further, running more pictorials of Kendra or Pam Anderson or similar generates a ho-hum amongst younger readers who are out there these days.  Presenting more on the other content that’s part of the overall mag, like interviews with controversial subject like Cornel West or Pee Wee Herman, could help drive interest more sustainably.

As an aside, when I opened this month’s issue, there was no golden ticket for me.  I’ve got my fingers crossed that Hef will read my post and send it to me.  I’m sure it was an unintentional oversight

Worse, from a marketers standpoint, the constant bombardment of sales and discounts has tarnished my impression of the clothing brand and the perceived quality of suits, etc. that are sold.  For example, if I purchase a suit and get two or more for free by doing so, what is the quality and workmanship involved?  It could be very good, but, such offers make me think “hmm…they can barely give these things away…” and ultimately rethink my purchasing options.  Suits are a relatively high involvement purchase, as they’re frequently part of “first impression” scenarios, whether they are interviews, business meetings, presentations, etc.  Most consumers fear embarrassment in its various forms, so avoiding purchases that could cause this is normal.  Offering consistently deep discounts can cause an impression that the quality isn’t very good, so, offering volume discounts makes up for it.  This isn’t necessarily true, but can be perceived that way.

The marketing messages in this case also get lost amongst marketing “noise.”  As a consumer, I know that if I miss the current promotion, another is right on its heels, so, there is no urgency to respond to the message and there is nothing unique that is being offered.  The screenshot from the Jos. A Bank site reveals a great example of this.  The homepage offers two shirts, two pants, and two sweaters for FREE if a sportcoat is purchased.  This promotion is on top of the multitude of BOGO e-mails I’ve received weekly, and nearly daily, from the store.

Again, I also question the quality of items that are offered in multiple quantities at no, or severely discounted, cost.  You know what they say about first impressions and the thought that if something is too good to be true, it probably is.  In this case, the offers are valid from a reputable company, but, as consumers, we’re trained to be skeptics when marketing offers like these present themselves.

While Scottrade has shown that the company’s stock has taken a tumble in recent past, overall, performance remains strong, so, something is working.  In the current economic climate, those shopping for suits and similar clothing no doubt appreciate the incentives for purchasing that has probably helped the strength of Jos. A Bank’s performance.  The company recently was named to a Forbes top 100 list as well, which gives further kudos for strong performance.

From a marketer’s perspective, I do wonder what the long term impact on the brand will be from so many relatively short term promotions.  To me, my perception has shifted from a quality retailer of men’s clothing to a discount mill that sells suits.  I tend to look elsewhere for important clothing purchases because I perceive other retailers to offer better quality and I’m willing to pay for it.  I wonder if I’m the exception, or, if other consumers are feeling this as well.  Feel free to comment.

The takeaways here include:

1.  Don’t discount or offer promotions too frequently – they lose their luster and impact and consumers grow “numb.”  If a consumer finds no need to respond because the promotions occur all the time, sales can suffer.  Instead, try to offer more seasonal, to-be-anticipated sales or promotions that are truly unique and that make customers count the minutes until they can take advantage.  Keep price points higher and perceived, and hopefully real, quality are appreciated. Additionally, it prevents customers from perceiving your brand as “discount” rather than higher-end.

2.  Turn down the volume on the “noise” – Be selective in the volume of marketing messages that are sent to customers, especially those who’ve opted in to e-mail promotion lists, to prevent your message from getting lost amongst the clutter.   As stated earlier, along with the shot of my inbox trash folder, constant promotions get lost and deleted without even reaching the intended consumers.

3.  High-involvement purchases are expected to have premium pricing, hence, the high involvement – Whether it’s a home, car, furniture, or a quality suit, high-involvement purchases tend to have higher prices, so, more research on the part of the customer is common.  That’s marketing 101.  So, if you sell said products, remember this when crafting marketing messages and promotions and keep them as high quality and valuable as the products you’re supposed to be selling.

A few months back, in July, Virgin America ran an exclusive online promotion that lasted just a few hours and offered low rates on flights to specific destination cities to which the airline flies.  I recall receiving the e-mail, to celebrate

Three-Peat Win of #1 Best Domestic Airline by Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards

, and immediately checked out their site for more details.  At the time, my wife and I were considering vacation options and thought the offer presented the perfect solution for booking airfare to LA to visit my brother.

Because of the “limited-time offer” that allowed just a few hours to book, the offer was very popular.  I checked with my wife to gauge interest on booking flights, and, by the time I logged back into the Virgin America website, the response time was sluggish at best.   My theory is that, as people began to receive the e-mail promotion in their inbox, they were checking out the offer, forwarding to friends, etc.  Even Facebook generated a buzz under the Virgin America profile page as people began to talk about the offer.

As they say, patience usually pays off, so, I returned to the site several times to try and complete a booking.  As a member of Virgin’s Elevate flyer program, and a holder of a Virgin America Visa to allow even more points to accrue, I thought that the offer presented a great way to use points to complete my transaction as well.

