2
2009
What’s Loyalty Got To Do With It?
Recently I killed my subscription to AdAge. Three months later I received a call asking me to come back at a special rate of $69. Now, while that sounds like a great deal, I felt like the ultimate rube, the loyal fool who previously paid $150 per year. In other words, my disloyalty was rewarded with a discount. And my loyalty was rewarded by a having a more costly payment had I simply stayed a loyal customer.
This type of “reward system” is all around us. Quit your cable provider and watch the offers roll in. Cancel your newspaper and they’ll beg you to return with even more savings. Tell your phone company goodbye and feel the love you never felt.
Why do subscription based marketers play games with their loyal customers? How about saying thanks with free access to premium web sites or complimentary services as perks. It’s a digital world and the associated cost to make someone feel good about being a loyal customer is a whole lot cheaper than making them feel like a dolt. I should know—I’m the dolt.
