One Day Promotion Strategy

This week, Imaginary Foundation, a t-shirt company, and Starbucks offered one-day promotions to entice customers to visit either physical or online locations and purchase products. Both companies leveraged social media and email to connect with their target audience and engage potential prospects.



Case Study 1: Imaginary Foundation

Imaginary Foundation had their one day sale coincide with The 40th Anniversary of Apollo's Moon Landing. On June 22, 2009, the apparel company sent an email about the 1/2 off t-shirt sale.



(Imaginary Foundation Apollo Anniversary Promotion Email)


Lessons Learned: Imaginary Foundation


What Worked: The campaign appealed to the rational and emotional benefits of a prospective customer. From an emotional perspective, the email was sent on the day of the anniversary, which gave only 24 hours for the email recipient to make a purchasing decision. Customers needed to quickly respond and purchase a-shirt. From a rational perspective, a prospective customer saved 50% off the retail price or $15.00. Even in today's economic downturn, a 50% discount is substantial.

Areas of Improvement: The three promoted t-shirts were offered in limited sizes. For example, the t-shirt on the left of the email (see image above) was only available in small and XXL. Unless the customer was the size of a Tiny Dance or The Hulk, he or she was out of luck.




Case Study 2: Starbucks

One day after Imaginary Foundation's promotion, Starbucks had a "Free Pastry Day" promotion. For one day, before 10:30 AM PST, the company gave patrons who purchased a beverage a free pastry.

(Starbuck's blog informing site visitors about the promotion)


Lessons Learned:

What Worked: Giving away a free product, stirred up a lot of social media discussion. According to Twist, Starbucks was one the top Twitter trending topics on June 21, the day of the promotion. The chart below illustrates an initial surge of discussion relating to Starbucks the day before the promotion and a strong surge on the promotion's day.


(Frequency of Tweets relating to Starbucks)


Starbucks heavily relied on Twitter, which allowed for convenient sharing and forwarding of the promotion.

Areas of Improvement: If Starbucks created a YouTube video to promote the campaign, the company could have created earlier awareness for the Free Pastry Day Promotion. The earlier awareness could have increased discussion and ultimately sales for the company. Starbucks has an established YouTube presence and the experience to make a quality promotional film.


Takeaways: Strategically offering a one-day promotion on a holiday, anniversary, or special day can engage current clients, create awareness with prospects, and stimulate brand discussion. Furthermore, it is crucial to have enough available stock to meet the promotion's demand and an established social media community to help stimulate discussion.




Comments

Unknown said…
Nice! I like this post - shows real tangible results.

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