This is where the company’s marketing problems started to rear their ugly heads.  Because of the popularity of the online offer, the Virgin America website crashed and nobody had a consistent experience when trying to take advantage.  I personally had experienced the site “hanging” and allowing me to book part of our airfare and then a site error message would appear.  Finally, I was able to get to the last page of the online booking process and was using Elevate points to complete it.  As I clicked to complete, I once again received an error page.  Uh oh.  I tried to refresh with no luck.  The site was down completely.

By this point, the Facebook comments were piling up on the Virgin America page.  Customer after customer was commenting that the site was down, that they couldn’t reach customer service at all because the phone lines were flooded and also down, and how they were generally unhappy with the way the promotion was working, or, rather, not working out.

For me personally, the problem grew much worse as I discovered that, upon logging into my Elevate account, that the site took my points but didn’t complete the booking transaction.  I tried to contact the Virgin America support number, but, like Facebook commenters, found that it was essentially knocked off line.

I decided that there was nothing more that I could do and that I’d contact Virgin America the next day.  A short time later, Virgin America posted that the online promotion would be extended so that those who were unable to book could log in and do so.  However, for me personally, this didn’t work either, as I had to work with customer support to get points restored.

The bottom line was that I did get my points restored after a few days but missed out on this marketing promotion.  For marketers in general, there are a few key takeaways.  Here we go:

1.  If offering a limited-time only promotion, especially one that is online and response is nearly instantaneous, be sure that your website’s load capacity has been tested and can handled the spike in traffic and that the e-commerce engine can handle the transactions.  Even if the promotion is executed flawlessly on the front end, the time that wasn’t taken on the back end to make sure that the volume can be handled can be disasterous and tarnish even the best of brands.

2. Should something unexpected happen that causes a hiccup–or in this case all-out heart failure–in the online promotion, be sure that the customer support team is prepared for additional volume.  This is important right after the promotion launches, in particular, as the response tends to be immediate and as the word spreads online, has a domino effect on customer volume increases.  In this case, Virgin America’s 800 line went down, cut people off while talking to customer reps, etc.  While I found the reps to always be personable when I did reach them, the added stress of non-functioning online and phone response mechanisms had them frazzled.  The human element is important for support, but have the tested tools, like adding capacity to 800 numbers and online customer service e-mail boxes, live chat, etc. is equally as important.

Ultimately, I continue to believe that the Virgin America brand is strong and customer oriented.  I’ve flown several times on their non-stop D.C. to LA service and the experience has been positive, from the quality food and beers that can be purchased to the “hip and cool” multimedia experience that is available in their cabins.  They’ve since run a multitude of promotions to celebrate company milestones, from being voted “best of XXX (insert best of whatever here)…” to holiday sales such as Halloween Spook-Taculars, to generally reasonable non-stop flights to the west coast.  Having a parent brand that is known for not being “stuffy” and an ambassador in Richard Branson who lives and breathes what Virgin stands for is also positive reinforcement for the brand.  Because of this, my trust was shaken too severely, especially when compared to other airlines where customer service is truly dead.

I hope that this particular marketing snafu didn’t ruin experiences for first time potential customers whose only experience with the airline was a stressful, fruitless promotional sale booking.  It’s just reinforcement that, when planning to generate buzz online and run a promotion, having all bases covered is important, because the results, good or bad, are instantaneous and today’s f-ups are tomorrows critical blog posts, twitter posts, Facebook posts and (insert whatever the next social media outlet is here) post.

Should Apple be running for the hills and stocking up on robot insurance like we see here in this dramatic clip?  Only time will tell.

The biggest potential for marketers that could come from the invasion depends on whether Google can multiply the number of Android mobile devices.  If so, the company could establish dominance, but, more importantly, a solid framework upon which additional advertising and search could be built consistently.  This would be a major improvement over the fragmented market for mobile devices today.  This would greatly enhance the possibilities for new marketing and advertising frontiers because it’s much easier to build out something that is more widely adopted and consistent.  No other mobile device currently integrates like this.

B2B Magazine reported that the next step for Google could further rewrite mobile marketing rule books.  Beyond mobile , Google could offer additional ad-supported, and potentially free, access to information via a variety of platforms including Web and mobile.  Free offerings benefit the consumer, but, also provide marketers with additional details to build out more robust consumer profiles.   This results in much more targeted marketing that breaks through the clutter.

Ultimately, the issue becomes one of how much consumer information collected via these means is too much.  However, consumers are often willing to provide some information for a tangible benefit.  In this case, if mobile Internet access, search, targeted search results and more becomes available for free in exchange for some consumer information that is disclosed to the end consumer as it’s collected, it could be a win-win.

