A Direct Marketing Agency - Helping Brands Acquire and Retain Customers

I recently saw a :30 TV commercial for a new skincare product from Oil of Olay. The ad directs you online to a landing page where you are then offered a coupon for $5 off your purchase of the particular product. In order to receive my $5 off coupon, I was required to fill out a form with personal information (name, address, phone, etc.) which I of course expected, and then take a short survey regarding my buying habits and purchase preferences. I thought the whole process was easy, well-done and worth my two minutes to fill out.

Once the form was completed, the screen informed me that my coupon would be in the mail within 6-8 weeks (really? that long!?). This was completely out of sync with my expectations. In the online world of on-the-spot promotional opportunities, I expected to be linked to their e-commerce store to purchase (and given the $5 off right there in my shopping cart) or at the very least, be given immediate access to a downloadable coupon to be printed off and used to purchase the product in-store. The initial TV spot was compelling enough for me to get on my computer and find the promotion, but my expectations with the promotion "deliverable" was not even close to being met.

There were a number of missed opportunities:

• No link to the online store to purchase
• No downloadable coupon for in-store purchase
• No follow-up "thank you" e-mail for participating in the promotion and assurance the coupon is on its way
• No onboarding program to continue brand engagement

As companies combine traditional advertising with the online world, they need to first understand how and why consumers have flocked to the Internet for information and for buying. It's not with the anticipation of receiving a coupon in the mail 6-8 weeks later.