In-game advertising, as well as building complete video games around a product or brand, like Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch, is just the latest in a wave of new, innovative ways that marketers are reaching younger consumers. And, from now through November 3rd, the Obama camp is placing in-game ads in popular X-BOX Live games, from “Guitar Hero” to “Madden ’09″ football. I think this is a great way to reach out and remind additional voters of the upcoming election, even if they choose to play video games rather than keep up with politics or the news.

The article notes that the in-game placements are meant to gain more buzz and traffic to the VoteforChange.com website, which utilizes even more new media tactics as part of an overall presidential marketing plan.

Now, if they could only get Obama and McCain to duke it out via a little competitive Wii boxing instead of through another stuffy debate that covers the same old ground and doesn’t really address many issues in detail. That would draw a crowd.

Talk about viral marketing buzz! Name a primetime date and time, and consumers across American would be setting their TiVos, streaming video live, capturing footage for YouTube, and tuning into TV to catch a glimpse of the candidates sparring on the Wii. It would be great.

So, like most people these days, I did a Google search for dog care centers in the Rockville, MD area to get some recommendations. I was surprised to see that the top “natural” result as well as the top paid result, via sponsored link, were both for the same care facility.

Of course, after seeing an ad for Ana’s Ark, a local dog kennel, as well as a “natural” search result that listed it at the top, I checked it out. I ended up visiting the facility and ultimately booked Elvis there. Another nice marketing move on the part of the facility was to offer a live doggie webcam so we can watch our dog if we want to. Sold.

From a marketing ethics perspective, I read where over 60% of adults have difficulty determining the difference between paid advertising and natural search results. This number seemed high to me, though, I guess it’s possible as different search engines distinguish paid ads and placement versus natural. I also feel that as younger generations mature, this number will drop significantly. Digital natives most likely can determine paid placement versus normal search results without much issue.

It is up to marketers to use good judgment in helping the current generation of consumers to determine paid versus unpaid. While ad revenue is what keeps engines going and benefits consumers just as TV ads help to keep TV rates in check, being sure that such “advertorial” type of content is distinguishable so that consumers can make their own choices is important.

This incident reminded me of how quickly the masses can not only turn on the best PR or marketing intentions and strategies, but can also let their thoughts be known to the world in a matter of minutes via blogs, chats, viral video, and social networks.  Even after publications like the LA Times ran the story, it was only as long as it took fans with video enabled mobile devices to get home from the game before the world caught a glimpse of some not-so-great publicity.

As marketers, examples like these remind us of how important it is to do thorough research before embarking on a plan or tactic.  For example, Philly fans are known to be very team loyal and brutal toward any outsiders.  With this in mind, another hockey city may have proven a more positive reception. Know your audience.

This 2008 presidential race itself has taken on more of a presence online and utilizes all online media platforms to reach the masses.  Yet,  it’s amazing to see that even the online marketing efforts by both John McCain and Barack Obama have been scrutinized for not complying with the e-mail and online information solicitation policies set forth by the FTC and other watchdogs.  Again, do  your background research.  Know the standard policies for e-mail opt-in, ease of navigation that makes consumer choice easy and so on before building out an online platform.

The candidates have even inspired amateur marketers to give their product hawking skills a go like the t-shirt design competition that evolved on Cafepress, known for letting anyone design their own graphics to apply to clothing and sell with no up front costs.  This again reflects how far-reaching marketing efforts, in this case to sell a candidate, can reach.  The best course of action before taking your message to the masses online is to know your audience, gauge their possible responses and be ready, evaluate message and responsiveness as the strategies and tactics are rolled out, correct as needed, and change course and respond to negative feedback transparently and constructively to prevent even more damage.

On this particular visit, I look notice of something that I usually ignore completely–namely, the ads that Facebook serves up. It caught my attention because it was a thumbnailed video clip that announced that the new season of South Park was beginning that evening on Comedy Central. I had become so used to, and ignorant of, Facebook’s normal text ads that I was oblivious to them.

However, this ad not only presented me with valuable information, as I didn’t know South Park’s new season was about to begin, but also incorporated a viral video to get my attention, which I found unique amongst the usual ad serving that Facebook usually offers. Since the ad was from Comedy Central, a source that I’m interested in, I clicked the video as well. It offered a preview of that night’s premiere episode.

As seen in the screenshot below, Facebook is now using ads in the right sidebar of the page that go beyond text and incorporate images as well. I’m actually starting to notice them now.

I’m not sure if it’s the use of the color pictures in addition to text that finally got my attention, the positioning in the right sidebar that is Google-esque and familiar, or a combination in conjunction with the relative uniqueness of South Park’s video ad breaking through the clutter that got my attention.

While most of the ads don’t have any relevance to me, which makes them less than effective from an interactive marketing perspective, the occasional ad can have an impact in the case of the South Park video clip. The clip also fit Comedy Central’s online marketing efforts, as video clips of upcoming episodes are often offered as a preview through their website. By extending these same clips in thumbnail format to other platforms to gain interest, the effectiveness and reach goes even further.